Alwaght-In a speech broadcasted yesterday, March 2, Abdolmalek Al-Houthi, the leader of Ansarullah Movement, threatened to harm the United States, the United Kingdom and France’s interests in Yemen and all the countries that opposed the constitutional declaration. He said, "The interests of those forces will not be safe from the wrath of the people.” He also threatened to close Bab Al-Mandab .
Earlier, the leader of Ansarullah Movement reflected the frustration of the Yemeni people with the actions of Saudi in financing the armed opponents and trying to divide the country .
Ansarullah Movement controls the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, and much of the military. However, their authority is facing challenges with regional interferences, especially by Saudi and other Persian Gulf States .
The power vacuum since late January is putting a lot on the line including that Al-Qaeda’s local affiliate has seized the opportunity to expand its terrorizing operations further .
As the Yemeni conflict has accelerated, nearly all Western and regional countries have drawn their embassies out of Yemen, as an international pressure on Ansarullah Movement. Yemeni workers were also expelled from Saudi .
According to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House argued in a research article by Peter Salisbury that the fears of the West and the Persian Gulf States go beyond the control of Ansarullah Movement over the capital. Saudi and Egypt are concerned regarding the possibility the international oil transportation be affected, if the Movement was able to control the west of Yemen and Bab Al-Mandab Strait where 5% of the international oil passes through it .
At the same time, the US is trying to preserve a Yemeni regime that it can count on in its war against Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula .
Salisbury continues to state that on the one hand, the Yemeni people regard the Saudi as a young rich country; however, the latter views its southern neighbor as a challenge and the problem stems from the internal conflicts that require alertness .
According to Salisbury, the Saudi leaders have adopted the “containment and restoration” policy regarding Yemen, where they provide support for any administration that would prevent the collapse of the country. The commandment of Abdul-Aziz, the founder of al-Saud, is “Keep Yemen weak .”
Abdolmalek Al-Houthi accused the Saudis of attempting “to introduce the Libyan model and impose it on Yemen.” He also stated that Saudis are supporting the tribes of the opposition in Maarib .
According to the well-known journalist, Abdulbari Atwan, Yemen is known for its resistance. Every nation’s army that tried to interfere in this country, it was defeated or did not gain victory, at least in Yemen. Sanaa remained resistant against the Ottoman Empire, and the British Empire before that. The most prominent advice by King Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud to his son Prince Faysal was to return immediately when the Saudi forces penetrated the Yemeni territory, so that the Prince – back then – does not fall in a trap that he could not survive. The Egyptian-Saudi experience in Yemen in the sixties is one of the bloodiest examples, and it was the war that led to the Arab Defeat in 1967 .
Currently, US is already involved in two wars – Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as, an indirect war in Yemen. It is not ready to respond to the Persian Gulf States’ pleas in issuing a decision by the International Security Council. According to Atwan, the American Administration does not care for Ansarullah Movement or ISIS, and it does not consider fighting the former as a priority similar to what it is doing against ISIS. This is because the US fear the Islamic Republic of Iran, and does not want to hinder any nuclear agreement, Atwan considers .
The Persian Gulf States policies in Yemen were, and still are “catastrophic,” confused, and lack a vision and clear strategy. There is no united “Gulf project” in Yemen, or any other Arab State; rather there are an outside projects (Western and Zionist) supported by the Persian Gulf States with no collaboration among the States. For instance, Qatar supports Syrian forces and Saudi supports their opponents; United Arab Emirates supports Major General Hafter’s and Zentan brigades, while Qatar supports “Fajr Libya” and “Mesrata State” forces. The same thing applies for Egypt .
Surely, Saudi and other Persian Gulf States are working hard to ignite “a civil war and an economic collapse” in Yemen, in an attempt to defend its interests in the country .
Influential parties in the Financial and Oil Ministries has initiated the implementation of the strategies that aim to control one of the largest oil sectors in Yemen by incapacitating the sector financially and administratively. The head of the worker union in Petromasila, Amr Al-Wali, said, “The company is facing a great impediment by influential parties in the Oil, Metal, and Financial Ministries, in an attempt to thwart the company that is being managed by local qualified cadres.” Al-Wali added, "The company has made great achievements, since it came in management after the former management by Canadian Nexen, and the repeated attempts aim to undermine the company and take control over the sector .”
The Saudi Policy - and the Persian Gulf’s policy subsequently - regarding Yemen was based on two pillars. First, Yemen should remain poor, weak, divided, and lacking the power grounds. The other pillar is the absence of powerful centralized government, because this country and its strength pose a threat on the stability of the region. This explains the invitation of Jordan and Morocco to join the Persian Gulf Council, and the shameful stinginess in the aids and support of developmental projects .
This policy has succeeded in weakening Yemen. However, Ansarullah Movement has benefitted from the present situation in order to implement the revolution. They have showed their hostility to the United States and the Zionist regime. They refused the Persian Gulf States’ policies that led to the abandonment of the Palestinian issue and allying with the US – fighting in the US wars .
On the other hand, the former Israeli Security Vice-Minister, Efraim Sneh, said, “Ansarullah Movement control Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which constitutes a great strategic threat to the Zionist regime .”
Sneh added, “The Zionist anxiety is due to the fact that Ansarullah Movement are expanding their control in Yemen, after they have defeated the former army and pro-Qaeda militias. The most prominent control of the Movement is in the city of AL-Hadida and its coast. According to the Zionist researcher, the control of the Movement on this territory is considered a strategic threat, and the west Yemeni coast is close to the west Saudi coast and its strategic annexes .
Sneh stated that Israel regime cannot remain indifferent to the new threat posed on the sea-lane connecting it with Africa and Asia. He asked, “What should the Israeli regime do regarding this development?” he answered, “First, there is a need for increase coordination with Saudi Arabia, although there are secret channels .”
However, he pointed out that there is one thing that the American Administration can specifically do. Eretria is located on the other side of the sea-lane, and in the last decade, the US’ policy included weakening Yemen and Eriteria .
What the Israeli regime fears, according to intelligence reports, that the reason of the control of Ansarullah Movement of the Red Sea is to control and harm the Zionist regime .
