Saudi Arabia is once again fighting a war in Yemen after years of trying to keep the conflict under control. A series of mistakes has pulled the kingdom back into the conflict. These include a fallout with the UAE, poor preparation for Houthi attacks and uncertainty over US support.
In response, the Houthis ended the truce with Saudi Arabia and announced a blockade on Saudi ships. They then launched a fresh attack along Yemen’s coast and captured key areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, an important route for ships carrying goods between countries. He urged Trump to strike the Houthis, but the US president declined to intervene. Instead, Washington held talks with the Houthis in Oman to protect its own ceasefire agreement with the group. Crown Prince Mohammed travelled to Egypt last month to meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He later invited UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed to Riyadh for talks on regional developments.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke twice with US President Donald Trump last month, according to sources cited by CNN. The Houthis said their fight was with Saudi Arabia and allowed US ships to continue travelling through the Red Sea.
“Now they find themselves in the middle of it. Saudi Arabia, however, failed to replace it. Because of the regional conflict, some major projects have been cancelled, while concerts, film festivals and award shows have been suspended.
At least three people, including a Saudi pilot, were killed this week after Houthi attacks on several airports in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi government. “They just needed the conflict to stay (as) far away from them as possible without the Houthis disrupting their transformation plans,” he said. “There wasn’t a proper transition when the Emiratis left,” a southern Yemeni official told CNN. The official said the UAE had a well-organised system to manage its forces. “They need to unify their command centers, they need to resolve the issues they have between the various factions within the group,” he said. “Territorial gains they’ve made would mean nothing if the (Saudi-backed) Yemeni government cannot maintain control over those areas.”
