Skip to main content

Can Riyadh, Tehran find common ground in Yemen?

If Saudi Arabia and Iran were interested, the confrontation in Yemen could give way to a grand regional bargain.
Followers of the Houthi demonstrate against the Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen, in Sanaa April 1, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTR4VRXB

Nothing significantly changed in Yemen since the Saudi-led campaign to restore President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power. Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh continue their advance despite aerial and naval bombardment that in the past five days killed at least 93 civilians and wounded 364 in five Yemeni cities engulfed in the violence, including Sanaa, according to the UN human rights office in Geneva.

“Ansar Allah isn't affected at the moment by all the strikes,” said Khalid al-Madani, a Houthi official and a member of the revolutionary committee that is ruling areas under his group’s control. “They are hitting civilians and the army; they know all the army bases because the Americans have the maps. As for Ansar Allah, we are a resistance group, everything is secret, nobody from outside the group knows our posts, we are making use of various experiences, and we have our experience during the past wars [in which] we defended against the former regime in Yemen and the Saudi kingdom.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.