The Saudis are increasingly desperate to find a way out of the Yemeni quagmire. They apparently believe Yemen's ex-dictator, their longtime enemy Ali Abdullah Saleh, can help.

A Russian medical team flew into Sanaa on Oct. 11 with the approval of the Saudis, who control Yemeni airspace. The Russian surgeons then performed a life-saving procedure on the 75-year-old Saleh. Some reports say the surgery took place at the Russian Embassy in the capital. Saleh's exact health issue is unclear, but it apparently is a result of the severe burns and other injuries he suffered during an assassination attempt in 2011. At the time, the Saudis rushed him to a hospital in the kingdom, where his life was saved. He formally gave up the presidency the next year.

During his 34 years as Yemen's president, Saleh clashed repeatedly with the Saudis. In 1990, Yemen tilted toward supporting Iraq in the Kuwait crisis. The Saudis expelled a million Yemeni guest workers to punish Saleh and bring down the Yemeni economy. In 1994, Riyadh backed the south Yemeni secessionists with military and diplomatic support, hoping to split the country in two. Their machinations failed, leaving Saleh in office and the royal family humiliated. They finally eased him out of office in 2014 to be replaced by his deputy.

The United Nations Security Council has sanctioned Saleh for failing to abide by the terms of his dismissal from office — sanctions the Saudis supported and lobbied for. By some accounts, Saleh has hidden in foreign accounts tens of billions of dollars he looted from the Yemeni economy during his misrule of the country. The UN imposed a global travel ban on Saleh and sought to seize his assets.