Yemen falling out of Saudis' grasp
Saudi Arabia is struggling to form an effective Yemen strategy as its three main adversaries — the Shiite Houthis, al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood — continue to dominate the Yemeni arena.
Although Khaled Bahah's government obtained the confidence of Yemen's parliament in December and officially started carrying out its duties, the political and military situation in Yemen is getting worse and more complex, as a result of the growing power of Islamist (Shiite and Sunni) militants. It's the last thing that Saudi Arabia would have hoped for, after its alliance with Yemen’s main tribes broke down.
Besides the traditional dangers that Saudi security has been facing across its border with Yemen for decades, such as weapon and drug smuggling and even infiltration and people smuggling, the sharp rise of the Houthis’ Ansar Allah militia is a new danger threatening southern regions of Saudi Arabia. This is especially true since gains made by the Houthis and their military control over the Hajjah governorate, 123 kilometers (76 miles) northwest of Sanaa, is adjacent to the Saudi border. This prompted the Saudis to declare a state of military alert on its border with Yemen in October 2014.
The security concern — existent in Riyadh since the Houthi influence was extended to Saada, 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the predominantly Shiite Saudi city of Najran — will deepen amid another media and diplomatic embarrassment: Riyadh will have to deal with the Sanaa government, which includes political and military officials belonging to the Houthi militia. This group was placed on the Saudi terrorist list last March.
Riyadh shares a border of about 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) with Yemen. Both countries also share common interests that make Saudi Arabia the country with the greatest influence on developments in Yemen and the most affected country by shifts in the nation. However, Riyadh did not undertake any direct or active role to try to prevent the advance of the Houthis, and the political and material support it provided was limited to Yemeni President Abed Rabo Mansour Hadi and his army, which collapsed in the face of the Houthis.
