Riyadh faces new setback in south Yemen
The loss of Aden is the latest in a long stream of strategic blunders in Yemen by the Saudi leadership.
The victory of South Yemeni secessionists in Aden is another humiliating setback for the Saudi war effort and its commander Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi-backed government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi has lost its capital, further undermining its shaky claims to legitimacy. The Saudis' closest ally, the United Arab Emirates, was partially responsible for the secessionists' gains. The Houthis and Iran are the strategic winners.
The Emiratis have built up the southerners for several years in Aden. When Abu Dhabi withdrew much of its own forces from the port city this summer, the secessionists were free to move against the Hadi government and rapidly prevailed. The Saudis will try to paper over the quarrel within the anti-Houthi coalition, but the damage is done to Hadi’s weak regime as well as to the Saudi-Emirati alliance.
