Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, being briefed by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, minister of defense, on the military plans against the Houthis in Riyadh. — SPA P. K. Abdul Ghafour
When Saudi Arabia formed a 10-member international coalition to confront the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and restore legitimacy in Sanaa and launched a blistering attack on March 26, 2015 targeting enemy positions, even the Saudis could not believe it. It was a historic move by Riyadh that proved its military might and commitment to protect its Arab Muslim neighbor. Saudi Arabia is a peaceful country and has been striving to establish peace and stability across the world. It has hosted several peace talks in the past and has been working hard with other GCC countries to establish peace and stability in Yemen. It initiated a war on the Houthis on the request of Yemen's deposed president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to bring him back to power. It also wanted to prevent Tehran's expansionist ambitions in the Middle East. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said Saudi Arabia had exerted all possible efforts to avoid a military operation against the Houthis. “Saudi Arabia did not spare any effort to address the situation in Yemen. Houthi intransigence, pursuit of power and control, rejection of all initiatives and their aggression against the Yemeni people led to the military operation,” the King said. On March 26, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, then Saudi ambassador to the US, told reporters in Washington that a coalition consisting of 10 countries, including the GCC member states sans Oman, had begun airstrikes at 7 p.m. Eastern time. “The operation is to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen and prevent the radical Houthi movement from taking over the country,” Al-Jubeir said while addressing a press conference in Washington. The Iran-backed Houthis had deposed the government of President Abdul Hadi in February 2015. Coalition forces reportedly bombed the Malaheez and Hafr Sufyan regions of Saada province, the main Houthi stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia. Military sources said rebel positions were hit at various locations in Sanaa, including at Al-Daylami airbase and the adjacent international airport in north Sanaa, as well as the presidential complex seized by the rebels in January. US Secretary of State John Kerry commended the work of the coalition taking military action against the Houthis and noted Washington's support “including intelligence sharing, targeting assistance, and advisory and logistical support for strikes against Houthi targets,” a State Department official said. Following talks with GCC foreign ministers, Kerry also pointed out that it was the Houthis who started the military campaign ignoring the GCC's overtures for political negotiations to resolve the crisis. Citing Saudi military sources, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel reported that 100 Saudi warplanes were involved in the operation, dubbed Decisive Storm. The United Arab Emirates is participating with 30 jets, Bahrain with eight, Morocco and Jordan both with six. Sudan reportedly offered three warplanes to assist the operation. Jordan confirmed that it was participating in the offensive. Egypt, which is a major military power in the region, is also part of the coalition. Kuwait's Defense Ministry said it was sending three squadrons of its F-18 Super Hornet aircraft to King Abdul Aziz Airbase in Dhahran to take part in the Yemen offensive. Three Houthi military commanders, Abdel Khaleq Badereddine Al-Houthi, Yousef Al-Madani and Yousef Al-Fishi have been reportedly killed in the initial attacks. The Houthis confirmed in a statement to reporters that Saudi jets hit a military base in Sanaa, known as Al-Dulymi. During the press conference, Al-Jubeir did not go into detail about the support being provided by Saudi Arabia's allies, but added “we consulted very closely with many of our allies and in particular with the United States.” US National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said President Obama had authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi-led military operations. “While US forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen in support of this effort, we are establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support,” the spokeswomen pointed out. Yemen has been gripped by growing turmoil since Houthi rebels launched a power takeover in the Yemeni capital in February. Houthis had advanced to the southern port city of Aden, where Hadi was based after fleeing from house arrest in Sanaa. They also controlled much of the north, including Sanaa, and several southern provinces. In recent days, they took the third-largest city, Taiz, as well as much of the province of Lahej, both just to the north of Aden. Omar Al-Saleh, a Gulf-based media person said Iran has been expanding its influence in the region since the latest Iraq war. “They will use their influence as a way to be taken more seriously by the US ... I think the Gulf was taken by the surprise. They were distracted by the events in Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood.” Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri accused Tehran of arming the Shiite Houthi militia. “The Houthis are receiving arms shipments from Iran,” he said. “The Houthi militias and forces loyal to ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh have in their possession nearly 300 Scud ballistic missiles. They seized these weapons from the Yemeni Army,” the spokesman added. Saudi Arabia and other coalition members were successful in winning a UN Security Council Resolution against the Houthis. Adopting resolution 2216 (2015) by 14 affirmative votes to none against, with one abstention (Russian Federation), the Council demanded that the Houthis withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict, relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate government of Yemen. Acting under chapter VII of Charter, the body also called upon the Houthis to refrain from any provocations or threats to neighboring states, release the Yemeni minister for defense, all political prisoners and individuals under house arrest or arbitrarily detained, and end the recruitment of children. Imposing sanctions, including a general assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo, on Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, and Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, son of the president who stepped down in 2011, the resolution called upon all Yemeni parties to abide by the Gulf Cooperation Council and other initiatives and to resume the United Nations-brokered political transition. Reaffirming the need for all parties to ensure the safety of civilians, the Security Council called on parties to facilitate the evacuation by concerned states and international organizations of their civilians and personnel from Yemen. The representative of Jordan, the Council's President for April, said the adoption of the resolution was a clear and firm signal to the Houthis and all those supporting them to comply with their obligations. Stressing the regional ramifications of the escalating conflict, she stated that the Council was prepared to consider any additional measures required. The Council had for months demanded that the parties in Yemen proceed with the agreed upon political transition, the representative of the United States recalled. In response, however, the Houthis had intensified their military actions, threatening the country's and region's security. For that reason, she strongly supported the resolution, which provided a general asset freeze and travel ban on spoilers. The Saudi-led coalition said the “Operation Decisive Storm” was successful in weakening the Houthis' military power, citing the large-scale destruction of the Houthi's arsenals and surface-to-surface missiles and securing the Saudi border with Yemen. It has launched a second stage called “Operation Restoring Hope” aimed at helping its Yemeni allies to regain lost ground and forcing the Houthis into negotiations on the basis of the UN Resolution. Saudi Arabia believes that given the weakness of the Yemeni government and the tribal structure of Yemeni society, Yemen could be a potential stronghold for Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Saudi intervention in war against Houthis aims at helping the Yemeni government to control its fragile situation and to prevent Al-Qaeda from penetrating into this country. The coalition has vowed that it would deliver a “harsh response” to the Houthis following their attacks on Saudi citizens. “The equation is different, the confrontation is different, and they will pay a harsh and expensive price,” spokesman Assiri told reporters. The missile attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis are likely to expand and intensify the war. “The safety of Saudi Arabia is a top priority for the coalition and the Saudi armed forces. It is a red line they crossed,” said Al-Assiri. Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has urged the forces to take all measures to ensure the safety and security of Saudi borders. “Now the confrontation is targeting Saudi Arabia's borders, targeting Saudi citizens, targeting the safety and security of Saudi cities. Here we confirm that this is unacceptable,” the spokesman added. He said an operation to respond “starts now” and will target “all the leaders of the organization, the areas they gather, their leadership locations, and the planners. And it will not be a limited operation.” The Houthi stronghold of Saada, in northern Yemen, will be among the areas in the coalition's sights, Al-Assiri said. Saudi Arabia has a special relationship with Yemen, and hosts more than two million Yemenis who remit billions home every year. The Kingdom and other GCC countries have been the main supporters of Yemen for decades. It should therefore be clear to the public that Operation Decisive Storm is aimed squarely at restoring the legitimate government and ensuring Yemen's security and stability. The Operation Decisive Storm, according to political observers, has been an unprecedented success, having been painstakingly planned by Saudi Arabia and its allies. Saudi Arabia has offered financial aid worth SR2 billion to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis. The King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Center donated 100,000 food baskets to Yemeni people and has signed agreements with three UN aid agencies to provide badly needed assistance to the Yemenis. The first agreement was signed with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The agreement totals $1,743,000 with the first disbursement paid totaling $871,000. The main scope of the collaboration is providing support for local farmers and food producers to ensure food security as well as providing financial support to encourage local production and aid in the harvesting processes in addition to providing psycho-social support to victims. The second agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) costs $22,197,163 with the first disbursement paid totaling $5,547,174. The main scope of the collaboration is to reduce morbidity and mortality of most vulnerable populations, including women and children in addition to provision of life saving emergency health, nutrition and environmental health services, including critical medicines and medical supplies. This agreement covers all regions of Yemen and is expected to benefit 7.5 million people. The third agreement is signed with UNICEF. The agreement valued at $29,600,000 with the first disbursement paid totaling $8,880,000. The main scope of the collaboration is a provision of nutritional and therapeutic program for children under 5 years of age including pregnant and lactating mothers in addition to providing water and sanitation programs. The agreement included women, newborns and children access to lifesaving health intervention services. The agreement covers all regions of Yemen and is expected to benefit 2.7 million people. The King Salman Center is also expecting to sign similar accords with other UN agencies in the next few days. “The center is extremely keen to finalize the agreements with the remaining agencies and invites them to cooperate and come forward in order to assist the Kingdom and King Salman Center in meeting the aim and principles of the appeal to help alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people,” an official statement said. The Saudi Shoura Council has applauded both the Operation Decisive Storm and Operation Restoring Hope. “Operation Decisive Storm became successful thanks to the unity of the leadership of GCC, Arab and Islamic countries who rose up to their responsibility and decided to send troops to protect Yemen's legitimacy and destroy the military capabilities of the Houthis and their supporters,” said Shoura Council President Abdullah Al-Asheikh. He expressed his hope that Operation Restoring Hope would speed up the political process in Yemen in order to form a stable government with the participation of all groups as proposed by the GCC peace initiative. “All influential groups in Yemen have a big responsibility in determining their country's future,” he added. The Shoura chief said the Saudi-led coalition reflected the progress of Arab Ummah and their leaders' commitment to deal with the challenges facing them.
