Name? Yahya Sarea
Westphalian identity? Yemeni (Houthi)
Age? In his mid-forties we assume
Why is he in the news? As Houthi military spokesman, Sarea stated in a televised speech that the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen had pounded “military headquarters and centres including the defence and intelligence ministry and [King] Salman Air Base” in Riyadh.
Why do we care? This was the first attack of its kind since a ceasefire put into place during the coronavirus pandemic expired last month. While the Houthis have repeatedly fired on Saudi Arabia throughout the conflict, this was the first time they’ve targeted Riyadh since March and according to Sarea, it was a success.
Why should you care? Well supposedly, Riyadh had brokered a truce between Yemen’s government and southern separatist forces (not to be confused with northern Houthi rebels) on Monday. However, this truce didn’t even last a day as clashes once again broke out yesterday between the MBS-backed government and southern separatists in the Abyan province (precisely where the ceasefire was set to take place). Though we imagine it’s a bit difficult to guarantee a truce in one area of a country when you’re busy breaking a ceasefire in another of the same country…
Who else cares? MBZ. While Saudi Arabia backs the Yemen government run by President Hadi, the UAE has backed the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Formerly Saudi’s main coalition partner in its military campaign against the Houthis, the UAE now finds itself against its former ally in a conflict competing with Syria for the biggest proxy war in the region.
Any further comments? The Houthi rebel forces are largely aligned with Iran as both share a similar distaste for the Saudis. Despite all invested nations (Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) dealing with their own Corona-crises, it appears they’ve each reserved enough energy to support their allies in the Yemen crisis.
