The Houthis’ repeated attacks on Riyadh airport, resulting in hundreds of casualties among innocent passengers and staff, have demonstrated their disregard for international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacking civilian targets such as airports. It also considers targeting them intentionally a war crime.
These attacks repeat the same wanton indifference to the loss of human life that was clear in earlier attacks targeting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and other Saudi airports, where civilians congregate in large numbers. Among the victims of the most recent Riyadh airport attacks were many pilgrims on their way to Makkah.
The Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia because it plays a key role in the important coalition set up in 2015 to support the Yemeni government against their project. The rebels have spread violence and chaos, fragmented the state and impoverished the Yemeni people. Millions of civilians have been driven out of their homes — as refugees abroad, mostly in Saudi Arabia, or internally displaced, mostly in Marib province, which is under government control.
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has supported the Yemeni government in wresting control of Bab Al-Mandab back from the Houthis, defeating their latest effort to seize the waterway and threaten international shipping in the Red Sea.
The rebels have spread violence and chaos, fragmented the state and impoverished the Yemeni people
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg
The Houthis resent Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in the Muslim world and do not hide their quixotic quest to invade the Kingdom and seize control of the Islamic holy cities of Makkah and Madinah themselves. It is never clear whether that is a fantasy they feed their followers or if they actually believe that bizarre delusion. Either way, it seems peculiar to then target the same holy places with missiles and drones, while also espousing ideas at odds with the beliefs of the majority of the world’s 2 billion Muslims.
They target Saudi Arabia for signing the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement with Pakistan and Turkiye. The alliance’s defense and foreign ministers met in Riyadh last week to activate the mechanisms of defense and deterrence stipulated in the pact, including the deployment of forces and materiel to help defend the Kingdom.
They attack Saudi Arabia to undermine its ambitious development plans and drive away investors. The country has put to shame the Houthis’ own ignoble achievement of impoverishing Yemen. By attacking visible targets, including airports and energy installations, they hope to tarnish the image of Saudi Arabia as a place of stability and prosperity and a magnet for outsiders who seek their fortunes, with more than 16 million expatriates living there. It is ironic that most of the 2 million Yemenis who live in Saudi Arabia send remittances home to keep the economy afloat, including in areas under Houthi control. The Houthis resent that demeaning dependency on their No. 1 foreign foe.
The Houthis target Saudi airports and energy installations to make up for military setbacks on the front lines, as the government has been able to reverse some of their gains, including the temporary control of Bab Al-Mandab, the Houthis’ main strategic goal in their recent campaign.
The Houthis have left no room for peace and reconciliation and the UN and other mediators have failed to break this impasse. They have rejected the calls of the Yemeni government and the international community to stop the war. So, the government’s decision last week to move militarily against them came after years of trying to sit with them at the negotiating table.
The Houthis target Saudi airports and energy installations to make up for military setbacks on the front lines
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg
In addition to the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, the world is more united today than ever in its support for the Yemeni government and the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen. Many countries have already designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, especially after their attacks on maritime shipping and energy supply chains. The UN Security Council has also adopted several decisions against the rebels, including some adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, providing an additional legal basis for the use of force against them. The UN has established outfits to implement those resolutions but the Houthis have made it difficult to function in Yemen and have detained scores of UN staff.
The Yemeni government’s efforts have demonstrated its will to lead and the coalition has supported those efforts. They are defending not only Yemen but also the international order, including maritime security and the safety of supply chains.
However, in the face of Houthi aggression and stonewalling, the international community is asked to do more to shore up the Yemeni government’s capabilities to hold its ground and reverse recent Houthi advances.
First, it is necessary that those countries with the means should provide support for the government’s military operation to restore its authority throughout Yemeni territory and safeguard its institutions.
Second, they should help Yemenis keep their unity and prioritize defeating the Houthis over other demands, which can be handled later.
Third, the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement must continue in activating the defense and deterrence instruments announced last week.
Fourth, the Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, should be given the task of coordinating internationally for the defense of Bab Al-Mandab. It should seek to consolidate the work of the multiple maritime outfits spread throughout the region, including American, European and international groups.
Fifth, diplomatic efforts should resume to help the Yemeni parties arrive at a political solution as soon as possible.
Sixth, more funds should be raised to support the economic and humanitarian program launched by the Yemeni government.
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the GCC. X: @abuhamad1