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US-British airstrikes could strengthen the position of Houthi rebels in Yemen and the region

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Led by the US and Great Britain hits the Houthi rebel group in Yemen represent a dramatic latest turn in the conflict in the Middle East – one which could have ramifications across the region.

The attacks of January 11, 2024 hit roughly 60 targets in 16 locations, based on U.S. Air Forces Middle East Commandincluding Yemen’s capital Sana’a, the primary port of Hodeida and Saada, the birthplace of the Houthis in the northwest of the country.

The military motion followed weeks of US warnings to the Houthis, ordering them to stop attacking business ships in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. The Houthis are an armed militia backed by Iran that controls most of northern Yemen following a bitter conflict almost ten years of civil war – in addition they fired rockets and drones towards Israel.

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as expert on Yemen politicsI imagine that U.S. attacks on the Houthis may have wide-ranging consequences – not just for the Houthis and the civil war in Yemen, but in addition for the broader region where America has key allies. In short, the Houthis stand to realize politically from these US-British attacks because they support the narrative cultivated by the group: that they’re freedom fighters fighting Western imperialism in the Muslim world.

A brand new goal for the Houthis

The conflict between Israel and Gaza has revitalized the Houthis – giving them a raison d’être at a time when their status in their very own country has declined.

By the time October 7, attack by Hamas fighters in Israel, the long conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemenis government overthrown by the Houthis at the starting of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, subsided after a ceasefire in April 2022 that drastically reduced fighting.

Houthi missile attacks on Saudi cities had stopped and there have been hopes that a a truce could bring a few everlasting end to the brutal conflict in Yemen.

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With fewer external threats domestic problems This appeared in Houthi-controlled areas – poverty, unpaid government salaries, crumbling infrastructure – have led to growing concern about Houthi rule. Public support for the Houthis has slowly declined, through no fault of the external aggressor; Houthi leaders could now not justify the difficulties in Yemen as a sacrifice required to counter foreign powers, namely Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

But Israeli attacks in Gaza gave a brand new goal to the Houthis. Alignment with the Palestinian cause allowed the Houthis to reassert their importance and energized their fighters and leadership.

By firing rockets towards IsraelThe Houthis have portrayed themselves as a lone force on the Arabian Peninsula opposing Israel, in contrast to regional powers equivalent to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The militia presents a distinct face to Yemenis and others in the region than Arab governments, which have to date been unwilling to take decisive motion against Israel.

In particular, the Houthis contrast their worldview with that of Saudi Arabia, which before the October attack by Hamas was they wish to normalize relations with Israel.

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The Houthi PR machine

There were strikes in the USA and Great Britain – say the governments of each countriesin retaliation for continued Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and following attempts to search out a diplomatic solution.

The The aim is “disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Houthis,” says US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

A British military aircraft departs for Yemen on January 11, 2024.
UK Ministry of Defense via Getty Images

But regardless of intention or damage caused militarily to the HouthisWestern strikes may influence the group’s narrative, reinforcing the claim that it’s fighting oppressive foreign enemies attacking Yemen. And it will only strengthen the Houthi’s image amongst supporters.

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The Houthis have already managed to realize domestic popular support in the part of Yemen they control, which has been behind their actions since October 2023.

Dramatic naval raids and the taking of ship crews hostage generated viral footage referencing northern Yemen’s nationalism. Rotation captured ship right into a public attraction attracted more national attention.

In the wake of the U.S.-British attacks on Houthi targets, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group expand their attacks in the Red Seaclaiming that any coalition attack on Yemen would result in attacks on all ships passing through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects to the Arabian Sea at the southern tip of the Red Sea.

Arming Palestinian sympathies

Meanwhile, the Houthis have managed to equate the Palestinian cause with their very own. Appeals at mosques in Yemen and mobile texting campaigns raised donations for the Houthis, citing Gaza’s plight.

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The US-British strikes may additionally backfire for another excuse: they create back memories Western military interventions in the Muslim and Arab world.

The Houthis will undoubtedly make the most of this.

When initially US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the formation of a coalition of ten countries to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on December 18, 2023, concerns have been raised about the lack of regional representation. Among the countries of the Middle East and the Muslim world, only Bahrain is home to U.S. Naval Central Command and the U.S. fifth Fleet – He joined.

The absence of key regional powers equivalent to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Djibouti – where the US has its only military base in Africa – has raised further doubts amongst observers about the coalition’s ability to effectively counter the Houthis.

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Muslim-majority countries were undoubtedly hesitant to support the coalition because of the sensitive Palestinian issue, with which the Houthis had already effectively allied themselves.

However, the lack of regional support puts the United States and its coalition allies in a difficult situation. Instead of being seen as a defender of maritime security, the United States – and not the Houthis – is in danger of being framed in the region as an aggressor and escalator.

This perception could damage the United States’ credibility in this area and potentially function a recruitment tool for such terrorist organizations Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and similar groups.

American military and diplomatic support for Israel throughout the current conflict, it also influences skepticism in the region about the true goals of missile attacks against the Houthis.

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Resumption of the Civil War?

The Houthis’ renewed vigor and Western attacks on the group even have consequences for Yemen’s civil war itself.

From truce between fighting between the two primary protagonists of the conflict – Saudi Arabia and the Houthis – fighting between the Houthis and other groups in Yemen, equivalent to the Southern Transitional Council, the Yemeni Transitional Government and the National Resistance Movement, have stalled.

Each group controls different parts of Yemen and everyone seems to have come to terms with the stalemate.

However, the US-British attacks put Houthi opponents in a difficult position. They will likely be hesitant to openly support Western intervention in Yemen or blame the Houthis for supporting the Palestinians. There remains to be widespread sympathy for Gazans in Yemen, which could give the Houthis a probability to realize support in areas beyond their control.

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Yemen’s transitional government issued a press release after the US-British strikes, which show the difficult situation in which the Houthi rivals find themselves. While blaming the Houthis’ “terrorist attacks” for “drawing the country into a military confrontation,” in addition they clearly reaffirmed support for the Palestinians against “brutal Israeli aggression.”

While Houthi rivals are more likely to proceed this balance, the Houthis face no such constraints – they’re free to make use of attacks to collect more support and gain a strategic advantage over local rivals.

An emboldened Houthi group may additionally be less willing to just accept the current established order in Yemen and seize the moment to push for greater control, which could potentially reignite a civil war that gave the impression to be waning.

The Houthis feed on foreign aggression to consolidate their power. Without this external conflict as justification, shortcomings in the Houthi’s political management develop into apparent, undermining their governance. During the civil war, the Houthis were capable of portray themselves as the defenders of Yemen against Saudi influence. Now they’ll add disruption from the US and UK to the mix.

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International

Who is the new Prime Minister of Syria – what will he do?

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Dressed in a modest gray suit and tie with a lightweight blue shirt, bald and bearded, 41-12 months-old Mohammed al-Bashir turned to his Syrians on Tuesday from behind his desk in an empty conference room. Asking for “stability and peace”, he announced that he will be the head of the transitional government until March 1.

Less than two weeks ago, each such address can be provided by Bashar Al-Assad, a brutal dictator who supervised the killing of a whole lot of 1000’s of Syria residents and displacement of over 11 million.

But the Assad regime and 54 years of single-family rule collapsed after the 11-day rebel offensive. He and his wife Asma They were smuggled Damascus by Russian intelligence officers who flew them to Moscow.

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Bashir talked to his compatriots full of hope, but in addition not vital what may occur. I will thank for his position of the Islamist fraction Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which conducted the Coalition of Rebellia, which overturned Assad. From the starting of 2024, Bashir was the political head of the Syrian government of salvation (SSG), the administration of the opposition area run by HTS in northwestern Syria.

Supported by Turkey, HTS and SSG ensured the management and measure of stability in the part of the Idlib and Aleppo provinces since November 2017, but they were also accused by Human rights groups abuse of power and discrimination of religious and ethnic minorities. Despite the breaking from Al-Qaeda in 2016, HTS is also designated as “terrorist” by the UN, USA, Great Britain and a few European countries.

In an interview with Italy Corriere della cheese In the newspaper on December 11, Bashir was asked about the HTS past. He replied: “The necessary actions of some Islamist groups led many people, especially in the West, to associate Muslims with terrorism and Islam with extremism. There were errors and misunderstandings that distorted the true importance of Islam, which is a “religion of justice.” Precisely because we are Islamic, we guarantee the rights of all people and all communities in Syria. “

Syrian rebels pose a Syrian opposition flag at Homs, Syria.
Mohammed to Rifa Muhammad to Rifai / EPA

Aiming towards stability

Born in the Idlib Province, Bashir graduated from electric engineering at the University of Aleppo in 2007. He worked at the Syrian gas company, and after the start of the Syrian Uprising in March 2011, he was the director of the institution ensuring education for youngsters to children affected by conflict. In 2021 he obtained a second degree of Sharia and law at the University of Idlib.

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The Prime Minister is an indispensable technocratic contrast with the HTS Ahmed Al-Sharaa leader, before Abu Mohammed Al-Golani. It was the latter who drew all international attention and questions after the fall of Assad.

IN Interview with Sky News After displacing the previous government, Al-Sharaa turned to other countries: “Their fears are unnecessary, a willing God. Fear comes from the presence of the regime (Assad). The country is heading towards development and reconstruction. He goes towards stability. ”

Bashir is the face of this stability. When the rebels moved south of Idlib and Aleppo to free Hama City at the starting of this month, not only the “new dawn of freedom and dignity”, but promised: “We promise you in the government of salvation that we are involved in meeting your expectations, rebuilding your city to return them to the leading civilized status … It is a day of joy and pride, but it is also a day of work and work and responsibility.”

This seek for responsibility and ID is far more than the prime minister. Shortly after his Tuesday, Bashir reported a gathering with members of the Old Government and a few administration directors in Idlib and the surrounding area “to facilitate all necessary work for the next two months.”

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Technocrats are already developing administration plans by reviewing the regime’s bureaucracy. Mohammad Yasser Ghazal, delegated from Idlib to managing the city of Damascus, he said: “Everything will become one. All government bodies will be resolved: without the government of salvation, no faction, nothing. Everything was all in one Syrian republic. “

In the face of the legacy of the regime in the field of corruption, buddies and centralized power, new officials asked the heads of departments to say their messages and explain the function of their department. They I met the staff Quoting government textbooks from the Nineteen Thirties and Sixties, while not answering direct questions on their duties or decision making.

Fast movements in the early days

There are early days, but up to now a fast transition to the rebels, and now government governments have been largely peaceful together with the continuation of services and on a regular basis business. Rebels issued an announcement Promotion of respect for all minorities. And in the face of plunder possibilities, they warned against any destruction of public or private property and imposed a police night.

The tools have been maintained. In Aleppo City, one of the first acts was to put in new cells of mobile phones. The economic system has been secured and the airports will soon be opened again. Remuneration, which amounted to a mean of around $ 25 ($ 19.80) per 30 days as part of the regime, will be increased According to SSG remuneration, as much as around $ 100 per 30 days.

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A complete amnesty was declared for army soldiers, police and protection staff, provided that they submitted documents regarding official patchy and identification cards. Hundreds The men lined up in the queue In hours after the Aleppo trial.

Two armed men look at the road.
Two armed men are watching the way in Damascus in Syria on December 11.
Friends / EPA

Individual acts of revenge were reported in relation to some data related to the regime. One of the performed was Jalal al-Daqqaq, who was involved in Killing over 200 detainees in SyriaApparently, feeding the throats for pets.

However, there was a general compliance with the rebel order to avoid violence. Posts on X suggest that sources from minority sects, including Druze, Ismailiis and Alawites (whose members include Assads), confirm That all revenge operations weren’t ethnically motivated.

The new government is aware that maintaining security and services is a great politics. Because the Assad regime leaves the basketball economy, in addition to mutilated society, international help will be useful.

To be obtained, HTS will must be faraway from the UN, the USA and European Black. Ghazal sums up that technocrat plans “require political recognition (and addressing) a terrorist designation, which, I think, soon.”

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But good politics will also must persuade abnormal Syrians who lived under the regime. In the store selling freshly printed Syrian revolutionary flags in Damascus, the seller of Fadi Al-Myly was asked by Washington Post to discover the new prime minister. He couldn’t. But whoever he is: “We don’t want him” The butterfly said. “We want choices.”

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Why does Israel attack Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad?

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Benjamin Netanyahu was satisfied with the fall of Bashar Al-Assad This month and claimed that his decision to fight Hamas and Hezbollah contributed to “changing the Middle East face.” Since then, Israel has began the largest bomb campaign in the Syrian land since the war of Jom Kippur in 1973.

The Israeli army also invaded to ascertain a buffer zone between Golan Heights and the territory of Syria, using the highest and most strategic area on the border of Syria.

Israel’s statements and actions are proof that he’s satisfied with the fall of a key element in the resistance axis of Iran, but in addition that it considers it to be a gaggle of rebels that took power in Damascus. In the light of this Israel adopts the “better safe than sorry” approach: while the intentions of the latest Syrian government remain unclear, Israel tries to make the country toothless.

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According to Israel’s defense forces, their 600 strokes They destroyed about 80% of the military abilities of the former Assad army. Israel also tries to make sure the freedom to act in the sky of Syria for a few years – the first goals that might be destroyed were all air defense systems.

What does Israel want in Syria?

Israel’s wtchody strives for several goals. The first is to guard strategic areas, from which attacks could be launched towards Syria or Israel. The second is to create a buffer zone between two countries, and thus avoiding surprise, akin to Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. The third is to amass a negotiating system for possible negotiations with the latest Syrian regime. If Damascus desires to regain these territories, he may have to indicate the value of good will and negotiate with Israel, one other case of the well -known Israel diplomatic strategy.

Israel celebrates Assad’s fall because he breaks the loop that Iran patiently tightened around Israel’s borders in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Pincer Tehran is now broken and has grow to be useless. From the point of view of Israel’s broader conflict with the Islamic Republic, the fall of the Assad regime is a strategic victory.

However, the groups that defeated Assad (and what Iran) in Syria are unlikely to indicate a friendly approach to Israel. Hence Israel’s caution: if Syria goes into anarchy or grow to be a state of jihadists, they need to make sure that she lacks tools for his or her box.

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What is left of the Iran resistance axis?

Axis of resistance-with what only pro-Iranian militia grouped at Iraqi with Popular mobilization forces And Houth in northern Yemen stays intact – that they had as a tool each to attain the regional hegemony of Tehran and to stop the possible attack on Iran.

The point was that if the US or Israel had ever dared to bomb or attack Iran, Tehran prompts the axis of resistance, thus plunged the region into chaos. Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen were dormant volcanoes ready for explosion, but with three of these volcanoes already deactivated, the Islamic Republic now needs one other real deterrent agent.

However, Israel’s indirect victory over Iran in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria can ultimately generate a good greater threat, because the simplest and most radical solution in the 12 months of Iran’s failure can be to desert any ambiguity and the development of nuclear weapons.

Pretzel are clear: the only regimes and countries that survive are such arsenal. People who deprived their nuclear programs weren’t accomplished – Libya, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine – suffered inventory changes or regimes.

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Tehran knows that completing a nuclear program can be a degree with out a return. This would offer guarantees against a foreign attack on its territory, however it would also mean international insulation.

However, Iran just isn’t North Korea. This just isn’t a rustic that may easily cut off from the world, because such a movement could cause economic and social shocks, which in turn can result in rebellions that will overthrow the regime. It may result in the development of military nuclear programs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which might not also serve the interests of Iran.

The Islamic Republic is subsequently in the face of a difficult alternative on easy methods to proceed restoring balance in the face of the loss of Damascus. For its part, Israel will rigorously watch how his victory develops.

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What next for Syria? The danger of violence in post -war crossings

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Paintings emerging from Syria in the course of the last week showed joy on the streets, because thousands and thousands rejoice the tip of 24 years of repression under the Al-Assad tower.

Rebels rarely tilt the scales in their favor and win the war directly after such a protracted and prolonged impasse. But the plain next query is: what is going to occur next? Looking at a handful of similar examples, history suggests that latest forms of violence can still threaten Syria’s political future.

In Libya, umbrella coalition Rebel forces Known because the National Transition Council, he defeated the Miammar Gaddafi government in 2011. Meanwhile in South Sudan, Victory against Omar al-Bashir He got here in the shape of a successful referendum on independence in the identical yr.

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Looking further, in Uganda, Idi Amin, the alliance was broken by the neighboring Tanzania between the 2 competing rebellions in 1979. Joint military campaign Soon after, it ended in Amin’s failure.

The direct consequences of the rebel victory in each of these cases indicate one joint lesson. Where the crushed coalition of armed groups is in a political vacuum, more violence – no less – it might be on the horizon.

People in Damascus in Syria rejoice after the overthrow of President Bashar Al-Assad by rebels.
António Pedro Santos / EPA

Fragile and changing coalitions

Regressing regimes often motivate riot. They may also provide a typical enemy, which, especially when sensing a window of possibilities, allows competing armed groups to postpone differences and cooperation for a typical cause.

Then the transition periods cause uncertainty in regards to the political future. This may make it difficult for former allies united.

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Many Libyan militias allied for the National Transition Council in the course of the Uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. But soon He became violent rivals In the competition for political influence in the transitional government they were created in Tripoli.

In the vacuum of power, these latest forms of violence can seem like local turf wars. But they are sometimes attempts to make use of the faction to make use of themselves, because political spoils could be obtained on the national level.

Meanwhile, where the dominant factions compete for national power in the presence of many smaller and more positioned militias, these weaker factions could also be willing to vary loyalty to finish on the winning side.

Fighting in Libya throughout 2017 showed this kind of opportunistic floping. Local militias reminiscent of Kiniyat Brigade They modified their loyalty between the faction of former Prime Minister Khalifa Al-Ghawil, and a competing faction based in Tripolis, who claims that he represents a legitimate government of Libya.

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Libyan fighters in Balaclavas sat on the back of the pickup.
In 2022 in fighters loyal to the Prime Minister of Tripolia in Libya, Abdulhamid Dbeiba.
Str / EPA

He has a conflict in South Sudan It has been described for a protracted time As an ethnic character. The most important competing leaders, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, belonged to the 2 largest ethnic groups in the country, Dinka and Nuer. But these messages are a more complex and strategic constellation of alliances. Many groups that fought against Kiir were also ethnic Dinkas and vice versa, and loyalty changes over time, because each leader gains a bonus. Some of the newest violence were between the loyal forces towards Machara and the faction of co -creative shards often called Kitgwangwho opposes his leadership.

Numerous reports of international observers and mediators have confirmed The difficulty of brocie and maintaining a stable agreement on the conditions of transition in these countries attributable to liquid and changing coalitions.

Armed groups in Syria have already shown such trends. Command of military operations, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups, which brought the Assad regime, exists only on the name. The dominant group, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), is the amalgam of a minimum of 4 separate militias, while the previous coalitions supported by Turkey and the USA with time connected and crushed.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa He promised it All rebels fractions “will be resolved and the warriors trained to join the ranks of the Ministry of Defense.” But history suggests that the rival will probably emerge from one of these blocks to query the HTS claim ID to conduct a passage. This will introduce a brand new element of uncertainty for smaller factions forced to decide on a page.

Mohammed al-Bashir giving speech in the mosque.
Mohammed al-Bashir, which was appointed by the rebels of the Syrian’s transitional prime minister, gives a speech on the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, Syria.
António Pedro Santos / EPA

Looking at the longer term on the election

Even where a stable transitional coalition could be maintained, the room can ultimately threaten the outcomes of the winner-elevated elections.

Violence was avoided in Uganda after amines, so long as two faction leaders who overthrowed him took the best positions in the transitional government of the division of power. But when the election made a transparent win for Milton Obote in 1980, his rival, Yoweri Museveni, He launched his riot again. The so -called Bush war in Uganda will last until 1986, when Museveni’s forces took the capital of Kampal, by force.

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The change in Ethiopia, the post -war passage did a bit after the victory Allied Rebel Assault In the case of the authoritarian DERG regime in 1991, the bulk of the Ethiopia rebel factions had clear and clear ethnic and terror bases, in consequence of which the brand new structure emerging from the incorporating national conference transferred power to ethnic regions in the federal system.

This try to create a political participation for former rebels, which aren’t completely depending on the outcomes of the national elections, could have succeeded if the primary or regional elections took place the primary. Ultimately, nonetheless, a minimum of two rebellions returned Low level violence In the Nineteen Nineties, accusing the brand new government of marginalization and attempts to undermine their competitiveness of election.

In any case, devotion seems unlikely in Syria. In addition to Kurdish separatists in the northeast, many of the country’s militias have less clear connections with specific demographic groups and sometimes overlap their areas of influence. And with HTS Now they call A unified state without federal regions, a political game on the national level will remain high and prone to violent forms of competition.

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