World must lend hand to Yemen to defeat Al Houthi terrorism

Those who still believe that a peaceful resolution to the war in Yemen can be negotiated with Al Houthi terror militias got their answer on Monday as the group claimed the terror attacks on civilian sites in Abu Dhabi.

The Saudi-led Arab Coalition, supporting the internationally-recognised government in Yemen, have all along warned of any attempt by the United Nations and Western powers to appease the militia, which continues to terrorise the Arab country and hold millions of its citizens hostage to war and famine under instructions of its sponsor, Iran, in order to change the geopolitics of the this region and threaten the strategic security of its countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

On Monday, the UAE vowed to punish the group after the attacks by explosive-laden drones on oil tankers and a construction site near Abu Dhabi Airport. The terror attacks killed three expatriate workers and injured six others. “The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.

The ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of this heinous crime by Al Houthi terror group, which continues to spread terror and chaos in the region, calling on the international community to condemn the terror acts that target civilians and civilian facilities.

Regional and international governments condemned the criminal act. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington would work to hold the Houthis accountable. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack during a phone call with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that the attack threatened regional stability.

Following the attacks, the Arab coalition carried several targeted retaliatory air strikes on Al Houthi-controlled areas in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Reports confirmed the death of a senior military official, responsible of the group’s drone and missiles operations.

Targeting civilian facilities

The group’s decisions to target the civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi comes in the wake of the heavy losses it suffered in Yemen’s third-largest province, Shabwa, in the hands of the coalition-trained Giants Brigades. The group is now on the run as it tries desperate to hold on in the neighbouring oil-rich Marib province. The attacks on the oil tankers in Abu Dhabi are believed to divert the group’s supporters from the strategic losses they have suffered in the past few weeks.

It is obvious the Houthi militia and its sponsor Iran seek to prolong the war and widen the conflict by attacking civically areas in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The attacks are carried by drones and missiles supplied by Iran, according to a UN panel’s report, released last month.

While Monday’s terror attack on Adnoc’s oil tankers failed to disrupt the operation in the storage facility, it shows very clearly the clear and present danger this group and its backers to regional stability.

The international community has condemned the attacks but that is not enough. Leading global actors need to support Yemen’s government in its legitimate fight against the terror group. The first step is of course designating Al Houthis as a terror group and imposing stiff sanctions on those who support it.