Dr Ibrahim Al Shiekh
Are you surprised that the Republican Guard troops and a large part of the army of Yemen are not true Yemeni soldiers but work for ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh?
We were late in addressing the situation in Yemen, and I believe that will cost us a lot. Iran, on the other hand, has been preparing to leash us and baptise Sana’a, which is the fourth Arab capital to fall to them after Baghdad, Beirut and Damascus.
Operation Decisive Storm was launched to give back the pulse to the heart of a nation that is moaning because of wounds caused either by foreign plots, internal conspiracies or a shortage of trustworthy people.
One does not need to be reminded that the air strikes have hit and will hit many targets, such as the headquarters of the Houthi leadership, the forces in favour of the ousted president, his rocket launchers, a large number of weapons and Mig aircraft, ballistic missile stores, and other targets. This will put an end to most of the firepower of Iran’s allies.
One also does not need to be reminded that air strikes cannot end the war; therefore Operation Decisive Storm is not everything.
It is an ongoing process to track and destroy the Iranian weapons that were shipped to Sana’a day and night. This process cannot stop because that will allow the Houthis to regroup.
This is what Tehran is seeking through its statements calling for dialogue; they are fully aware of what that means.
The actions of Iran and its Houthi soldiers in the cities and villages of Yemen are meant to impose a new reality on the ground by supporting tribes, Yemeni parties and what remains of the Yemeni army. They are meant to form a parallel entity that can turn the tables on its rivals.
The Arab Gulf alliance has a lot of tools and weapons that have not been used yet.
Limited intervention on the ground, marine supplies and continued military and logistical support to Yemeni tribes and parties will cut off Iran’s arm in Yemen, which will drive the Iranian snakes back to their holes.
They will continue to rearrange their front lines, and Operation Decisive Storm must be extended to reach all the Iranian arms that were involved in spilling the blood of Syrians and Iraqis.
It is time for our countries to start a real project to protect Arab interests in Iran. There is Ahvaz, an Arab area, with both Sunni and Shia inhabitants, who are fed up with what Iran is doing to them, from discrimination to sectarian cleansing.
Truly, our countries shouldn’t forget that the reason behind the destruction of Yemen is our trust in a criminal like Saleh and his supporters, which in turn emboldened the Houthis to turn large parts of Yemen into a country of gangsters, looters and settlers of accounts.
Our countries should look for real and stable options and then they will be able to control the situation and prevent any recurrence of this miserable experience.
The speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques at the recent Arab summit was remarkable as it reflected how he is aware of the threats to this nation.
How remarkable was the speech of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about the unjust siege of Gaza!
How remarkable was the firm response of Saud Al Faisal to the ravings of the Russian president on Syria!
As a nation we can change many unfair equations in this world if we want to.
The author is a columnist and researcher
