Despite a change in both name and focus for the Saudi-led coalition’s military involvement in Yemen, the conflict is continuing to intensify. Events of the past five days, when Iranian backed Houthi rebels crossed into Saudi territory and launched what the Saudi Arabian military called a “full-scale attack”, point to a conflict in flux.
The foreign ministers of six GCC countries, meanwhile, reaffirmed the purpose of their role in Yemen at a meeting in Riyadh on Thursday. Qatari foreign minister Khalid Al Attiyah, who led the meeting, said that coalition air strikes and Operation Restoring Hope demonstrated the council’s commitment to their neighbour in Yemen.
The resounding message from the region is one of perseverance coupled with the will to do the heavy lifting necessary to bolster the authority of the internationally recognised president, Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
This resolve is particularly appropriate given a new United Nations report, released this week, detailing how Iran has been supplying weapons to Houthi rebels since 2009. Using fishing vessels and cargo ships, Tehran has been sending weapons to Yemen for far longer than previously thought. The report raises new questions about Iran’s regional intentions as well as the means by which Tehran wants to achieve them.
Iran has developed a diverse sphere of influence across the Middle East by arming a network of proxy forces that seek to take advantage of the unravelling chaos. From Hizbollah in Lebanon to Shia militias in Iraq, Iran is supporting warfare with the goal of further destabilising the region, which Tehran believes will help propel its own geopolitical interests forward.
Two weeks before GCC leaders meet the US president at Camp David, Iran is sending mixed signals about its intentions. While the leadership in Tehran says one thing about Yemen, Iran’s long-standing supply of weapons to the Houthis says something altogether different.
