ABU DHABI // While the UAE is prepared for a ground operation against rebels in Yemen if necessary for Operation Decisive Storm, its role is also to provide regional stability and deliver humanitarian aid, say analysts.
“We are peace and security lovers, but the Houthi coup on legitimacy and the Gulf initiative forced us to take action to defend the Yemeni legitimacy,” Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister, said on Wednesday.
Dr Theodore Karasik, a Dubai-based geopolitical analyst, said: “The outcome and implications for the UAE is to show that the Emirates plays a vital role in not only policing but also helping demilitarise factions and, especially, deliver humanitarian aid. The UAE is a regional and world leader in these significant capabilities.
“The UAE is unique in the types of military operations that it has conducted historically,” he said. “This includes mine clearing, humanitarian aid, air operations, and, of course, special operations over the past 25 years. It is an evolutionary path in military sciences in lessons learned involving organising, training and equipping.”
In his remarks, Sheikh Abdullah said: “If we as Arabs like to say our origins are from Yemen, we must protect our origins.
“Some want to complicate this, but we did not attack anyone; they attacked us in our homes. If we do not stand by Yemen today, we’ll regret it.”
Dr Karasik said this concept is critical. The tribal history of the Arabian Peninsula is rooted in Yemen from which tribes spread throughout the region and into the Levant. It is about origins, history and tribal legacies, he added.
Dr Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, professor of political science at UAE University in Al Ain, said: “The need for a ground military operation has always been on the table from the beginning as an integral part of this military intervention. Sheikh Abdullah was just reiterating a fact and reaffirming what we all know about a possible ground operation.
“This doesn’t mean that the ground operation is imminent but it’s an eventuality and the coalition forces are fully ready for it,” he said.
Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on his Twitter account: “In this trying time of conflict in Yemen and the Gulf’s security and stability, the UAE’s will and courage was highlighted, and history will show that our nation is never hesitant to attend to its responsibilities.
“The UAE’s stance in the Yemeni conflict test reinforces our credibility to our brothers and neighbours.”
Sheikh Abdullah said that any Saudi-led ground operation against rebels in Yemen would need approval from Yemen’s president, Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
At least 500 people have been killed and 1,700 wounded as a result of the conflict so far, say aid agencies.
The Red Cross has called for a 24-hour “humanitarian pause” to prevent further mass deaths of civilians.
nalremeithi@thenational.ae
