Deutsche Welle added: “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hoped to eliminate Ansarullah quickly by intervening in the Yemeni conflict.” Saudi Arabia and a number of other Middle Eastern countries are supporting President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s forces in the war against the Yemeni Shiites.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had hoped to quickly crush Houthi rebels with Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the conflict in Yemen. Saudi Arabia and a number of other Middle Eastern countries have been backing the troops of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the battle against the Shiite Houthis, who, in turn, have the support of Saudi Arabia’s primary regional rival, Iran.
But it has become clear that the Houthis have been steadily gaining ground since the conflict started on March 26, 2015. Kingdom can no longer win the war. According to UN estimates, more than 230,000 people have been killed and millions are hungry and sick. And the ailing health system has collapsed under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic.
Saudi Arabia has put forward a plan to end the war in Yemen. The foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, announced that the proposals would include a nationwide ceasefire under the supervision of the United Nations. Last year, the Gulf state made similar overtures.
The plan is clearly Saudi Arabia’s exit strategy. Houthi rebels have seized the capital, Sanaa, and large swaths of northwestern Yemen. In February, they began an offensive to seize the oil-rich city of Marib. For years, Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led military coalition have been launching air attacks on Sanaa — and had closed air and sea links in an effort to cut off the Houthis’ access to supplies.
Al Saud said the government wanted to stop the spiral of violence and would reopen the airport in Sanaa to improve food distribution in Yemen. Saudi Arabia’s government announced that it would also relax its blockade of the port of Hodeidah to allow fuel and food imports. Four ships carrying fuel have just docked in Hodeidah. They are reported to have a total of 45,000 tons of diesel, 5,000 tons of liquified gas, and more than 22,000 tons of food onboard.
