Although in the past two months of Gaza war all branches of the Resistance camp from Lebanon to Syria and Iraq have launched attacks on positions of Israeli regime and its backer the US in solidarity with Gaza, the new front that is capturing global attention is Yemen that by its involvement in Gaza developments has seriously worried the Israelis and Americans.
For the people of Yemen, the Palestinian cause and the defense of the Palestinians is a principal, religious, moral, and national obligation, and Ansarullah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi and other officials of this movement have repeatedly warned in the past two months that they are ready to do anything to defend Palestine, even sending troops to occupied territories if the need arises.
In response to the Israeli crimes in Gaza, Ansarullah has so far seized two Israeli commercial ships. Also, its forces planned to transfer the third seized Israeli ship to the coasts of Yemen two weeks ago, but their move went unsuccessful as US naval ships intervened. Also, the Yemeni army has carried out several missile and drone attacks on the port of Eilat in the extreme south of the occupied territories, the last of which was on Saturday, which, according to the spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces, hit the intended targets.
Solidifying regional position and power
One of the most important achievements of Ansarullah from its involvement in Gaza war is solidification of power of this newcomer to regional equations. Ansarullah’s involvement in the war has revealed the covered Israeli fear of Yemen and transformed Yemen from a weak and marginal actor under past submissive puppet governments into an effective party in the region and a strong and pivotal actor in the Arab-Israeli dispute.
Ansarullah is now sending a message to the Arab countries and the US, which have sought to destroy this movement, that they should recognize it as an effective power in the region. After ten years of controlling Sana’a, the powerful movement has achieved its revolutionary goals, which were to restore Yemen’s position in the regional equations and end dependence on the US and Saudi Arabia.
The warning by leaders of Ansarullah to end war on Gaza or they will continue the attacks on the occupied territories means that Yemen, unlike the Arab countries that only ostensibly take a gesture of support to the Palestinians, has turned into an effective actor in the circle of the regional powers and is worthy of consideration in the equations determining game of interests.
Yemenis’ engagement in the Gaza war exposes Tel Aviv to a new regional threat and reinforces the theory of unity of the (resistance) fronts and prevents the Israelis from entering into a conflict with another branch of the Axis of Resistance in the future as Tel Aviv should expect tough reaction from other branches. Ansarullah owes its saber-rattling to the military achievements it made in recent years, stirring Israeli and American concerns.
In the past 9 years, Ansarullah did not show any weakness against the aggressive armed-to-the-teeth Arab coalition and brought them to the negotiating table by firmly resisting them, proving that any attempt to destroy it is doomed to failure. Israel was planning to settle the Israelis fleeing settlements around Gaza in the port city of Eilat, but Ansarullah’s rockets hit this city, making it crystal clear to Israeli leaders that there is no safe place in the occupied territories.
Proving dominance over Bab-el-Mandeb
Another achievement of Ansarullah’s involvement in Gaza is proving to the world the fact that this movement is in control of Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. By acting against the ships of Israel, which brags to be the top naval force in the region, Ansarullah demonstrated that it dominates this strategic strait which is the maritime trade artery and can disrupt the trade in the Red Sea by shutting it down if necessary, something presenting a nightmare for Israeli leaders. In other words, Yemen’s official entry into a direct war with Israel has put this regime in front of a strategic threat and threatens its depth and ships that pass through Bab-el-Mandeb.
In recent years, many countries, including the US, have deployed troops and ships in the Red Sea to ensure the security of this international waterway, but Ansarullah has upset all equations and proved in recent months that it, not the American warships, has the last word in Bab-el-Mandeb and the Red Sea.
This strait through which a large part of the crude oil passes, is so important that many consider it the core driver for the Saudi-led Arab aggression against Yemen in 2015.
The Strait of Bab al-Mandeb and the Red Sea are of great importance to the Israeli regime from the point of view of security and economy, and gaining control of this strait eases many of the concerns of the West and the Israeli regime, and helps Tel Aviv relies heavily on this waterway to maintain its existence in the region. If Ansarallah disrupts the passage of Israeli ships through the strait, most of the maritime trade of this regime will be cut off and Tel Aviv will be dealt a working blow while it needs the sources of income and imported goods to continue the war and face possible other fronts.
According to reports, Ansarullah forces have access to an automatic identification system that can identify ships belonging to the Israeli regime, which is why the leaders of Sana’a warn that the Red Sea will only be unsafe for Israeli ships and not others, and that they have accurate information about the Israeli ships they can attack or seize if necessary.
Play card on the negotiating table with Saudi Arabia
Powerful Ansarullah entry to the Gaza developments in addition to Israel sends a serious warning to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia waged a 9-year war on Yemen to destroy Ansarallah and bring Sana’a back under its control, but the page is turned now and the movement is not only not weakened, but also grabbed calm from the Saudis by its military gains.
Although negotiations between Sana’a and Riyadh have started several months ago to end the conflict and bring back peace, due to the excesses of the Saudis, the talks have not resulted in tangible results. Therefore, Ansarullah attacks the occupied territories and seizes Israeli ships to send the message to the Saudis that if they do not give up their futile ambitions and continue the occupation, they should not expect a happy ending.
Although Israeli regime uses a range of air defenses including David’s Sling and Iron Dome, Yemeni missiles and drones reached the occupied territories without any disturbance despite traveling a long distance. Saudi Arabia, which in terms of defense capabilities is weaker than Israel and closer to Yemen, can certainly not bear effects of possible renewed Ansarullah strikes.
Saudis seek to guarantee safety of oil facilities against Yemeni missiles by signing security pacts with the US, but many agree that even these pacts cannot protect them if they provoke Yemeni missile attacks.
During the war, despite installing US-provided Patriot air defense, Saudi Arabia could not defend its oil giant Aramco against Yemeni missile and drone strikes. So, a new pact on the paper makes no difference to Riyadh. After all, before the Saudis, the Israeli had signed such security pacts with the Americans, but the latter are incapable of responding to Yemeni strikes on the occupied territories or even confronting the seizure of Israeli ships.
Therefore, Ansarullah indirectly warns the Saudis to end the self-made crisis in Yemen before it is too late, otherwise, if Sana’a’s patience runs out, Yemeni missiles will shift direction from the occupied territories to Saudi Arabia. To put if differently, by flexing its muscles to the Israeli regime, Ansarullah has boosted its play cards against Riyadh and can wrest concessions from the Saudis at the negotiating table.
Issuing warning to UAE occupation in Yemen’s ports and islands
Another addressee of Ansarullah’s involvement in Gaza war is the UAE which over the past years occupied parts of Yemen and now shows no intention of withdrawal. Ansarullah has already made it clear that it leaves not even an inch of Yemeni territory under occupation and holds the necessary leverages to punish the enemies, despite its current toleration of Arab coalition.
Abu Dhabi even opened the door for Israelis to Yemeni ports and Socotra Island. But the strong response to the Israeli crimes in Gaza showed that Sana’a leaders do not stay silent to occupation. Ansarullah proved it has no fear of enemies and dealt a blow to Israeli regime despite all-out Western support to Tel Aviv. Given this fact, attacks on the UAE, which is incomparable to Israel militarily, would not be a difficult job for Ansarullah.
The UAE is a small country whose emirates, especially
Dubai, heavily depend on foreign investment and tourism revenues, and if
Ansarullah decides to strike this Persian Gulf monarchy, the latter
will definitely suffer substantial economic damages. After past
Ansarullah attacks on Emirati sites, media reported billions in UAE
economy losses and investors fled the country for the fear of an
escalation. Thus, should tens of Ansarullah’s long-range missiles hit
the UAE again, a security and economic crisis will encompass the entire
monarchy.
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