We all wish the war in Yemen ends

All Saudis — from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the average citizen — wish that the war in Yemen ends.

However, they totally reject the possibility of mullahs’ government establishing a party like Hezbollah near the Saudi border in Yemen as this is going to be a flagrant threat to our national security.

Ignoring this aspect or marginalizing it, to be more accurate, will be irresponsible toward Saudi Arabia’s future, security and stability. Everyone should be fully aware of this fact.

There can be no peace in Yemen and the war will not end, unless the Iran-backed Houthi militias hand over their heavy and medium-sized weapons to the legitimate authorities in Yemen.

This condition is non-negotiable as this is an existential issue for us, the Saudis. We are ready to fight for it no matter what the consequences or losses may be. Any human or material loss does not justify compromising our national security.

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The Lebanese at the Taif conference made a huge mistake when the rival parties made everyone hand over their weapons except the Iranian Hezbollah militia, on the pretext that it was resisting Israel.

This Iranian party now dominates Lebanese decision making and sends its militias — in spite of the Lebanese will — to fight in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, while the front with Israel has remained completely quiet for more than 10 years.

In other words, Hezbollah is not concerned about confronting Israel, and it is paving the way for Iranian expansion in the region. The Iranians want the Houthis in Yemen to be another Hezbollah, and this makes our war and the UAE’s war there, a war of existence.

Political future

We and the UAE are not the only ones who benefit from defeating and crushing these underdeveloped militias, but the Yemenis and the Yemeni political future are the main beneficiaries, despite the deaths and the cost of this war.

I have no doubt that defeating these militias and uprooting their ideologies from Yemen would enable the Yemenis to establish a stable civil state.

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I know that war is always disastrous, but uprooting this evil needs sacrifices. Probably what is happening now in Iraq and the uprising of its people is a good example for Yemenis to learn form.

Iraq is rich in natural resources, but the Iranian occupation has turned it into a weak underdeveloped country whose people’s current hopes have been reduced to having a sip of pure water.

The case with Lebanon is similar as Hezbollah has turned the country into a state without security or basic amenities and whose debts, that are over $90 billion, restrain its economy. Therefore, the war against the Houthis is essentially a war of independence and liberation.

This article is also available in Arabic.

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Mohammed Al Shaikh is a Saudi writer with al-Jazirah newspaper. He tweets @alshaikhmhmd.