Saudi Arabia Resumes Airstrikes in Yemen Despite Hosting Peace Talks

Following a five-day humanitarian ceasefire between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi forces in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition resumed its airstrikes on May 17 against the Houthi-controlled neighborhoods in the southern port city Aden. The airstrikes come as the international community has asked both sides to agree to another five-day truce, for which neither party has indicated support. UNICEF and aid workers have both stated that the ceasefire provided only enough time to administer assistance to a small section of all of those who needed it.

The Yemeni population, which has so-far been marginalized in this conflict, spoke out against the Saudi Arabian airstrikes and blockade in a large demonstration backed by Houthi revolutionary committees on May 18, which together have killed thousands of civilians and left the population without access to necessary food and medicine.

Despite the unrest of the Yemeni population, Saudi Arabia is currently hosting three-day talks in Riyadh scheduled to end on Tuesday to discuss the future of Yemen. These were boycotted by the Houthi rebels, though they were attended by hundreds of Yemeni tribal leaders and politicians. They have the aim of restoring Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is currently in exile after being ousted by the Houthis. The Houthis reject the talks on two grounds: the restoration of Hadi, and the location of the talks in Saudi Arabia. Iran, who is backing the Houthis, has also spoken out against the talks due to Saudi Arabia’s stake in the fighting and it believes any talks on the future of Yemen should be located in a country uninvolved in the conflict.

Additionally, fighting on the ground continued throughout the ceasefire, with both parties blaming the other side for the violence. Battles have raged on throughout the past week in Ladwar, Taiz, Dhale, and Aden, where the Saudi coalition resumed its airstrikes on May 17.

Although it is unclear exactly how this may manifest itself, signs point toward a likely escalation of conflict before any resolution is met, especially following the refusal of the Houthis and Iran to attend Saudi’s talks. Currently, an Iranian aid ship is sailing for Yemen under the protection of the Iranian navy. It will need to pass through the Saudi Arabian and United States blockade of Yemen’s coast, and attempts to block the aid from reaching Yemen will result in retaliation. Saudi Arabia is also looking to purchase atomic weapons from Pakistan, in an apparent beginning to an arms race between the ideologically opposed Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Shiite Iran.

Yemen is clearly a proxy war for Saudi Arabia and Iran. As the two countries fight to gain more influence over the region, additional proxy wars could arise and conflict could become more serious, especially if Saudi Arabia does join Iran in seeking nuclear weapons. Although both countries have denounced the conflict, neither side has truly made moves to deescalate the violence because both sides are more interested in achieving their goals than in reaching peace. Saudi Arabia wants to return Yemen to its antebellum, pre-revolution state with Hadi in power and a Sunni government, and it is currently using airstrikes as a tool to do so. Iran would like to see the opposite occur: it wants Yemen to rest as it currently exists, with the Shiite Houthis controlling the government. It will continue to ally itself with the Houthis, even if this government came to power illegitimately and has not been internationally recognized as the official Yemeni government. Should the Houthis be pushed from the government, Iran will react by trying to restore the Houthis to power. The international community continues to call for peace and ceasefire extensions, but the two sides are completely opposed and irreconcilable. Unless both can agree to compromise and reach a common resolution, conflict will continue.