Yemen: Saudi Arabia loses positions

Although forgotten in the West, the seven-year civil war in Yemen between the Saudi-backed pro-government side and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel militia continues, with no sign of a peace agreement or the victory of one of the parties putting an end to it. The Houthi guerrillas control the capital, Sana'a, while those who consider themselves legitimate hold control of three-quarters of the territory from the port city of Aden. 

News of the development of the conflict, which involves other armed tribal groups, is scarce and often confusing. Both Riyadh and Tehran handle what little unreliable information officially leaks out. Their credibility is low.  In recent days, international sources claim that Saudi-backed troops have lost some of their positions.

The Saudi press, on the other hand, claims that its forces have carried out successful attacks on the cities of Sana'a, Sanda and Morid, where new relief reinforcements have arrived. Morid is in an area with oil reserves that the Saudis do not want to abandon. This information, however, does little to change the impression that the war threatens to drag on.

All international attempts to reach an agreement to restore peace in the peninsula have failed. The Saudis have alleged that Iranian forces are supported by Hamas from Lebanon. The Houthis denounce Saudi bombardment of urban centres, causing hundreds of deaths.

The general impression is that Western powers have turned a blind eye to a conflict of a tribal and religious nature for which no solution is in sight. In fact, the country has returned to the two-state division in which it had been for several years. The UK has reiterated threats to the Houthis to release the UN officials they are holding prisoner.

Rumours circulating in diplomatic circles claim that Riyadh is pressuring the US to get involved militarily to rein in Iran, the country where animosity against Americans is probably the highest in the world, including the family dictatorship of North Korea. From Washington this possibility is dismissed.