ICG: Saudis Seeking Face-Saving Way Out of Unwinnable Yemen War

Date: 08 June 2021 - 22:16

News ID: ۹۱۰۳۳

RIYADH (Press TV) – Saudi Arabia is desperate to find a face-saving way out of its disastrous bombing campaign in war-ravaged Yemen after failing miserably, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).
In a new article, the interim head of the Brussels-based think tank, Richard Atwood, said Riyadh’s foreign interventions have failed to produce desirable results for the kingdom.
Atwood attributed Riyadh’s failed foreign policies, especially in Yemen, to “fatigue,” and the “grudging recognition of the limits of zero-sum competition.”
He said Riyadh’s war against Yemen is “not only unwinnable” but “generates fury” toward the Saudi rulers, together with the killing of dissident Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“It’s still early days, of course, and much is likely to go wrong,” said the interim ICG president and added, “Yemen’s war is going from bad to worse.”
Saudi Arabia’s embattled Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the mastermind of the Yemen carnage, has been under tremendous pressure at home after more than 70 Saudi forces were killed in a successful Yemeni army operation in the southwestern port city of Jizan recently.
The massive aerial and ground operation by the Yemeni forces, backed by allied fighters from the popular committees, came as a major setback to the Riyadh-led coalition in its war on Yemen.
Yemeni forces managed to seize control of at least 40 sites in the mountainous region, after which the Saudi air force sent warplanes that inflicted damage on their own military equipment.
The online campaign by Saudi activists calling for an end to the devastating war on the poorest country in West Asia has gained significant momentum after the Jizan operation.
Meanwhile, the leader of the popular Ansarullah movement has met in Sana’a with an official delegation from Oman which is mediating for a face-saving Saudi exit from the Yemen quagmire.
During the meeting in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Monday evening, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi discussed humanitarian issues and other areas of concern with the Omani delegates, al-Masirah television network reported.
The Ansarullah leader also extended his gratitude to Oman’s ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said for his positions on Yemen.
Earlier in the day, Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, met with members of the Omani delegation and thanked the Sultanate of Oman for his efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people resulting from the Saudi war and siege.