Unbelievable… A Joint Saudi-Qatari Request from Sana’a!
NYN | Reports and Analyses
The region appears to be on the verge of a new strategic shift. Yemen, according to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, has become a major player in the Red Sea equation after Sana’a rejected a series of Arab and international efforts aimed at persuading it to halt attacks on ships linked to Israel and to stop its air operations in support of Gaza.
The newspaper revealed that over the past two years, communications have taken place involving officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to try to convince Sana’a’s leadership to end its operations against Israel. However, the response was unwavering: there will be no truce unless the aggression against Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted.
Former UN diplomat April Longley Alley was quoted as saying that Sana’a’s position is both ideological and political, rooted in a firm conviction of the duty to defend Palestine and to prevent Israel’s expansion. She stressed that this steadfastness makes Sana’a a force that cannot be ignored in regional calculations.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that these efforts were carried out in direct coordination with Washington, which, according to the White House, is working to “secure maritime routes and weaken the Houthis’ capabilities”—a reference to the impact of Sana’a’s naval operations on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.
The report added that Cairo hosted Yemeni leaders several times to propose de-escalation initiatives, but they were met with clear rejection from Sana’a, which insisted that its operations would continue as long as Israel’s war crimes against civilians in Gaza persist.
According to the newspaper, Sana’a has sent warning messages to several Arab and Western countries against participating in any military or intelligence activity alongside Israel, describing these warnings as part of a new deterrence policy that has reshaped realities in the Red Sea.
Israeli officials, the report noted, acknowledged that Sana’a poses a major intelligence challenge, and that its transformation from a peripheral player into a central actor has upended the calculations of Tel Aviv and Western capitals.
The paper also stated that Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Ansar Allah, is now regarded as one of the most prominent Arab and Islamic leaders defending Palestine, with his image appearing at pro-Gaza demonstrations in Istanbul, Tehran, Tunis, and several Western capitals.
Analysts affirm that Sana’a has gained significant leverage in regional security dynamics, having imposed unprecedented restrictions on Israeli commercial and military navigation through its naval operations—thereby strengthening its position as an independent regional power.
The report concludes by emphasizing that Yemen’s steadfast stance in the face of diplomatic pressure and incentives has enhanced its image as a principled force guided by a liberationist vision rather than temporary arrangements—making it a central player in the pro-resistance axis and in future regional security frameworks.
