Prominent Saudi media figure Abdulrahman Al-Rashed has revealed the extent of Riyadh's past efforts to persuade the Houthi militia to abandon warfare and embrace peace, questioning the efficacy of these attempts.
Al-Rashed, writing in Asharq Al-Awsat, addressed the long-standing conflict in Yemen and calls to treat the Houthis as a de facto authority. He disclosed that Saudi Arabia, with Omani facilitation and UN envoy coordination, sought to establish the Houthis as a peaceful neighbor willing to distance themselves from conflict. This initiative reportedly involved secret negotiations in Muscat, leading to a "roadmap" that paved the way for the UN-brokered truce in April 2022. While public details remained sparse, the UN envoy mentioned humanitarian commitments, including easing restrictions on Houthi-controlled ports, reopening Sana'a airport, and discussing salary payments for employees in Houthi-held areas.
Further elaborating on these efforts, Al-Rashed indicated that payments for Houthi employees were made, though specifics regarding whether this involved direct Saudi funding remain unclear. He also highlighted a significant visit by a Saudi delegation, led by Ambassador Mohammed Al-Jaber, to Sana'a in April 2023. According to Al-Rashed, this visit, which included meetings with Houthi leadership, carried considerable political weight, which the Houthis leveraged for propaganda and political gains.
Al-Rashed asserted that these Saudi attempts aimed at rehabilitating the Houthis into a respectable neighboring entity. However, he contended that the militia simultaneously worked with Iran to bolster offensive military capabilities. By the end of 2023, Al-Rashed claimed, the Houthis reverted to their role as a transnational armed group, actively engaging in hostilities.
Concluding his analysis, Al-Rashed posited that the Houthis are an Iranian proxy, not a conventional Yemeni governing entity that can be engaged with for lasting peace. He cited the ongoing Houthi military escalations, involving numerous Iranian-supplied missiles and drones targeting Saudi oil facilities and airports, as evidence of this reality. This behavior, he argued, underscores the Houthi commitment to perpetual conflict, viewing peace and negotiations as temporary respites during periods of weakness to prepare for future military engagements.
Al-Rashed’s assessment suggests that peace with the Houthi movement is an illusion that has never materialized and is unlikely to do so, characterizing their approach since their emergence in 2004 as a consistent pattern of seeking strategic pauses for military build-up rather than genuine reconciliation.
