Houthis retaliation: Saudia should be ready for spillover

by Tauqeer Abbas
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houthSHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)

Saudi Arabia announced on Friday a humani­tarian ceasefire in Yemen starting on May 12, even as it stepped up retaliatory air strikes on Houthi rebels in the north of the country. It is since last six months Saudi war planes have been bombing Yemen but Air strikes have failed to halt the Houthis and allied fighters loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, amid mounting concern over civilian casualties. The United Nations has renewed its plea for a ceasefire, where weeks of war have now killed more than 1,400 people and wounded nearly 6,000, many of them civilians. Unicef warned that fuel in Yemen might run out in less than a week, complaining that humanitarian access is being blocked by many parties to the conflict.

On the other hand Saudia has been facing retaliatory attacks for the first time. This attack shows that the rebels have the ability to target Saudi soil despite the fact that they have been taking a beating in airstrikes led by none other than Saudi Arabia. It is ironic that the airstrikes conducted by a coalition of Arab states were carried out to keep Saudi Arabia (and the region) ‘safe’ from the conflict in Yemen but it has ended up creating more trouble and potential threat for itself. The continuous airstrikes are just adding fuel to fire. It may be that Houthis may have just warned Saudia by dropping rockets and if Saudi does not stop they may attack with full force. Saudia must not forget that war has only solution that is negotiation as violence always breeds violence.

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