[16/02/2025 07:18]

MUNICH-SABA
His Excellency President Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) reiterated the call on the international community to develop a strategic partnership with the government in different fields including the defense to create a deterrence a" Yemeni international" deterrence equation against the Houthi terrorist behavior.

His Excellency stressed that this equation is set to enable the Yemeni government and the international community to deter the Houthi terrorist behavior and to compel the group to engage in credible political process produces a comprehensive and permanent peace.

Speaking at roundtable discussion organized by the Center of NATO about the security of the waterways, he said that the elimination of the Houthi menace will only be done once the Houthi militias suffer a strategic defeat deprives them of their power sources " money, land and weapons".

He added" For deterring the Houthi militias at least it requires to make them sense that the international community is earnestly seeking to undermine their domination and the growth of their power, this requires a long-term investment in strengthening the Yemeni state and its legitimate authority".

President al-Alimi emphasized that the international effective action to put an end of the terrorist threats in Yemen requires to redefine the Houthis as a permanent menace not temporary.

" These rogue militias even though they temporarily stopped their attacks, they will remain constantly ready to resume their destabilizing terrorist attacks for the regional and international security whenever there is any upcoming cycle of conflict in the region", he stressed.

His Excellency urged the international community to exercises the maximum pressures on the militias instead of offering incentives" This is the only language which the Houthis understand", al-Alimi said.

The President reiterated the commitment of the multiple national coalition represented by the PLC to get the Yemenis' existential battle against the Houthi fascism finished, as the Houthi militias have continued to categorically reject peace options, never recognize the partnership and coexistence values.

The Chairman of the PLC explained that the international community's response toward the Houthis was based on three principles: the Houthis were perceived as temporary threat, the Houthis' operations were wrongly thought to be related to Gaza and the concentration on militarizing the Red Sea instead of changing the balance of powers on the Yemeni mainland, moreover, the continuation of the containment approach instead of the deterrence.

In this context, he asserted that the airstrikes proved of limited effect—if any—in the tactical terms and of no effect in the strategic terms. The airstrikes totally failed to change the Houthis' behavior. Likewise, the defensive operations in the sea failed to adequately secure the ships.

President al-Alimi stressed that any geopolitical recipe to achieve stability in the region requires the implementation of the two-state solution by supporting the Arab initiative, supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people, pressuring Israel to stop its aggressive behavior and ending Iran's influence that destabilizes the security of the region, specifically in the Yemeni arena, which has become a central position in Iran's national security theory.

His Excellency warned that Iran, after losing in Syria and Lebanon, is moving to maximize its investment in the Houthi group and develop its military capacity, with the aim of depleting Arab resources and interests, strengthening its hegemony over the Middle East straits, and its ability to impose an "access ban" in Bab al-Mandeb and the Suez Canal, in addition to its direct presence in Hormuz.

The Chairman of the PLC viewed the Yemeni arena as the main test in changing the behavior of the Iranian regime.

He added: "As much as the Houthis are overlooked, Tehran remains capable of playing subversive and escalatory roles in the region and the more we work to undermine the Houthis, the region is more prepared to formulate major settlements and restore stability and sustainable security."

In the context, the Chairman of the PLC touched on Yemen's relationship with the Horn of Africa, which recent events have proven to represent a single geopolitical space adding "Unfortunately, it seems that terrorist and criminal groups understand this fact more than the countries do."

The President also demonstrated that the Houthis intensified the export of weapons to Somalia and most importantly, part of this weapons are Iranian made developed in the Houthi laboratories or transferred from Iran to Yemen and then to East Africa.

He added that the Houthis are engaged in the human trafficking businesses, through securing and sponsoring Migrant smuggling lines towards the Gulf states, Europe, or even a recruitment process of migrants at home.

His Excellency confirmed that the restoration of security in the Red Sea region begins from its southern coasts, which requires carrying out integrated arrangements on the banks of Bab al –Mandeb.

President al-Alimi concluded by highlighting the importance of the international community adopting a broader strategic perspective on the relations of Yemen and the African Horn.

He said "If this is done, our previous talk about supporting the Yemeni state does not become a vital necessity to deter the Houthis and undermine Iran, but it becomes an essential element in a long -term strategic investment to achieve the regional stability

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