‘Fragile’ Saudi peace efforts in Yemen hamper US response to Houthi attacks amid Israel-Gaza war

Saudi Arabia has for the past 18 months been seeking to ‘disentangle itself’ from Yemen’s civil war involving Houthi rebels

But ‘escalatory actions’ could trigger another conflict in the Middle East that does not serve either Saudi or US interests, analysts say

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Yemenis protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and leaders of Yemen’s Houthi movement recently agreed to the terms of a peace agreement after 18 months of negotiations. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:30am, 17 Dec 2023Updated: 2:54pm, 17 Dec 2023

Saudi Arabia’s coming peace deal with Yemen’s Houthi fighters, which would see Riyadh exit its neighbour’s civil war after eight years, is affecting the United States’ ability to retaliate militarily against the Iran-backed rebels’ attacks on Israeli-linked interests.

The Houthis have been fighting against forces led by Saudi Arabia, a US ally, since seizing the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. They have also targeted Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea to rally behind Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

According to Arab media reports, Saudi Arabia and leaders of the Houthi movement recently agreed to the terms of a peace agreement after 18 months of negotiations that intensified from September, just weeks before the Israel-Gaza war erupted.

Yemenis watch a televised statement by Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree. Photo: EPA-EFE

The details of the proposed deal were reportedly shared on Monday with Yemen’s government – which is still recognised as legitimate by the international community despite being barely functional – after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on December 9.

The US State Department said Blinken “welcomed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to secure a durable peace agreement in Yemen, launch a Yemeni-Yemeni political dialogue under UN auspices, and ensure Yemeni actors remain focused on that effort”.

That same day, the Houthis – who control much of northern Yemen and two ports at the mouth of the Red Sea – announced they had extended a maritime embargo against Israeli-owned vessels that they imposed in early November to include ships set to call at Israeli ports.

Before the meeting between the Saudi and US foreign ministers, Riyadh had asked Washington to show restraint in responding to the Houthi attacks, Reuters reported on December 7.