Yemen Conflict Intensifies Amidst Western-Arab-Israeli Project Allegations
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a report in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar highlights significant shifts in the balance of power in southern and eastern Yemen, spanning from Aden to Hadramaut, Shabwa, and Al-Mahra. The report asserts that the events of the past 10 days extend beyond local skirmishes between militias and local forces, representing a comprehensive reshaping of influence within the country.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC), reportedly backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and potentially covertly supported by the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel, is allegedly expanding its influence in Yemen’s oil-rich regions and strategic hubs. These include airports, ports, and crossings in Aden, the Hadramaut coast, Al-Mahra, and Shabwa. This action is described as a gradual coup against the Presidential Leadership Council, aiming to divide the region and pave the way for a secession declaration.
The UAE’s support reportedly involves military training, intelligence, and technical capabilities, enabling the STC to operate swiftly across southern and eastern Yemen. While the UAE ostensibly exploits the secessionist aspirations of elements within the STC, these developments are purportedly part of a broader Emirati, American, British, and Israeli strategy to consolidate control over ports, sea lanes, islands, and oil resources in the region. This situation is said to increase pressure on Sanaa, potentially impeding its support for Gaza and direct confrontations with the U.S., UK, and Israel.
The complex repositioning of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, amid the UAE’s expanding influence through local proxies, is another component of the unfolding situation. Riyadh appears to have lost control over affiliated local groups, finding itself in an unprecedented defensive posture within occupied Yemeni provinces. Reports suggest that Saudi forces were caught off guard, surrendering positions, camps, and arms depots to UAE-backed forces. Some observers attribute this to fragmented decision-making in Riyadh, contrasted with the UAE’s unified approach to the situation in Yemen.
Political and diplomatic circles in Sanaa contend that Saudi Arabia ultimately dictates affairs in the occupied Yemeni provinces, suggesting that the UAE cannot act without prior coordination with Riyadh. The recent clashes reportedly followed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, the U.S. designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and mounting political pressure on Sanaa. This perspective implies that Saudi Arabia is coordinating with Abu Dhabi and international powers on developments in Yemen, focusing on marginalizing the Islah Party and Brotherhood-affiliated forces, revising the Aden Presidential Council structure, and manipulating Yemeni sovereignty to impose a new reality before peace negotiations with Sanaa.
Al-Akhbar identifies Israel as a beneficiary of the intensified conflict, noting that the role of Israel can be understood by examining key developments, including the STC’s leader Aidarus Qassem al-Zubaidi’s willingness to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for recognition of a “South Yemen state.” Additionally, during the Al-Aqsa Storm war, Israelis discussed establishing relations with groups opposing the Sanaa government. Several Mossad officers, posing as journalists, reportedly visited Aden and southern provinces, meeting with rival factions, potentially preparing for the current developments in Yemen.
Security and technical cooperation between the UAE and Israel, following normalization agreements, is reportedly facilitating the UAE’s access to advanced surveillance technologies, cyber expertise, and intelligence infrastructure development. These resources support Abu Dhabi’s regional maneuvers, including efforts in Yemen, to secure influence and reshape maritime security from the Horn of Africa to Bab el-Mandeb and the coasts of Hadramaut and Socotra.
The UAE, with its connections to Israel, can reportedly link its proxy groups to Israel to achieve objectives aligned with the U.S. and UK. These objectives include weakening the Yemeni government, preventing Sanaa from asserting control over occupied Yemeni coasts, and ensuring the maritime security of Israel. The developments in southern and eastern Yemen are not isolated incidents, but represent a restructuring of regional influence that could lead to the country’s fragmentation, a project reportedly aligning with the interests of the U.S., UK, and Israel.
