Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi on Monday rallied his countrymen in areas controlled by Houthis to rise up against the Iran-backed militia, who had just murdered their erstwhile ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Arab News reports.
Hadi spoke to the people in a televised address, reassuring them that the Yemeni army that is surrounding the capital city was working to get rid of the Houthi rebels. He said that he wants to change the course of the war so that a new page can be opened – a future that includes democracy, freedom, and pluralism.
“Yemen is passing through a decisive turning point that needs our unity and steadfastness in the face of these sectarian militias. Let’s put our hands together to end this nightmare.”
It seems that the murder of Saleh has become a turning point in the civil war and he called for “unity and steadfastness in the face of these sectarian militias” so that the “nightmare” they are living through an end.
Saleh broke ranks on Saturday because of disagreements with allies. Saleh has described Iran as a ‘source of danger’ and said it poses a threat to Yemen’s future. The official Yemeni news agency on Sunday quoted Saleh as saying that the Houthi militia is an Iranian instrument in Yemen. Saleh noted that all Yemenis are aware of the Houthis’ dependence on and loyalty to Iran.
Saleh also expressed his confidence in knowing that all Yemenis are aware of the danger at hand and its source. He also pointed out that the Yemeni army will refuse to respond to the orders of those who have targeted their lives and military equipment.
“They will also not respond to those who have replaced them with the militias and tried to engage them in futile wars with the Yemeni civilians and neighboring countries,” the Lieutenant General added.
He was dead two days later. The Houthis entered his home and he fled south. His four-vehicle convoy was stopped by the rebels and he was assassinated along with several of his allies. Videos of his bloody and lifeless body were spread on social media and he was dumped in a pickup truck.
Saleh, who ruled the country for more than three decades was replaced by Hadi, his deputy, in 2012. He joined forces against him to stage a coup and in 2015 Saudi Arabia set up a military coalition to restore Hadi’s internationally recognized government.
A few days ago, Saleh turned away from the Houthis and expressed willingness to negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s coalition. This is just another crime that has been committed by the Houthis that are backed by Iran.
The Hadi government said that it was a “sad day” when the former president was killed and called his murder “inhumane”. It called on the people of Yemen to back the legitimate government which is trying to take power away from the Houthis that have caused nothing but destruction and chaos in the country. It emphasized that the Houthis want to implement Iran’s sectarian agenda the whole way across the Middle East.
“The act is further proof that these militias adopt an ideology of exclusion. We call upon the Yemeni people to make the assassination of Ali Abdullah Saleh a turning point in the country’s history and encourage all people to join ranks with the legitimate government and against the evil terrorists,” a spokesman for the legitimate government said.
Dr. Hamdan al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst and international relations scholar said that Saleh’s death was sad news but should unite all Yemenis against the Houthis and Iran.
“It is very clear now that this is a fight between Arabs and Persians. All Arabs and Muslims will unite against the machinations of Iran. This will turn out to be the death-knell for Iran.”
He said that Saleh had made a mistake when he worked with the Houthis.
“He thought he could share power with them. He should have known better. The Iranians never share power. They want everything for themselves or else they kill — which is what happened with Saleh,” he said.
It is expected that the Yemenis will unite and fight against the influence of Iran. Hopefully, this will spell the end of Iranian influence in the country.
The biggest mistake Saleh made was thinking that he could share power with the Houthis. Iran would never allow this to happen and it was his error to oversee this. It was an error that cost him his life just like the others that stood in the way of Iran’s goals. This is a strategy that the Iranian regime has used for a long time and there is no sign of it changing anytime soon.
With news that the former president of Yemen was killed, it gives us one more name on the long list of people that have died for refusing to bow to Iran’s demands. Since Iran got involved in the civil war in Yemen, there are many people who have been killed for standing in the way of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The next stage of the civil war is going to be dark. The former president of Yemen was murdered because he wanted to stand up against Iran’s meddling.
Iran’s influence is worsening and fuelling the civil war in Yemen. Iran’s interference is giving the Houthi rebels an unfair advantage. This is reminiscent of the problems in Syria where the civil war would have ended years ago if Iran had not interfered.
As well as causing pain, suffering and bloody destruction in other nations, Iran is doing the same at home. The people of Iran have been neglected in favor of terrorism and they are not even given the most basic of human rights. Iran’s malign acts must be stopped.