عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Features

Saudi Arabia Always Pursues Political Solution in Yemen in Spite of Wrong Interpretations 

A general view of Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
A general view of Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Always Pursues Political Solution in Yemen in Spite of Wrong Interpretations 

A general view of Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
A general view of Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)

Observers of the situation in Yemen find that Riyadh has used diplomacy to reach a solution to the war-torn country’s crisis and end the coup of the Iran-backed Houthi militias. 

Saudi Arabia has remained committed to its allies in Yemen. It has not abandoned them, making it difficult for the Houthis to achieve their ambitions. Throughout, the Kingdom’s strategy in Yemen lies in resolving the crisis through political means. 

The Kingdom has backed the United Nations’ solution to the crisis. UN envoys have come and gone, but the Saudi support has remained unwavering, whether in facilitating the envoys’ mission, positively approaching suggestions or using its international relations to ensure their success. 

Moreover, Saudi Arabia has opened back channels, establishing communication with the Houthis and Saudi officials have even met with militia officials, such as in Geneva shortly after the coup and later in Kuwait in 2016. 

Observers find that Saudi Arabia has no reservations over all efforts aimed at ending the crisis in Yemen. It constantly has the interests of the Yemeni people at heart, which is reflected in its political efforts, as well as its development and humanitarian work in Yemen. 

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has also pursued direct dialogue with Iran. Saudi officials have confirmed the talks whenever they are asked about them by the press. 

Regardless of whether these talks make progress or not, the fact that they are being held is significant for Yemen seeing as Iran is the main cause for the prolongation of the crisis through its support to the Houthis. 

The political predicament facing these efforts, whether the Saudi or the international ones, is tied to several factors, the most prominent of which observers believe is the wrong interpretation of the diplomatic efforts. 

The wrong view believes that Riyadh is targeting the Houthis, while the reality is that its greater goal is to achieve security and stability for the Kingdom and Yemen and the interests of the Yemeni people. 

The Yemeni people are not surprised with Saudi Arabia’s openness to various tribal and political powers in Yemen. One of the Kingdom’s key strengths is its good relations with these parties that allow it to act as a trusted mediator during times of disputes. 

It is evident that Riyadh will continue to back the Yemeni government and people in their goal to reclaim their state.  

Saudi Arabia has not only provided political support to its neighbor, but also economic backing to the government and people. Positive economic development in Yemen, in line with Vision 2030, will not only impact the country, but the region as a whole. 

Major investments are being unveiled in Arab countries. They are part of Saudi Arabia’s leading role in becoming the example and moral and financial motivator to all countries so that the region will set its sights on the future, economy, growth and quality of life, away from ideologies, sectarianism and narrow politics that have impoverished nations and dashed people’s hopes and dreams. 

Most Viewed

 
 
Features

Lebanese Whose Homes Were Destroyed in the War Want to Rebuild. Many Face a Long Wait

FILE - A man pauses as he looks at destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
FILE - A man pauses as he looks at destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
TT
TT

Lebanese Whose Homes Were Destroyed in the War Want to Rebuild. Many Face a Long Wait

FILE - A man pauses as he looks at destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
FILE - A man pauses as he looks at destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

Six weeks into a ceasefire that halted the war between Israel and Hezbollah, many displaced Lebanese whose homes were destroyed in the fighting want to rebuild — but reconstruction and compensation are slow in coming, The Associated Press reported.
Large swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, lie in ruins, tens of thousands of houses reduced to rubble in Israeli airstrikes. The World Bank estimated in a report in November — before the ceasefire later that month — that losses to Lebanon's infrastructure amount to some $3.4 billion.
In the south, residents of dozens of villages along the Lebanon-Israel border can't go back because Israeli soldiers are still there. Under the US-negotiated ceasefire deal, Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw by Jan. 26 but there are doubts they will.
Other terms of the deal are also uncertain — after Hezbollah's withdrawal, the Lebanese army is to step in and dismantle the militants' combat positions in the south. Israeli officials have complained the Lebanese troops are not moving in fast enough — to which they say the Israeli troops need to get out first.
Reconstruction prospects — and who will foot the bill — remain unclear.
In 2006, after the monthlong Israel-Hezbollah war, Hezbollah financed much of the $2.8 billion reconstruction with ally Iran's support.
The Lebanese militant group has said it would do so again and has begun making some payments. But Hezbollah, which is also a powerful political party, has suffered significant losses in this latest war and for its part, Iran is now mired in a crippling economic crisis.
The cash-strapped and long paralyzed Lebanese government is in little position to help and international donors may be stretched by the post-war needs in the Gaza Strip and neighboring Syria.
Many Lebanese say they are waiting for Hezbollah's promised compensation. Others say they received some money from the group — much less than the cost of the damage to their homes.
Manal, a 53-year-old mother of four from the southern village of Marjayoun has been displaced with her family for over a year, since Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza.
Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in southern Lebanon. In July, Manal's family heard that their home was destroyed. The family has now sought compensation from Hezbollah.
“We haven’t received any money yet,” said Manal, giving only her first name for fear of reprisals. “Maybe our turn hasn’t arrived."
On a recent day in southern Beirut, where airstrikes had hit just 100 meters (yards) away from his home, Mohammad watched as an excavator cleared debris, dust swirling in the air.
He said his father went to Hezbollah officials and got $2,500 — not enough to cover $4,000 worth of damage to their home.
“Dad took the money and left, thinking it was pointless to argue,” said Mohammad, who also gave only his first name for fear of repercussions. He said his uncle was offered only $194 for a similarly damaged home.
When the uncle complained, Mohammad said, Hezbollah asked him, “We sacrificed our blood, what did you do in the war?”
Others, however, say Hezbollah has compensated them fairly.
Abdallah Skaiki, whose home — also in southern Beirut — was completely destroyed, said he received $14,000 from Qard Al-Hasan, a Hezbollah-linked microfinance institution.
Hussein Khaireddine, director of Jihad Binaa, the construction arm of Hezbollah, said the group is doing as much as it can. Its teams have surveyed over 80% of damaged houses across Lebanon, he said.
“We have begun compensating families,” he said. “We have also started providing payments for a year’s rent and compensations for furniture.”
Khaireddin said their payments include $8,000 for furniture and $6,000 for a year’s rent for those living in Beirut. Those who are staying elsewhere get $4,000 in money for rent.
Blueprints for each house are being prepared, he said, declining to elaborate on reconstruction plans.
“We are not waiting for the government," he added. “But of course, we urge the state to act."
There is little the government can do.
The World Bank's report from mid-November said Lebanon's infrastructure and economic losses from the war amount to $8.5 billion. And that estimate doesn't take into account the last month of the war, Deputy Prime Minister Saadi Chami told The Associated Press.
“The government does not have the financial resources for reconstruction,” he said bluntly.
The World Bank said 99,209 housing units were damaged — and 18% of them were completely destroyed. In southern Beirut suburbs alone, satellite analysis by Lebanon’s National Center for Natural Hazards and Early Warning identified 353 buildings completely destroyed and over 6,000 homes damaged.
Lebanese officials have appealed to the international community for funding. The government is working with the World Bank to get an updated damage assessment and hopes to set up a multi-donor trust fund.
The World Bank is also exploring an “emergency project for Lebanon,” focused on targeted assistance for areas most in need, Chami said, though no concrete plan has yet emerged.
“If the World Bank gets involved, it will hopefully encourage the international community to donate money,” Chami said.
Ali Daamoush, a Hezbollah official, said earlier this month that the group has mobilized 145 reconstruction teams, which include 1,250 engineers, 300 data analysts and hundreds of auditors — many apparently volunteers.
The compensations paid so far have come from “the Iranian people,” Daamoush said, without specifying if the money was from Iran's government or private donors.
Jana, a 29-year-old architect, is volunteering with Hezbollah teams to survey the damage to her hometown of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon. Much of the city is destroyed, including an Ottoman-era market. Her father’s warehouse was hit by airstrikes, and all the medical supplies stored there were consumed by a fire.
Hezbollah officials "told us not to promise people or discuss reconstruction because there is no clear plan or funding for it yet,” she told the AP. She did not give her last name because she wasn't authorized to talk about Hezbollah's actions.