A simple notice advising Saudi citizens whose return flights had been canceled or delayed on what steps to take. A routine administrative measure often seen in such circumstances. Yet it revealed the true feelings of the average Egyptian citizen toward the attacks being carried out by the Houthis against Saudi territory.
You will not find here the sophistry of the usual supporters of Iran-backed militias, in Egypt or elsewhere, who claim to speak on behalf of the masses. Nor will you find social media campaign experts or those who deliberately inflame online controversies.
Instead, these are ordinary citizens, either people who have lived in the Kingdom or have relatives who have done so and remember its generosity and hospitality, or people connected to Saudi Arabia through spiritual ties that have reinforced its standing and added a unique moral dimension to its influence.
Undoubtedly, the issue extends to more than a billion people who are spiritually connected to the holy sites and who watch airports used by pilgrims from around the world come under attack. They see the Houthi militias for what they are: a movement that employs terrorism and makes no distinction between civilian and military targets.
Psychological indicators are extremely important in the era of media openness in which we live. They are among the earliest signs of intentions, revealing and foreshadowing them.
Psychological indicators are equally important in conflicts on the ground.
The decisions made by a political entity reflect not only its capabilities but also its psychological state. Escalation may sometimes be a sign of strength, but it is often a sign of despair. Political actors frequently pay a far greater price for it in the not-too-distant future.
We witnessed this in decisions made by Hezbollah. We saw it in decisions taken by Hamas.
And now, the Houthis are approaching the same moment of recklessness.
The world, mistakenly, tends to tolerate militias so long as they do not cross certain red lines. Militias understand this reality and generally restrain themselves from crossing those boundaries. But in moments of desperation, calculations collapse. The future narrows until the finish line appears clearly before their eyes, prompting them to use every means at their disposal.
Red lines are not merely about actions; they are also about loyalties.
The Houthis, whose relationship with Iran is known throughout the world, have long denied that connection or at least denied any subordinate nature to it, insisting instead that it was a relationship between equals. Certain parties found it convenient to accept and promote this claim. Some governments even used this argument to pursue unspoken objectives, as the Biden administration did when it removed the Houthis from the terrorism list.
Driven by desperation, urgency, and a shrinking sense of future prospects, even that advantage no longer seems worth preserving in the eyes of the Houthis. This leads inevitably to the question: Why? What has changed in the conflict that led them to target airports and kill civilians so openly?
The answer lies in Iran's changing and increasingly precarious position.
Iran now seeks immediate and maximum escalation. Its previous firestarter, Hezbollah, suffered a major defeat. Hamas, too, has been effectively neutralized. Now it is the Houthis' turn to offer a self-destructive demonstration of complete loyalty, leaving no room for bargaining and no masks to hide behind.
It is their psychological state, and it portends what is coming: the fate of these militias will not differ from those previous suicides who preferred Iran's orders over the security of their own peoples.
