Yemeni Adviser Warns Houthi Advance Threatens Global Maritime Security
Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed warns that Houthi control of Taiz would jeopardize the Bab al-Mandab strait and western security following a new rebel offensive.
Adviser to the President of Yemen and former prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed warned that the fall of Taiz to Iran-backed Houthi rebels would be catastrophic for western security. He stated that Houthi control of the city would jeopardize access to the road to Aden and the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea.
Saeed attributed the current pressure on the government to poor coordination among government-backed troops and a failure to anticipate Houthi advancements in long-range drone and missile technology provided by Iran. The Houthis launched a military campaign last month to seize Yemen's Red Sea coast, ending a relative calm established by a 2022 UN-brokered ceasefire.
In response to the offensive, southern secessionist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi called for the mobilization of southern troops against the Houthis. Simultaneously, al-Zubaidi demanded a referendum on southern secession be held within two years.
