Dr Saad bin Tefla
By Dr Saad bin Tefla Al Ajmi
We must express our joy for the end of Operation Decisive Storm. Its end was imposed by Iran through the hands of the Houthis means that calmness has returned on the Arab front between several burning sides backed by Iran.
As we realise that the Storm ended, it does not mean that the war is over. Besides that Operation Decisive Storm does not need military experts to explain its results. Meanwhile, it was a one-sided war where the coalition’s air forces destroyed and weakened the fighting capabilities of the Houthis and the army of Ali
Abdullah Saleh.
What is more important than being a war, are the consequences and dimensions that exceed the direct military results, here is a preliminary reading of the results of Operation Decisive Storm:
— The Storm restored hope in the Arab ability to intervene for stopping any Arab country from sliding toward chaos and falling into the clutches of sectarian strife as planned by the Houthis, with the help of the remains of Ali Abdullah Saleh’s army. The rescue of the Arab coalition came in response to the call of the legitimate Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.
— The Operation aborted the attempt for cloning a new Hezbollah in Yemen, making Iran and the Houthis aware that it is impossible for them to control and rule Yemen through the militia of “Ansarullah,” a pro-Iranian group. The Storm created a new regional and international reality that refuses the militia’s kidnapping of the state’s order; and this explains why Hassan Nasrallah was upset when he realised how this Operation was legitimised by international forces, which stood as an indirect warning to him since he has disrupted the Lebanese government for years.
— The Operation proved that Arabs, led by Saudi Arabia, are leading and organising the events without the need for the United States of America, which has followed in this case, as its administration was saying: “If you cannot beat them, join them.”
— The Storm demonstrated the ability of Saudi Arabia to organise events, it reinforced the forefront of the Arab leadership in Riyadh represented by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. It also showed a unique coherence and calmness when managing the Operation. Also, Saudi young leaders were presented, those who are capable of dealing with the momentous events and developments.
— The Operation also reflected the cohesion of the Arab stand in the Gulf, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco as an international diplomatic force. If it stays firm, it will achieve international will following the UN Security Council Resolution 2216, mirroring the legitimate demands of the Storm for regaining legitimacy in Yemen and deterring the Houthis’ coup.
— The Storm also showed a big let down of its allies by Iran, as all speeches that came from Iran were nonsense. Nasrallah of Lebanon worked as Iran’s tongue, reflecting through his speech the large scale loss that Iran sensed, and it is the one that invested for years in the “Ansarullah” group, which lost all its military weight at the end of the Operation.
Iran did not let the Houthis down as much as it only cares for its priorities and national interests.
When the Operation was launched, Iran was sinking in nuclear talks, busy with its dream that the international sanctions will be lifted. Iran would not sacrifice these dreams and efforts for the sake of Abdul Malak Al Houthi and Ansarullah.
— The end of the Operation Decisive Storm means that the illusion to drag Saudi Arabia into the swamp of land fighting faded away. It means depriving the dreamers of a prolonged war, therefore, silencing all false voices who said that the goal of the war is only for destruction. It was an accurate war that largely avoided hitting civilian targets and causing civilian casualties, and focusing on targeting the Houthi militia and the army of Saleh.
— The Storm showed how coherent and harmonic the Gulf is, it proved to the world and to the region that the Gulf States differ and vary, but they are cohesive in the face of dangers that threaten them. They are above and beyond all their differences when there is danger and threat to their national security.
Even Oman’s stance of not participating, highlighted the Operation’s importance and ability of picking the fruit and regaining stability after the storm came to an end.
— The appearance of Pakistani and Turkish players on the regional scene, although being indirect, means that they will have a more pronounced role in any future developments. Their stand was closer to the Arab stand, being influenced by Saudi Arabia.
— During the Storm, Iran found itself isolated diplomatically. It did not find an echo of its sectarian policies, except through the speeches of Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. Perhaps the most important developments that have accompanied the Storm are the transmission of sectarianism and ethnic tensions within Iran itself.
The Arab mobilisation began for Ahwaz that had been sleeping for decades. Balochistan was encouraged to ask for national and religious legitimate demands, and perhaps this is the beginning for religious and sectarian ethnicities to ask for their rights; they may not have welcomed the Iranian entity in the long run, in the sense that Iran began to taste the same medicine since it keeps on playing its sectarian card to interfere in the Arab region by pushing countries into chaos, so it can easily control their decision like it happened in Lebanon,
Syria, and Iraq.
— The end of the Storm does not mean the end of the crisis, but what is of high importance are the outcomes of the Operation, the return of legitimacy to Yemen and the stability of this afflicted country.
It is important to work hard to restore hope of the Yemeni people and to execute the Marshal Gulf plan called by the foreign minister of Yemen few days ago in Kuwait, and what the writer of this article called for as well, many years ago, but no one listened.
We should learn from the shortcomings of the past and embrace Yemen, never letting it down or being subjected to Tehran’s interests.
The Yemen of today is part of the Gulf system, like it or not. It is our responsibility to lead its people to reach a high level of stability to create a future where all Yemenis can coexist in a way that they see it as suitable.
The writer is an academician and media figure.
