By Mariam Al Khater
The decision of Saudi Arabia, other GCC states and allied countries to launch Operation Decisive Storm against Yemen’s Houthi rebels shows firmness and decisiveness.
Patience and calmness were no longer suitable for dealing with the situation, and it needed determination and firmness.
A sophisticated political response was given following the appeal by the legitimate President of Yemen, Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, to support Yemen after the Houthis, with the support of the corrupt former president, managed to sweep across Aden and the Strait of Bab el Mandeb.
It was a decision taken after exhausting all opportunities and means to have a dialogue with the rebels, who crossed all red lines and assembled their forces, funded by the Persians, to conduct military exercises near the border of Saudi Arabia, which is the protector of the Two Holy Mosques and the religion that is built on the honourable prophetic tradition.
These border manoeuvres were meant to disturb the security of the Kingdom at its southern borders and control the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf through the main Arab ports.
The corrupt and his brigades
The proverb, beware of those you have been kind to, applies not only to people but also to countries.
Out of compassion and humanity, Saudi Arabia helped heal the burns of the corrupt ex-president of Yemen — May Allah strike him down, his Houthis and their plots — who was overthrown by his own people in a revolution, and he now wishes to burn Saudi Arabia.
He is acting like a cunning fox, since an evil person not only extends his hand to the enemy but also doesn’t mind striking a deal with the devil to achieve his aims.
The devil’s party: The Houthis
After the launch of Decisive Storm, the voices of some parties in Arab countries who pretend to be patriotic emerged. Like Iranian militias that are loyal only to Iran, they work to serve Iran’s agenda.
After the Houthis seized Sana’a last September, the Iranian official spokesman said on television that the goal was to reach Saudi lands. In addition, the Iranians went on violating the rights of Sunnis in Iraq and expanded in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
Moreover, Iran provokes people to revolt against the state, as was the case with the Shia rebellion in Bahrain in 2011. Iran was also involved in supporting some limited protests in Al Qateef in Al Ehsah region of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
Arab determination
The coalition against the Yemen rebels helped unite Arabs during their most dire period as they were fragmented and sinking in internal disputes after the start of the Arab Spring in 2011.
Reining in the rebels is the only and best way to resist the Iranian expansion, which the international powers are silent about even as it grows in Iraq, while they fight other groups under the pretext of combating terrorism. The Iranian invasion is the biggest of all acts of terror.
The expansion of Iran cannot be countered in Syria, where its militias have entered the battlefield and killed Syrian people hand in hand with Assad.
In addition, Iran offered assistance to its allies in Yemen with the goal of expanding by establishing political parties and using sectarian issues to spark clashes in Arab and Sunni countries.
This leads to conflicts that Iran fuels logistically, militarily, financially and in terms of human resources. All this becomes crystal clear when Iran shows its real face by defending the Houthis and describing them as peaceful people who have rights.
The same is happening in Lebanon, where Hassan Nasrallah recently gave a speech that ignored the innocent people killed by his group in Syria without any justification, as if they were not human beings.
The return of the Arab dream
Operation Decisive Storm has united Arab countries after a long time, as they stand together against a regional threat. This is clear from the plan, agreed at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, to form a joint Arab force.
Hopes of having unity and one destiny have returned to our region, especially in the light of challenges and threats to our homelands from the east, northeast, northwest and south as a result of foreign plots.
The Gulf rulers were aware of this plot and we ask God to aid them so that they can destroy the Shia crescent that is on its way to becoming a full moon.
The psychological war
We should praise the Saudi, Gulf, Islamic, Arab and international stances; we must not only defend them but also support them in every way possible.
I am saying this because some people wanted to destroy the unity forged in this joint military campaign by using social media; they resorted to propaganda to weaken the stand of our countries. They wanted to destroy the trust of people in their governments.
This unity has been achieved after the long absence of an Arab defence force in the face of the Iranian danger.
It is true that we hoped to have such a coalition earlier to defend our interests in Syria and Iraq; the coalition would include all groups in Arab countries that are described as fragmented or helpless, to bring them back to reality so that they may join national Arab armies.
If such a coalition is formed, we could face the challenge that emerged after the collapse of the wall of resistance embodied by Saddam Hussein, who stood firm in the face of Iranian expansion. This obstacle was destroyed by America as it plotted to cause discord among Arabs.
It is necessary to have an Arab wall that can stop the Iranian-Western expansion.
A coalition is a requirement, and with it there should be caution and alternative plans. This does not belittle the present coalition at all; people, too, should stand beside their governments to supply manpower for defence. The media, whether traditional or social, should respond to the cunning campaigns that aim to influence our internal and foreign affairs.
We should remember that since the dawn of Islam the decision to fight was not a choice but a last means to defend oneself after trying all possible ways of reconciliation and discussion. And this is very clear in Allah’s sayings in the Holy Quran:
“Permission (to fight) has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. (They are) those who have been evicted from their homes without right — only because they say, “Our Lord is Allah.” (Al Haj, verse 40)
War can also be a tough decision, but there can be some good outcome from it, as the Quran says:
“Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you...” (Al Baqarah, verse 216)
And so, we should fight together and renew our pledge for our religion and homelands in all fields to counter plots and psychological warfare.
“...And Allah knows, while you know not.” (Al Baqarah, verse 216).
