Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Saudi writer Khaled Al-Sulaiman affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shares borders exceeding 700 kilometers with Yemen’s Hadramowt and Al-Mahra governorates, making it the party most affected by any unrest there and its repercussions on Saudi national security.
Saudi Arabia has been keen to de-escalate tensions and confront the military activities of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, which seek to take control of the two governorates, while also preventing the smuggling of weapons to the parties involved in the conflict.
This commitment stems from the duties of the Arab Coalition led by the Kingdom to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit the supply of weapons to Yemen.
Just as Saudi Arabia has refused to allow the Houthis in the north to threaten its security, it will not tolerate any other party in the south. National security, he said, is a red line that justifies confronting any threat.
Al-Sulaiman expressed his regret that the threat this time comes from parties classified as allies, who relied on Saudi support to strengthen their capabilities against Houthi attacks. Without that support, the Houthis would have taken control of Aden at the outset of the coup.
He added that Yemeni legitimacy is being stabbed in the back as much as from the front, pointing to the failure of STC leaders to read events and draw lessons, as weapons smuggling undermines efforts at de-escalation.
In short, the STC’s military actions in Hadramowt and Al-Mahra, and the smuggling of weapons, constitute a red line tied to Saudi Arabia’s security—a line the Kingdom will not hesitate to sever any thread that threatens it.
