Yemen’s Houthis act just like Hizbollah in Lebanon

What the Arabic-language media says about the Houthis in Yemen.

Recent developments in Yemen reflect the power of the Houthis, who are gaining dangerous ground. The militant group is imposing itself by force on the national scene by interfering in government matters in a way that is reminiscent of Hizbollah in Lebanon.

“Comparing them may be helpful in grasping past and current events, and anticipating what is to come,” wrote Ahmed Youssef Ahmed in Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister newspaper of The National.

The first and most basic point they have in common is that both groups are Shia and “Iran supports both [groups], quite openly in the case of Hizbollah and implicitly in the case of Ansarullah [the Houthis].

“Their political ascension in their respective countries expands Iran’s sphere of influence in the Arab world, which may have serious implications for the cohesion and security of the region. This also means that any of these entities may act externally in Iran’s interest, even though that may not coincide with the interests of their respective countries.”

The second point of comparison is that “each of these groups has tried to impose its influence on the state and government institutions of their base country and have succeeded, though differently, by becoming a sort of ‘veto’ in said institutions”.

The third point they have in common, he opined, is that “each has resorted to military force to achieve internal objectives”.

Hizbollah’s presence has made the Lebanese political scene more complex, “while Ansarullah’s only achievements to date are their control over Sanaa and their political ascent. God only knows the hefty price Yemen will pay due to such developments”, he concluded.

In the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, Ahmad Jaber considers that the outlook for Yemen reflects what happened in Lebanon. The situation “reflects a Lebanese precedent that implies primacy through a marginalised state and the fragility of its institutions and their collapse when faced with civil strife,” he opined.

He explained that Lebanese “Houthi-ism” does not miss a chance to carry its communitarian Iranian banners and “sectarianism is at its core”.

In the Sharjah-based daily Al Khaleej, Youssef Mekki wrote that the “quick and sudden developments taking place in Yemen over the past few days show that the Houthis have taken control of large parts of Sanaa, in view of imposing their conditions on Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansur Hadi. The signing of an agreement between the government and political components will be a response to their demands.

“The Yemeni dilemma is complex and intricate. It is not limited to the Houthis’ takeover of large parts of the Yemeni territory, arrival in Sanaa or seizing a military task force that was unable to withstand their attacks. It includes a government riddled with corruption, unable to impose security and stability, not even within the ancient capital which makes up a large part of the Yemeni and Arab existence,” he remarked.

The editorial of the Dubai-based Al Bayan stressed that “countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have taken a clear and frank stand against foreign interventions in Yemen, condemning Houthi militants’ control over Sanaa, [and] asserting that Yemen’s security and that of the GCC countries are indivisible.

“The GCC initiative, its operational mechanism and the outcome of the Yemeni national dialogue remain the ideal solution for the completion of the political process in Yemen, to ensure a promising future for this country, dominated by fraternity, justice, social stability, peace and co-existence,” it concluded.

Translated by Carla Mirza