Yemen’s Houthis act just like Hizbollah in Lebanon



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

cmirza@thenational.ae

INDIA SQUADS

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THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

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  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

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Tickets

Tickets for the 2019 Asian Cup are available online, via www.asiancup2019.com

THE BIG THREE

NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m

ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m

RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m

MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)

Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO

Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)

Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
EA Sports FC 25
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Company profile

Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018

Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: Health-tech

Size: 22 employees

Funding: Seed funding 

Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors

Sonchiriya

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey

Rating: 3/5

ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2017%20v%20Oman%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%2018%20v%20Singapore%3Cbr%3EMonday%2C%20June%2020%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2C%20June%2022%20v%20Qatar%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2024%2C%20semi-final%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%2025%2C%20final%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chaya%20Mughal%20(captain)%2C%20Esha%20Oza%2C%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20Priyanjali%20Jain%2C%20Rithika%20Rajith%2C%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%2C%20Sanchin%20Singh%2C%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20Suraksha%20Kotte%2C%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info

Uefa Nations League A Group 4

England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')

Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)

Company%20Profile
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Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

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