Arab states resisting US calls to counter Ansar Allah 'hero narrative'
3 Min Read
A report published in The Washington Post reveals that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations have largely resisted the American appeals "to do more" regarding the Ansar Allah phenomenon.
-
Yemenis attend a rally in solidarity with Gaza and Lebanon in the capital Sanaa on November 1, 2024. (AFP)
The United States has been urging several Arab states, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to take more decisive actions against the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, as the group's military operations in support of Gaza continue amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, a report published in The Washington Post revealed.
The report mentioned that Timothy Lenderking, US President Joe Biden’s special envoy to Yemen, has repeatedly appealed to Arab partners in recent months with a consistent message.
“I’ve told all of them that they need to do more,” he indicated in a recent interview about the Yemeni movement and its military operations against American, Israeli, and "Israel"-affiliated ships in the Red Sea.
But The Washington Post noted that what the envoy diplomat meant was that the US' Arab partners need to intensify their efforts to counter Ansar Allah's "hero narrative" in the Middle East.
The report emphasized that the group's leaders "have been undeterred by a U.S.-led coalition’s effort" to curb attacks in the Red Sea, "and they have been emboldened by their surging popularity among other Muslims whose outrage over the Gaza crisis runs deep."
Officials and experts also note a strong appeal in the perception that the Yemeni government in Sanaa is standing against "Israel".
Egypt, KSA, others resisting US appeals
According to the Biden administration, the report says, the Yemeni attacks "in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes" and the impeded flow of humanitarian aid into Yemen as a result of these operations should be enough reason for the US' Arab partners to join, militarily or vocally, the campaign against the Ansar Allah movement.
However, The Washington Post indicated that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations have largely resisted the American appeals.
Regarding Egypt, Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said the north African country is "spooked" by the Yemeni group's potential actions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
As for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, experts believe that the two Gulf states fought a prolonged war against Ansar Allah and have no interest in engaging in another conflict with it.
In addition, in an environment where Iran is geographically close, Washington has left some Arab countries feeling that it is an “unreliable partner,” prompting their leaders to increasingly reach out to Tehran as they see little advantage in antagonizing Iran’s allies, the report explained.
In the same context, the report highlighted that "American credibility in the region has fallen further with Washington’s unflinching support for "Israel" over the past year, as tens of thousands of Palestinians have died in Gaza and footage of bloodied children circulates daily on news and social media."
Read more: Million-man marches in Yemen in solidarity with Gaza, Lebanon
