Kingdom’s decision follows surprise move by Yemen’s Houthi rebels to declare a unilateral cease-fire days after claiming an attack on Saudi oil industry
A Yemeni Red Crescent staffer tries to pull a body from the rubble at a detention center hit by alleged Saudi-led airstrikes in Dhamar, Yemen on Sept. 1. PHOTO: YAHYA ARHAB/SHUTTERSTOCK
By
Dion Nissenbaum
Sept. 27, 2019 6:27 am ET
BEIRUT—Saudi Arabia has moved to impose a partial cease-fire in Yemen, say people familiar with the plans, as Riyadh and the Houthi militants the kingdom is fighting try to bring an end to the four-year war that has become a front line in the broader regional clash with Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s decision follows a surprise move by Houthi forces to declare a unilateral cease-fire in Yemen last week, just days after claiming responsibility for the Sept. 14 drone and cruise-missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry. While the Houthis fired two missiles at Saudi Arabia earlier this week, the strike wasn’t seen by Saudi leaders as a serious attack that would undermine the new cease-fire efforts.
Houthi leaders initially said they were responsible for the attack on the oil facilities, but Saudi, U.S. and European officials have dismissed the claims as a transparent attempt to obscure Iran’s role in the strike. Yemeni fighters, these officials say, have neither the weapons nor the skills to carry out such a sophisticated strike.
In the days that followed the attack, an internal Houthi rift expanded between those who want to distance themselves from Iran and those who want to strengthen ties.
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How can the U.S. ensure a lasting cease-fire in Yemen? Join the conversation below.
Some Houthi leaders privately disavowed the group’s claim of responsibility for the Sept. 14 attack, according to two Saudi officials who asked not to be identified. And Houthi officials told foreign diplomats that Iran was preparing a follow-on attack, says one of these officials and other people familiar with the evolving plans.
Official Houthi spokesmen have rejected any suggestions that they disavowed their initial claim or warned Riyadh about future strikes by Iran. The group didn’t immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.
Yemen’s war has become a political and military morass for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler and original architect of the war plans. The war has eroded support for his country in Washington, where bipartisan opposition to the conflict has solidified.
The Houthis’ unilateral cease-fire last week has raised hopes in Riyadh and Washington that the Yemeni fighters might be willing to distance themselves from Tehran. The U.S. has accused Iran of providing the Houthis with missiles, drones and training they have used to target Saudi Arabia for years. Iran has dismissed the claims, but Tehran has moved to deepen its ties with the Houthi forces.
MORE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
If the mutual cease-fire in these areas takes hold, the Saudis would look to broaden the truce to other parts of Yemen, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The new cease-fire faces steep odds, as similar arrangements have crumbled before. Both sides continue to carry out attacks, including a Saudi airstrike north of San’a on Tuesday that killed several civilians. The internal Houthi divisions could undermine the peace efforts, as they have in the past.
“Yemen needs to break from this vicious cycle of violence now and be safeguarded from the recent tension in the region that could risk its prospects for peace,” said Martin Griffiths, the U.N.’s special envoy for Yemen who brokered peace talks last December in Stockholm that helped defuse tensions and pave the way for new diplomatic initiatives.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of carrying out errant airstrikes that have killed thousands of civilians. Yemen is home to what the U.N. calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Millions are on the brink of famine, and cholera remains a constant danger. Nearly 100,000 people have died since the Houthis seized San’a, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a nonprofit organization that tracks global violence.
The U.A.E., Saudi Arabia’s most important ally in the fight, withdrew most of its forces from Yemen earlier this year in a move that created friction between the two countries.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-...cease-fire-in-war-shattered-yemen-11569580029
A Yemeni Red Crescent staffer tries to pull a body from the rubble at a detention center hit by alleged Saudi-led airstrikes in Dhamar, Yemen on Sept. 1. PHOTO: YAHYA ARHAB/SHUTTERSTOCK
By
Dion Nissenbaum
Sept. 27, 2019 6:27 am ET
BEIRUT—Saudi Arabia has moved to impose a partial cease-fire in Yemen, say people familiar with the plans, as Riyadh and the Houthi militants the kingdom is fighting try to bring an end to the four-year war that has become a front line in the broader regional clash with Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s decision follows a surprise move by Houthi forces to declare a unilateral cease-fire in Yemen last week, just days after claiming responsibility for the Sept. 14 drone and cruise-missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry. While the Houthis fired two missiles at Saudi Arabia earlier this week, the strike wasn’t seen by Saudi leaders as a serious attack that would undermine the new cease-fire efforts.
Houthi leaders initially said they were responsible for the attack on the oil facilities, but Saudi, U.S. and European officials have dismissed the claims as a transparent attempt to obscure Iran’s role in the strike. Yemeni fighters, these officials say, have neither the weapons nor the skills to carry out such a sophisticated strike.
In the days that followed the attack, an internal Houthi rift expanded between those who want to distance themselves from Iran and those who want to strengthen ties.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
How can the U.S. ensure a lasting cease-fire in Yemen? Join the conversation below.
Some Houthi leaders privately disavowed the group’s claim of responsibility for the Sept. 14 attack, according to two Saudi officials who asked not to be identified. And Houthi officials told foreign diplomats that Iran was preparing a follow-on attack, says one of these officials and other people familiar with the evolving plans.
Official Houthi spokesmen have rejected any suggestions that they disavowed their initial claim or warned Riyadh about future strikes by Iran. The group didn’t immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.
Yemen’s war has become a political and military morass for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler and original architect of the war plans. The war has eroded support for his country in Washington, where bipartisan opposition to the conflict has solidified.
The Houthis’ unilateral cease-fire last week has raised hopes in Riyadh and Washington that the Yemeni fighters might be willing to distance themselves from Tehran. The U.S. has accused Iran of providing the Houthis with missiles, drones and training they have used to target Saudi Arabia for years. Iran has dismissed the claims, but Tehran has moved to deepen its ties with the Houthi forces.
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If the mutual cease-fire in these areas takes hold, the Saudis would look to broaden the truce to other parts of Yemen, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The new cease-fire faces steep odds, as similar arrangements have crumbled before. Both sides continue to carry out attacks, including a Saudi airstrike north of San’a on Tuesday that killed several civilians. The internal Houthi divisions could undermine the peace efforts, as they have in the past.
“Yemen needs to break from this vicious cycle of violence now and be safeguarded from the recent tension in the region that could risk its prospects for peace,” said Martin Griffiths, the U.N.’s special envoy for Yemen who brokered peace talks last December in Stockholm that helped defuse tensions and pave the way for new diplomatic initiatives.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of carrying out errant airstrikes that have killed thousands of civilians. Yemen is home to what the U.N. calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Millions are on the brink of famine, and cholera remains a constant danger. Nearly 100,000 people have died since the Houthis seized San’a, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a nonprofit organization that tracks global violence.
The U.A.E., Saudi Arabia’s most important ally in the fight, withdrew most of its forces from Yemen earlier this year in a move that created friction between the two countries.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-...cease-fire-in-war-shattered-yemen-11569580029
