Vice-president of Yemen’s UN-backed government in Aden, Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, has appealed to Western powers to seize the opportunity to target Tehran-backed Houthi leaders when Iran is politically weakened. Speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zoubaidi highlighted Iran’s setbacks in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, asserting that Yemen remains Iran’s last stronghold in the region.
Zoubaidi called for a joint military strategy, with ground forces and Western airstrikes, to effectively counter the Houthis. He also called on the new US administration to label the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, commending former President Donald Trump for his decisive actions.
“The leadership and key posts of the Houthis must be hit in a broad operation,” said Zoubaidi, underlining that “airstrike alone is futile.” He was also open to cooperating with Israel and other forces for this aim.
Despite the recent US and UK attempts to deter Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Zoubaidi said that was insufficient. The Houthis claimed their attacks were to support Palestinians in Gaza and stated they would only target Israeli-linked shipping during the Gaza ceasefire.
Zoubaidi also criticized the Biden administration for removing the terrorist designation of the Houthis, believing that this has given the group operational space. He said the diplomatic roadmap for peace is no longer viable and that a more aggressive military approach should be taken.
While the UAE supports the Southern Transitional Council under Zoubaidi, it is still not clear if he has the Saudi or the US new foreign policy team behind his call for increased military activity.
