Last Sunday, September 12, U.S. officials met with Houthi representatives in the Sultanate of Oman, according to Reuters. During the meeting, according to sources cited by the international news agency, the Houthis made it clear to the U.S. that their only enemy is Saudi Arabia, while also assuring that they do not intend to attack either American or Israeli ships —or ships representing American or Israeli interests—sailing off the coast of Yemen and through the Bab el-Mandab Strait in the southern Red Sea.
As Gabriel Charitos, the station’s analyst on Middle East current affairs and visiting professor of international relations at Panteion University, Gabriel Charitos, noted that, at first glance, the Houthis’ assurances raise reasonable questions, not so much regarding their decision not to attack American ships, but mainly regarding their decision not to harass ships serving Israeli business interests.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
However, the background that emerges from information leaked in recent days from various sources essentially explains the new tactic that Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels appear to be employing.
The Background
Specifically, Mr. Charitos cited Israeli and American media reports stating that, the Saudi side, having failed to secure Pakistani and American military support to address the volatile situation on the Yemeni front, asked the U.S. to mediate in order to persuade Israel to provide sensitive intelligence to Saudi Arabia regarding Houthi positions.
The Riyadh government’s goal is to leverage the quality of the intelligence held by the Israelis, as they have gained extensive knowledge of the Houthis over the past three years, from the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, to the present.
As reported by Israeli state television, citing well-informed sources within the IDF and its intelligence services, in the middle of last week, a delegation from the U.S. military command responsible for the Middle East (CENTCOM) traveled to Israel and conveyed the Saudi request for information regarding the Houthis. However, the Israeli side reportedly did not provide a clear answer as to whether it would ultimately respond positively to Riyadh’s request.
During the emergency visit the day before yesterday (September 15) by Saudi Arabia’s strongman, Mohammed bin Salman, to Cairo, where he met with President Sisi, U.S. officials from CENTCOM were also present at the meetings. The information was reported on Israeli state television by a well-informed diplomat from an Arab country in the region, who is said to have been very close to the talks that took place the day before yesterday in Cairo.
The Arab diplomat reportedly stated that CENTCOM officials conveyed to the Saudi side that Israel agrees to provide the information at its disposal, so that the Saudi Arabian armed forces can address the Yemeni front in a more “intelligent” and effective manner. It remains unclear, however, exactly what the quality of the information to be provided will be, as well as the timing, method, and pace of such information sharing.
The Houthis are concerned
The fact that the meeting between U.S. officials and Houthi representatives took place just 24 hours before Bin Salman’s trip to Cairo and the announcement of Israel’s “yes” to Riyadh—is no coincidence.
In other words, the Houthis’ highly intriguing willingness to pledge that they do not intend to attack American and Israeli ships sailing off the coast of Yemen is not evidence of goodwill or compromise.
On the contrary, it is a sign of serious concern due to the apparent involvement of Israeli actors on the Yemeni front regarding the leak of sensitive information that could be exploited bySaudi Arabia.
Watch Gabriel Charitos’s segment on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Dimitra Makrygianni:
