Operation 'Decisive Storm' - US, Half of Middle East Against Yemeni Shiites

Following a request by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the ousted president who fled Yemen by boat on Wednesday, the country's Shia Houthi militants are now up against a ten country-strong Saudi-led military coalition, supported by the United States.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — In February, Hadi escaped from the country's capital Sanaa, where he was held under house arrest by the Houthi-led Revolutionary Committee, to his hometown Aden and proclaimed himself president once again. His actions resulted in Houthi advancement towards Aden.

As soon as the ousted president arrived in the Saudi capital — Riyadh — Saudi Arabia launched a military operation called ‘Decisive Storm’ against Houthi forces in Yemen. As of Friday, Houthi forces are facing a coalition representing a total of almost 240 fighter jets from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Sudan, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and warships from Egypt and Pakistan, supported by the United States by means of intelligence and logistics.

Dcisivness of the storm

The 2014-2015 chain of events in Yemen that led to the takeover of the Yemeni government by Houthis, was backed by the country's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his loyal troops. These forces managed to get hold of Yemeni air defenses on the territories they controlled- the country's Western regions.

Two days after the launch of airstrikes by the coalition, according to the Saudi side, the air defenses are no longer an obstacle. Swift aerial operations have resulted in the destruction of not only the Houthis' air defenses but their fighter planes as well.

With the establishment of air superiority over Houthi forces, the possibility of a ground operation is now being considered by Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi already stated Thursday that his country must “fulfill the calls of the Yemeni people for the return of stability and the preservation of the Arab identity" in Yemen adding that he is ready to send in ground troops "if necessary."

Reaction

The active military personnel of Egypt and Saudi Arabia combined amounts to around 700,000 troops. Houthi rebels have about 100,000 militants but their equipment, in comparison with regular armies, is poor.

With this in mind, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi called on the Egyptian government to “avoid selling the Egyptian Army for a limited amount of money" by participating in a ground operation.

As for the role of the US in the operation, which is currently limited to logistical and intelligence support, authorized by US President Barack Obama, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that providing support for Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and denying that to Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovich is a "double standard" policy.

Lavrov's position is officially supported by Tehran, obviously concerned about the Sunni military operation against Shia Houthis.