We do not want the mistakes of the Arab coalition to be repeated.
Al-Zubaidi to the British Guardian: Air strikes against the Houthis are not enough without the support of local forces
A senior member of Yemen's UN-recognised government told The Guardian that the US-led air campaign against the Houthis would not be sufficient on its own to deter the threat to freedom of navigation along the Red Sea.
Major General Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, Vice Chairman of the eight-member Presidential Command Council, called on the West to complete the air campaign by providing weapons, training and exchanging intelligence information to government forces, and supporting them so that they can repel militia threats.
He added: "We do not want the US-led coalition to repeat the same mistakes that the Arab coalition committed in Yemen when it focused air strikes on Houthi positions without sufficient ground forces to complement those strikes." “Air strikes alone are not enough.
The Houthis have 8 to 10 years of experience dealing with air strikes launched by Saudi Arabia, and have developed underground storage systems for their artillery.
He added: “We are in the process of organizing meetings to demand that the United States expand and coordinate operations and strikes to ensure their effectiveness and comprehensiveness.
What we need is military equipment, capacity building, and training of ground forces, as well as intelligence sharing.
If there was stronger intelligence sharing, we could conduct joint assessments of the effectiveness of US air strikes.
Explosions were heard in Yemen on Monday near Hodeidah Airport, and a US-owned cargo ship near Aden was hit by a Houthi missile.
Al-Zubaidi's call for Western forces to assist in a ground operation against the Houthis may concern some in Western capitals who fear regional military escalation and still hope that missile strikes will be enough to weaken the Houthis' ability to threaten commercial shipping.
Al-Zubaidi also challenged Houthi claims that attacks on ships in the Red Sea are directed only at traffic associated with Israel and in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
He said: “The Houthis are tools of Iran in the region, specifically the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” “Iran wants to send a signal to the international community that it, not Saudi Arabia, is the main player in the region, with the greatest influence. Its operations in Lebanon and the Bab al-Mandab Strait are designed to highlight this influence.
Source: The Guardian - Google Translate
