December 14, 2024
Nasser Kandil
• It is clear to any observer that Yemen endures the harshest and most challenging conditions compared to all other nations in the region, including those of the Resistance Axis, with the exception of Palestine, particularly Gaza. At the same time, Yemen’s strategic geographical position overlooking the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait – key conduits for global trade and energy supplies, especially for Europe after the severance of Russian resources – underscores its importance. This vital waterway holds a significant place in American perceptions of global security and is seen as a cornerstone of U.S. national security strategy. Furthermore, Yemen’s proximity to the globally critical oil and gas resources and U.S. military bases, along with its considerable population compared to its regional counterparts, grants it a prominent standing among Arab nations of medium size, such as Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Iraq, and Sudan, which follow Egypt in population size.
• These critical elements render Yemen, with its vast oil and gas reserves, the most strategically significant state within the Resistance Axis – provided it succeeds in safeguarding its position, maintaining its commitment to the Resistance, and transforming its strategic assets into sources of power. This is despite these very assets attracting efforts of targeting, blockade, and isolation. The experience of the al-Aqsa Flood War has further enhanced Yemen’s strategic importance by introducing unique elements of power-building and utilisation that surpass those of other Resistance forces. Yemen has excelled on three transformative and strategic fronts.
• The first achievement is Yemen’s direct confrontation with NATO naval forces led by the U.S., including aircraft carriers, destroyers, and warships. Yemen successfully established a military balance, enforcing a year-long naval blockade on ships heading to or associated with the occupying entity. U.S. naval forces failed to guarantee unimpeded navigation to these ships, and Yemen inflicted significant damage on American carriers and warships. For the first time in the history of the occupying entity, Yemen imposed a prolonged naval blockade that severely impacted its economy, culminating in the bankruptcy and closure of Eilat, its most important commercial port. Additionally, Yemen achieved numerous successful strikes deep within the entity’s territory, including its capital.
• The second achievement lies in the extraordinary mass mobilisation of Yemenis in public squares and fields over days, weeks, and even months, surpassing anything seen in the Arab world. These demonstrations reflect the profound trust the Yemeni people place in their leadership and their commitment to the causes for which they are called to fight, foremost among them the Palestinian cause. This is not mere rhetoric or spectacle but a testament to the strategic understanding that popular support is a decisive factor in the endurance and effectiveness of armed resistance. Achieving this amid a devastating blockade and a brutal multi-year war that has ravaged Yemen’s infrastructure and communities is nothing short of exceptional. In comparison, other Resistance fronts – except Gaza – struggle to align their resistance activities with varying levels of popular acceptance, as seen in Lebanon, Iraq, and recently in Syria.
• The third achievement is Yemen’s successful development of an advanced, technologically sophisticated military force. This includes the demonstrated effectiveness of its drones, capable of reaching distant targets, and its missile technology, proven against U.S. aircraft carriers and warships equipped with cutting-edge early-warning and defense systems. The emergence of hypersonic missiles during the war, as well as advanced ship-tracking and targeting technologies capable of operations spanning the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea, reflect years of persistent effort. This progress required the mobilisation of hundreds of skilled scientific cadres and the establishment of specialised manufacturing facilities in secure locations that continued to operate despite all attempts to disrupt them.
• These monumental achievements highlight the exceptional leadership of Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the figure behind Yemen’s resilience and successes. His leadership style mirrors the effectiveness of the martyr Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, with his regular and impactful public appearances that strengthen political awareness and rally popular support. The unparalleled public gatherings in Yemen demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach – something that Syria has lacked due to its leadership’s approach to political engagement, and which Gaza has struggled with since the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, leaving only Abu Ubaida’s occasional statements. Iraq also grapples with this void, while Iran remains highly attuned to the importance of consciousness-building through the detailed and regular addresses of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
• It is no exaggeration to say that Yemen’s achievements verge on the miraculous – if not a miracle itself.
