Killing of senior Houthi leader places coalition at advantage

dubai — Yemen’s Houthis suffered a major setback with the killing of their political chief in a Saudi-led air strike, analysts say, in a signal of Riyadh’s determination to pursue its military campaign against the rebels.

Saleh Al Sammad, the head of the Iran-backed Houthis’ main political body, died on Thursday in a strike in Yemen’s western province of Hodeida.

He was the most senior Houthi official killed since a Saudi-led coalition launched its intervention against the insurgents in March 2015, after they seized control of large parts of Yemen including the capital Sanaa. Analysts say that despite renewed efforts to find a negotiated solution to the conflict, the latest strike shows not just Riyadh’s willingness to continue on the military path, but the coalition’s increasing effectiveness.

“There is no other option at this stage,” says Mustafa Alani, an analyst at the Gulf Research Centre. “The Houthis are not flexible on the political settlement and — people are not noticing — there is real progress on the ground for the coalition.” While not often in the spotlight, Sammad was no minor figure. As head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, he was in effect the president of the vast areas of Yemen under rebel control.

“This is certainly a key setback,” says Adam Baron of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “With regards to targeting Houthi leaders, it represents the biggest hit for the coalition so far — and suggests their intelligence capabilities are improving.”

Sammad was killed along with six others in the strike, which the Houthis’ overall leader, Abdulmalek Al Houthi, said “won’t go unanswered”.

Another Western expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, says Sammad was a “reasonable” person who had taken part in peace negotiations and that his death is “a setback for prospects for pro- ductive talks”. Alani says the hit was part of a trend of targeted strikes by the coalition, with at least 25 field commanders also recently killed.

“It is important,” he says. “Those people always have a way to protect themselves and their movements are always top secret because they know they are being targeted. So it is an achievement.”

Much international attention has focused on the coalition’s air raids.

Alani says coalition forces — who include Saudi and Emirati troops in support of pro-government fighters — have also been making discreet progress on the ground. “There are not big victories but they are slowly slowly moving towards four major cities in Yemen,” he says, including Sanaa, Saada in the Houthis’ northern heartland, the economic capital of Taez in the southwest and the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

The Houthis in the meantime have intensified ballistic missile attacks into Saudi territory, including several intercepted attacks on Riyadh. Alani says this is a sign of the increasing pressure on the rebels.

“They are now in a purely defensive position on the ground. They are just trying to maintain their control and there are problems. ” —

The Houthis are not flexible on the political settlement and — people are not noticing — there is real progress on the ground for the coalition Mustafa Alani, an analyst at the Gulf Research Centre