Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, who serves as Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States, drew a parallel between Iran-backed Houthis and ISIS prior to its capture of Mosul, while advocating for an international initiative to strip the faction of its military capabilities. In an opinion piece released on Tuesday in The New York Times, she described the militants as a dismissed terrorist threat similar to ISIS before the proclamation of their caliphate in Iraq. The ambassador urged the global community to establish a distinct objective of dismantling the Houthis as an armed terrorist organization.
Riyadh Airport Attack
The ambassador began her essay by referencing the Oct. 10 missile attack by the Houthis targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an incident that resulted in 13 deaths. She condemned the strike as an act of terrorism, pure, simple and evil. She also commended Ebtehal bint Abdullah, a passenger services agent for Riyadh Air who sustained injuries while assisting passengers to safety and directing paramedics within the terminal.
Threat Beyond Yemen
Data provided by the ambassador indicates that the Houthis have launched over 1,000 ballistic missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia starting from March 2016. Reference was made to United Nations investigators who reported that Houthi technicians instructed Al Shabaab members in East Africa on bomb-making and drone modifications. The ambassador pointed out that the faction threatened to shut down the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a maritime route handling roughly 10 percent of global commerce, while recent strikes against Saudi energy infrastructure drove oil prices past $100 per barrel. Additional accusations included the recruitment of children as young as 10 years old into combat, alongside forcing them to chant Death to America.
How to Defeat the Houthis
To counter the group, Princess Reema recommended that all nations classify the Houthis as terrorists, matching the current stance of the United States. She proposed cutting off financial resources, intercepting weapons shipments at sea, and providing necessary backing to the government of Yemen. According to her statements, Saudi Arabia blocked the Houthis from its financial network, and Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi air power intercepted over 750 tons of weaponry destined for the faction. She concluded that halting the armed campaign of the Houthis remains the sole route to achieving a political resolution led by Yemenis.
