The Difference between the First and Second Egypt - Yemen wars

24/4/2015

When Egypt entered Yemen in the sixties, it was in response to a public demand to displace Imam Ahmad’s regime, a backwards regime, so they claimed. Egypt’s situation then was very different from that of today. Today Egypt is part of a coalition force. In the previous war, during Abdel Nasser’s era, Saudi Arabia was an adversary, and feared going to war.

Today Saudi Arabia is Egypt’s ally and the leader of a coalition confronting the Houthis. And the Houthis, shielded by Iran, present a danger worth opposing.

Field Marshal Al Sisi strategically maneuvered the Egyptian armed forces to disarm the Houthis and banish Aly Saleh, the former Yemeni president and Houthi secret ally. While doing this, Al Sisi managed to avoid stirring up further hostilities for which Egypt would have to pay.

All have observed the role played by Iran in aligning with the Houthis. However, Iran is now playing a rather flexible role. For example, it requests Oman, being the only gulf state that is not in the coalition, to intervene and persuade other countries to mediate between Houthis and the coalition countries. This request was directed at Saudi Arabia and meant to end the war peacefully.

We should acknowledge that Saudi Arabia has always maintained a moderate political stance, yet this time it proved that it can also assume a participative role with partners. In this way, the Kingdom has shown its military ability in the field, exercising its right to secure its sovereignty.

translated from Al Masry Al Youm