President al-Alimi: Act or Withdraw Yemen from the Maritime Defensive Alliance
In light of the Houthi escalation and regional developments, President Rashad al-Alimi is left with a clear choice: either take decisive action, or announce Yemen's withdrawal from the Maritime Defensive Alliance.
We are all closely following the brutal Houthi offensive against the safe Yemeni cities in our coastal nation—a country strategically overlooking two seas and an ocean—including the direct targeting of the city of Mocha and the western coast, which serves as the protective gateway to the Bab al-Mandab Strait. In light of this fierce Iranian-backed escalation, you have undoubtedly taken note of the recent announcement by our sister nation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, regarding the formation of a maritime defense alliance comprising 17 states, followed by the activation of this alliance with 13 participating nations, including Yemen.
In view of the foregoing, you bear a direct and immediate responsibility to formally and publicly engage with the leadership of the Maritime Defense Alliance to ensure the discharge of its obligations in safeguarding the Bab al-Mandab Strait—particularly given Yemen’s active membership in this coalition, which is led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Should this alliance fail to fulfill its mandated duties, it becomes incumbent upon you to declare Yemen’s withdrawal from the Maritime Defense Alliance, lest we remain mere perjurers in the eyes of history.
The escalation toward Mocha is, in essence, an escalation toward Bab al-Mandab, thereby transforming this conflict into one that transcends Yemen’s borders and directly impacts one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints. Any empowerment of the Houthis that allows them to consolidate their military capabilities in close proximity to Bab al-Mandab effectively grants Iran a new and strategic leverage point over international shipping routes, the security of the Red Sea, and the interests of all littoral states—not to mention the direct threat this poses to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the broader region. Furthermore, the legitimate Yemeni government would face a definitive and terminal collapse.
It is precisely at this juncture that the critical importance of the Maritime Defense Alliance—to which Yemen has acceded—becomes manifest. If this alliance was established to protect navigational security and counter maritime threats, then this is the decisive moment in which it must substantiate its existence and operational effectiveness, rather than remaining a mere political declaration or a formalistic framework. If it cannot mobilize now, in the face of a mounting threat directed at Bab al-Mandab and the western coast, then when will it ever act? If its impact remains imperceptible in times of acute peril, what practical value does its existence serve in the first place? The alliance’s silence or passive observation would inevitably send a deleterious signal to the Houthis and Iran that Bab al-Mandab is an open arena for escalation, whereas what is urgently required is a clear, resolute, and defensive posture that deters the threat before it crystallizes into an irreversible fait accompli.
We are fully cognizant of the arduous circumstances under which Yemen currently operates, and we recognize the formidable challenges confronting the Presidential Leadership Council. Nevertheless, the minimum threshold of action required is not one of pacification or issuing media warnings to the Houthis, but rather proactive and decisive regional engagement to fulfill your duties. In doing so, we are not merely defending Yemen and its people; we are defending the international community at large, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular. Should Iran succeed in further threatening the Bab al-Mandab, it will be transformed into a strategic pressure card akin to the Strait of Hormuz.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, along with our heroic champions on the frontlines and their honorable commanders, are demonstrating commendable acts of bravery and inflicting severe blows upon the Iranian-backed Houthi theocratic aggression. However, this does not sanction idle spectatorship without active support, each from their respective position. The designated role of the Presidential Leadership Council in this regard is to engage directly with the alliance and its leadership.
