Saudis, UAE Talk Yemen War Changes, But Keep Bombing Capital

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are suggesting that a turning point in their protracted war in Yemen is on the horizon. UAE officials say the entire coalition is preparing for the “next phase.”

Exactly what the next phase would look like isn’t clear, and officials aren’t saying, beyond “restoring political stability.” Saudi Arabian officials also suggested change was coming, with Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi saying the time to end the Yemen War has come.

Mouallimi’s view of the “end” of the war is for the Shi’ite Houthi movement to accept all Saudi demands and surrender all their territory to the Saudi-backed “government,” saying they need to accept the UN resolution which they used as a pretext for the invasion.

All of this doesn’t seem to be amounting to much, however, as over the weekend Saudi and UAE warplanes pounded the capital city of Sanaa, saying they were “legitimate” targets of their war against the Houthis.