Pengamat Timur Tengah Bongkar Kesalahan yang Dilakukan Saudi dalam Perang di Yaman | tvOne

Summary

The program examines whether the conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement could widen, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Houthi attacks and offered support to Saudi Arabia.

Middle East observer Faisal Assegaf argues that Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen has involved several serious mistakes: interfering in another country’s domestic affairs, imposing a sea and air blockade without a UN Security Council mandate, and contributing to a severe humanitarian crisis. Citing UNDP figures, he says that by the end of 2021 the war had caused 377,000 deaths, many indirectly through hunger, malnutrition, and disease. He also accuses Saudi Arabia of applying a double standard by backing a former government in Yemen while supporting regime change in Syria.

The guests describe Yemen as divided among three main forces:

• The Houthis
• The internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council, which is close to Saudi Arabia
• The Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates

They say the conflict is also part of a wider Saudi-Iranian contest for influence, complicated by disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen’s future.

Faisal describes the war as asymmetric and says Houthi missile and drone attacks—including attacks on Saudi sites—have exposed limits in Saudi defenses despite the kingdom’s large military budget. He also links Houthi activity in the Red Sea to the Gaza war. The discussion notes that a ceasefire in 2022 brought a period of relative calm but did not resolve the conflict.

International relations observer Roni Rofii places the fighting within broader regional tensions involving the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye. He says Saudi Arabia has traditionally relied on U.S. military cooperation but has sought to diversify its security partnerships, including through proposed cooperation with Pakistan and Türkiye. Türkiye, he says, has presented its role as defensive rather than as participation in an offensive alliance.

The discussion frames possible U.S. involvement as a risk of further escalation, while emphasizing that the Yemen conflict is shaped by local divisions as well as regional rivalries.

Presenters and Contributors

• Kania — Presenter
• Roni Rofii — International relations observer, University of Indonesia
• Faisal Assegaf — Middle East observer