No less than a quarter-century after 9/11, the Angel of History delivers another striking blow. Five years ago, we witnessed a stunning imperial defeat in Afghanistan, executed within days. Today, a similar rapid humiliation has been inflicted upon the Epstein Syndicate’s proxy, Saudi Arabia, in Yemen.
These repeated setbacks now trail the Empire like a plague—and this doesn’t even include the looming, monumental strategic failures in West Asia and the fertile lands of Novorossiya. In ancient Rome’s “Divide and Rule” empire, rulers lost their heads for far less.
The rapid disintegration of Saudi-backed mercenary forces in Yemen is so undeniable that even Epstein Syndicate mainstream outlets have had to report it. The Ansarallah Rolling Thunder is capturing cities, seizing islands, detaining thousands of militants, freeing prisoners with amnesty, acquiring countless US tanks and weapons—much like a replay of Afghanistan—and being hailed as liberators by tribes all across Yemen.
Moreover, Ansarallah has officially claimed full control (italics mine) of the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab Strait, known as the “Gate of Tears.”
One iconic snapshot shows Mohammed al-Houthi, cousin to Supreme Leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, behind the wheel of an armored vehicle left behind by mercenaries loyal to UAE forces.
The intelligence underpinning the Ansarallah Rolling Thunder—which is regarded as the largest mass-capture operation in modern warfare—was meticulously synchronized with the IRGC. The Axis of Resistance knew well that after Iran’s devastating strikes on bases in Jordan, the US’s ability to assist Saudi Arabia in halting the Yemeni advance had been severely restricted.
The offensive swept across the entire western Yemeni coastline: spanning from Hays to Al-Khokha and Al-Mokha through Al-Wazi’iyah, encompassing military sites at Khaled and Jabal al-Nar, as well as various Red Sea islands.
Hizam al-Assad, a Political Bureau member of Ansarallah, spoke to Al-Mayadeen (English translation available here), emphasizing the “strategic importance” of the entire western coastline, “including Al-Khokha, Hays, Al-Mafqa up to Dhabab and Miyyun, along with the Yemeni islands in the Red Sea.”
He described Saudi efforts to “incite social fragmentation in these areas, either via ‘Daeshization’ or through aggravating various regional, sectarian, and confessional divisions.”
Understanding the background is crucial. In 2015, Saudi Arabia assembled an Arab-backed “coalition of the willing” aiming to drive Ansarallah/the Houthis out of Sana’a.
This endeavor was a major failure—even while imposing a blockade on Yemeni ports and launching widespread bombings (I personally witnessed multiple destroyed targets, from Sana’a to Sa’ada, some of which were rebuilt). By 2022, a kind of unofficial ceasefire existed, maintained through a memorandum of understanding. However, the Saudis violated it in July by striking Sana’a airport’s runway.
How the western coast was captured
Hizam al-Assad confirmed, “We anticipated the occupiers would collapse internally in these areas (…) We predicted the local population would rise and expel them (…) The enemy’s withdrawal was swift and chaotic (…) The occupiers have no legitimate claim in Yemen, especially their local agents who carry out Saudi agendas for money.”
Western narratives accusing Yemen of aggression are beyond feeble. Hizam al-Assad clarified, “Our operational trajectory enforces an ‘escalation for escalation’ and ‘blockade for blockade’ stance, which defines our fundamental strategy. Had the Saudis not sought to undermine this path and dismantle this balance (…) our course would be clear: to reclaim legitimate Yemeni rights and break the Saudi-imposed blockade on our nation.”
The US Navy has been effectively pushed out of the Red Sea, thanks to Yemen’s advanced military capabilities—including domestically produced hypersonic missiles. Riyadh apparently failed to grasp this lesson.
The Yemeni Armed Forces reported that Saudi jets carried out dozens of airstrikes “across the governorates of Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and Al-Jawf,” with F-15s and Typhoons flying out of King Fahd base in Taif and King Khalid base in Khamis Mushait.
Brigadier Yahya Saree, the Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman—whom I had the privilege to meet last year in Yemen—confirmed that surface-to-air missiles “Made in Yemen” compelled Saudi and mercenary forces to evacuate the Taiz base, a strategic site used to harass Yemen.
Taiz is a crucial city, one of Yemen’s largest, now entirely under Ansarallah control—a vital strategic gain.
Among strategic assets, Mayun Island (also called Perim), positioned in the heart of Bab al-Mandab, is perhaps unrivaled. It hosts a military airfield and base built by the UAE with Israeli collaboration, stocked with high-tech weaponry—all now under Ansarallah control.
With dominion over nearly the entire western coast, Ansarallah’s next objectives include Marib—for its oil and gas resources—and the port of Aden, home to most mercenary forces assembled against Sana’a.
The losing dilemma facing Saudi Arabia
The Ansarallah Rolling Thunder has dramatically shaken the geopolitical chessboard of West Asia and beyond. Oil prices are soaring uncontrollably. The IRGC is warning about deploying a new weapon said to “give imperialists a heart attack”—capable of shattering the fragile American naval blockade.
The much-publicized Mecca Defense Alliance is confronting its first serious challenges. Turkjiye’s involvement in the Saudi campaign in Yemen is already evident, with Turkish drones falling steadily over Yemeni territory for weeks. Pakistan initially suggested the defense pact might activate but soon retracted, clarifying it doesn’t apply retroactively to conflicts like the 2015 Saudi-led war.
Mohammed bin Salman might consider a pilgrimage to the Bab al-Mandab, the very “Gate of Tears,” to weep over his faltering strategy. Not a single Saudi asset—not even seagulls—can now cross this strait under the watchful eyes of the Yemeni Armed Forces.
Couple this with the recent massive attack on the Abqaiq-to-Yanbu pipeline—the final viable route for Saudi oil exports after the Strait of Hormuz blockade—sending a 100 km column of thick black smoke into the desert sky as captured by Sentinel-3 satellite images.
The ripple effects are devastating: production expenses for nitrogen fertilizer plants from Europe to Asia will soar; yields of wheat, rice, and maize are set to decline sharply; skyrocketing diesel prices will render irrigation and harvesting a luxury only the wealthy can afford.
Ansarallah now possesses the option to establish a layered toll gate at Bab al-Mandab if desired—yet Riyadh will receive no preferential treatment; instead, the desert rulers will face a stringent list of demands.
Saudi Arabia faces a bleak outlook as it finds itself trapped in a lose-lose scenario: critical onshore oil infrastructure in ruins, and maritime export channels blockaded. A final judgment is yet to be made, but the signs ominously point toward Saudi Arabia’s decline into a barren desert state, to the advantage of familiar adversaries.
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