Informed sources from the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group have told Sheba Intelligence that a Houthi-Saudi agreement is about to be announced, culminating months-long negotiations between the two sides under the auspices of Oman.
However, public statements by Houthi officials point to the failure of the negotiations between the two sides. Houthi-appointed president Mahdi Al-Mashat delivered a televised speech Friday, on the 60 anniversary of the October 14 Revolution. He expressed resentment about the progress of peace talks with Saudi Arabia. He said, "While we affirm our interest in peace between us and the aggression coalition, we express our deep dissatisfaction with the procrastination and refusal to engage in confidence-building measures. We consider the continuation of the siege not only an indicator of a lack of seriousness but rather an escalation and a provocative criminal act. This undoubtedly gives us the right to respond appropriately and similarly unless we see a quick response."
Jassim Al-Budaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said that peace talks to end the conflict in Yemen have taken a step backward following the "treacherous" attack by the Houthi group on Bahraini forces stationed on the southern Saudi border. In an interview with "Al-Hadath" TV on Thursday, he said, "A delegation from the Houthi group arrived in Riyadh, and we had positive discussions, with numerous positive signals regarding progress in this matter." He added, "We had anticipated this progress would lead to the resumption of political dialogue among Yemeni parties. However, the Houthi targeting of Bahraini forces has set the dialogue back and affected the course of the negotiations." In late September, Bahrain announced the killing of four of its soldiers and the injury of others due to a drone strike by the Houthi group on forces stationed on the southern Saudi border. The attack received regional and international condemnation and was described as a Houthi attempt to undermine peace efforts to end the conflict in Yemen.
Two days ago, a Saudi newspaper said achieving genuine peace in Yemen remains difficult. Al-Saharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted Arab political researchers as saying that the recent Houthi military actions confirm reaching real peace is still hard to attain. The newspaper quoted Mohammed Fawzi, a researcher at the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, saying the Houthi escalation undermines any Houthi claims regarding peace. Fawzi said that if any military escalation occurs, the effectiveness of any discussions regarding resolving the crisis declines, and the Houthis gain time to reorganize their ranks. The Houthis launched a drone strike last month, killing 4 Bahraini soldiers on the Yemen-Saudi border, shattering hope for near peace.
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