Saudi Arabia's high-level delegation visited Sana'a over the weekend for talks with the Houthi rebels, in a first public trip to Yemen's capital since the war intensified in 2015, raising hopes of an imminent permanent cease-fire deal buoyed by a thaw between Tehran and Riyadh. Such de-escalation is a respite for Yemenis but is not equivalent to sustainable peace in the country.
Upon arriving to Sana'a on Sunday, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber said the visit would build on Omani efforts to stabilize the truce and the cease-fire. It is also to "explore venues of dialogue between Yemeni components to reach a sustainable, comprehensive political solution in Yemen,” Jaber tweeted on Monday, a day after shaking hands, exchanging smiles and taking memorable pictures with the Houthi Supreme Political Council’s chief Mahdi al-Mashat in Sana’a and others on the coalition’s wanted list.
While Jaber’s visit was not the first to Sana’a this year, the meeting marks a historic first public encounter between enemies to attempt ending the regional layer of war and is an admission of eight years of mismanagement of military operations and peace efforts alike. Neither the Saudi-led coalition defeated the Houthis, nor the Houthis controlled all of Yemen; and the internationally recognized government of Yemen has not yet been restored to Sana’a, where Iran’s role has increased significantly since 2014. Although the perception of loss and victory is largely relative given the complex ground realities in Yemen, Henry Kissinger's formula that “the conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose", offers some insight to the current reality of the conflict.
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