Saudi elites divided on Yemen war
A brief survey of Saudi opinion reveals that many elites consider Operation Decisive Storm a legitimate attempt to halt Iranian expansionism, while some view the intervention in Yemen as a sectarian war.
Many factors make it difficult to assess Saudi public opinion on Operation Decisive Storm, the military operation in Yemen launched March 25. There are no professional polling organizations, and regardless, people sometimes shy away from expressing an opinion that goes against the prevailing outlook.
When it comes to elite opinions, other problems emerge due to the nature of the regime, which bans public political activity. There are no official political parties, movements or organizations in the kingdom. As a result, ideological currents form in a covert manner. There are no organized political assemblies. One way to gauge public thinking, however, is by reading the opinions of influential figures in the leading currents.
Awad al-Qarni, an Islamist close to the Muslim Brotherhood, expressed his support for the military intervention in Yemen March 25 on Twitter. Two days later, Qarni again offered his view in support of the operation in a statement on the Tawasoul website, arguing that it was a way to confront Iranian expansion in the region. Qarni also made several TV appearances, including on 4shbab and Alahwaz, touting the importance of the operation for the entire Muslim nation.
Sheikh Nasser al-Omar, who has ties to the Srouri current (established by Mohammad Srour following his return from Syria to Saudi Arabia in the 1960s and based on Salafist and Brotherhood ethics), stated his support for the military operation in Yemen through a videotaped statement posted on YouTube March 25. He compared it to the March 2011 intervention of the Peninsula Shield Force in Bahrain to put down the uprising against the monarchy there. He also argued that the Yemeni intervention was aimed at defending Sunnis.
