Arab forces foil Iranian designs at Bab Al Mandeb

Located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, Bab Al Mandeb strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is regarded as one of the most important strategic waterways in the world through which 7 per cent of the world's marine traffic passes through.
The coalition forces have successfully ended the presence of the terror groups backed by Iran. Tehran has always been known for using control of sensitive areas as a tool to achieve its strategic objective of dominating the region. This was an ample evidence whenever it threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz through which 40 per cent of world's oil tankers pass through.
The UAE government has actively partnered with the Egyptian government in expanding the Suez Canal to increase the traffic in the water way, the major lifeline to Bab Al Mandeb whose importance was limited until the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Since then, it had become the international gateway for navigation linking the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Mediterranean and beyond. Any disruption to this important waterway tends to result in delays in transportation of goods and escalations of costs.
Yemen exercises control over Bab Al Mandeb through the strategic island of Perim. The American troops had set up military bases in Djibouti which lies on the other flank of the strait. The US did so to secure the safety of the region from manipulation and destabilisation. Houthi rebels were keen to control this strategic asset to disrupt trade and dictate terms to regional political players. This was clearly visible in all the roundtables of dialogue on Yemen.
Vexed with the unruly ways of the Houthi rebels, the coalition forces have taken the decisive step of taking control of the waterway to ensure the stability of Yemen and its legitimate government. The coalition had no choice but to do this as any threat to the waterway from Iran and its proxies would have affected the smooth flow of navigation leading to the rise in oil and other commodity prices.
In the region, there are two policies that run contradictory to each other. While the GCC and Arab countries are known to take constructive decisions to increase their volume of trade under the umbrella of international institutions and laws, Iran was always resorted to feed its proxies with arms and ammunition so that they can spread terror and chaos across the region. Its subversive machinations are in ample display in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.
The latter two states are completely unstable at present with millions of refugees and displaced making their way to Europe and other countries. What is going on at Bab Al Mandeb is reminiscent of the piracy on the Somali shores where the hooligans inflicted huge losses on international navigation by their wanton acts of kidnap, robbery and ransom.
The international community should be beholden to the Arab coalition as it has managed to rid the key waterway of a destructive and rapacious terror group. Thanks to the gallant GCC servicemen, the strategic strait is now a safe place for navigation.
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com

• MENA

Mustafa Al Zarooni

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com