Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/23/yemens-houthis-say-they-fired-missile-at-saudi-aramco-site
Yemen’s Houthis rebel group was reported to have recently executed a terrorist attack on a distribution station for oil giant Saudi Aramco in the city of Jeddha. A military official for the Houthis announced that, “these operations will continue,” although the attack was carried out using a winged missile, there were no casualties and no considerable damage to the oil supply. This attack is just a small part of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, all starting when a Saudi-led coalition attempted to restore the Yemeni government and take power away from the Houthis. Since May, Houthis attacks have only escalated, in retaliation the Saudi coalition has executed air strikes on Houthi territory. It is said that the Houthis attack on the distribution station was in response to the Saudi Coalition’s actions in Yemen.
Any conflict involving Saudi Arabia is important in the Middle East sheerly because of their influence, especially when it comes to the oil industry. Being the largest oil producing country in the Middle East automatically puts you on a pedestal, but it also makes you more vulnerable to competitors. The animosity between Yemen and Saudi Arabia should be kept an eye on because it does have potential to become much larger than it already is. Although the Houthis claim they are fighting a corrupt system, it isn’t normal to have another country attacking you while you are only trying to serve justice. If somehow this conflict lead to harm towards the oil industry it could be detrimental for not only the Middle East, but any country that relies on Saudi Arabia’s oil distribution.
This animosity between the two countries may have been caused by the Saudi Coalition’s attempt to reform Yemen’s government, but from a realist perspective, the end goal is always to gain more power. Saudi Arabia felt with the Houthis rebel group existing, their power and freedom will always be threatened, with such an unpredictable group like the Houthis, the Saudi Coalition needed complete assurance and control of power. The realist perspective believes that we live in a world of anarchy, and therefore states need power to establish their dominance. Power is the only thing protecting a country from the unknown intentions of another state according to realism.