The Al-Qaeda organization was viewed in the beginning as a problem that concerned the Americans.
Nine years ago when Osama Bin Laden and his sons started their activities in Africa and in the Arab region, many people insisted that Al-Qaeda was an American problem as was the Irish Republic Army to Britain, and so the Americans should themselves handle their problem with that organization.
That view was grossly erroneous, because Al-Qaeda has caused great harm to most countries of the region and to other world countries, and it still poses great danger to the world up to this day.
The Huthist movement in north Yemen is a similar case in point. Most people who discuss this movement consider it a Yemeni problem or a thorn in Saudi Arabia's side. It is indeed a thorn in Saudi Arabia's side, and even more than that.
The Huthists represent an extremist movement similar to Bin Laden's. They use the same language as Bin Laden and uphold much of his ideology. The Huthists look beyond the Sa'dah mountains.
When I listened to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's speech a few days ago, I said to myself history repeats itself. President Saleh spoke of the Huthists as a movement instigated by Iran to strike Saudi Arabia.
And he called on Iran not to use Yemeni territories to settle scores with Saudi Arabia. So even the man who knows so well the details of the current rebellion in north Yemen wants to believe that the Huthist movement is merely one that is instigated by Iran to disturb neighboring Saudi Arabia.
While the Huthists may indeed represent a rebellious movement used by the Iranians, and earlier by Arab parties, to disturb Saudi Arabia as part of settling political scores, we are facing an extremist organization that is similar to Al-Qaeda and that has goals beyond Sa'dah and Riyadh.
Source: Asharq Alawsat