In Yemen’s Sanaa, fear and defiance after US bombs

When the ground trembled beneath him in the northern Sanaa region of al-Jiraf, Mukhtar Ahmed was riding his bike. ;Thunderous ; Explosions echoed through the air, followed by terrified screams.

People were visiting their homes for iftar on Saturday just after sunset during Ramadan’s holy month.

I jumped out of the bike and headed straight into an alley. The 26-year-old restaurant delivery courier told Al Jazeera, “I thought it would be impossible to survive.” That explosion’s sheer terror could kill, the author claimed. ”

The audible roar that was heard across Yemen’s densely populated capital was unbearable to Muhtar.   However, he later realized that Yemen was being bombed by the US.

More than 50 people were killed by an airstrike by the United States.

The Houthi rebel group, whose de facto rulers are Yemen’s populous northwest, were blasted by the bombs close to the political office (officially known as Ansar Allah).

The US bombing campaign that is ongoing may bring about a new era of war and instability for Yemen.

Who has the power to stop the US?

The Houthis imposed a four-day deadline on March 7 to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. On March 7, the Houthis imposed a four-day ban on Israel. In solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, the Yemeni group promised to retaliate against Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis had paralyzed shipping in one of the world’s most important waterways for the 15 months prior to the now-broken Gaza ceasefire and fired projectiles at Israel for the 15 months before that had ended.

Hundreds of airstrikes were carried out by the United Kingdom and the US on what were reportedly Houthi targets, including airports, missile launch pads, and weapons depots. Yemen has also been attacked by Israel.

These attacks were intended to “degrade” the Houthis’ military might, which was claimed as a result of these attacks.

However, the recent US airstrikes have hit residential areas where senior Houthi members are thought to reside, demonstrating little disregard for civilian lives.

Second, despite their threat, the Houthis had not launched any attacks.

Yemeni civilians have endured years of hardship since the country’s civil war started between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed, UN-recognized government with this shift under US President Donald Trump.

Since 2022, negotiations between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have largely stopped the conflict in Yemen. However, those discussions have had little impact on the nation’s humanitarian crisis, which causes millions of people to be without food.

Many Yemenis now think things will get worse, a worry that Trump’s rhetoric has reinforced.

In a threat to the Houthis, the US president said, “Hell will rain down on you like nothing you have ever seen before.”

Mukhtar also worries that Gaza has set a precedent for how regional bombing campaigns are carried out.

If the US-Houthi conflict persists, the US will treat Sanaa similarly to what Israel has done to Gaza, according to Mukhtar. Who will stop them? ”

Chaos frightened?

In a busy Maeen, western Sanaa street, Faisal Mohammed carried a blue bag containing new clothing for his five children in preparation for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which is scheduled to fall on March 30.

However, Faisal, 38, claims that the US attacks will overshadow Eid. He fears what will come next.

He claimed that the Americans are aiming to assassinate Houthi leaders in Sanaa and other provinces. The Houthi leadership will be killed, which will cause chaos, which will be bad for us. ”

In September 2014, the Houthis seized control of Sanaa. The group has since established itself on the battlefield and established itself as a force.

The Houthis’ rivals may see the tide turning in their favor as the US increases its attacks on Yemen, worries Faisal.

According to Faisal, pro-government forces might be motivated by the American airstrikes and launch a push toward Houthi-controlled provinces. This will entail an unending civil war and a new cycle of misery. ”

Faisal has considered relocating to a safer area after leaving Sanaa.

According to Faisal, “The Houthis will not surrender, and their Yemeni rivals, if supported by America, will not back down,” It will be disastrous,” he declared. ”

Explosions and prices

Ali Abdullah had already filled his gas cylinder at a cooking gas station in Bani Hushaish, which is located northeast of Sanaa. He was preparing for a possible price increase.

We are concerned about sudden price increases. They are a bad war companion, the 48-year-old told Al Jazeera.

Washington’s actions have put Yemen, and particularly its Houthi-controlled regions, in a precarious position even before the new US bombing.

In response to their attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping, Trump designated the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO) in January.

According to April Longley Alley, a senior expert on the Gulf and Yemen at the US Institute of Peace, “the FTO squeezes the larger economy, limiting access to international financing, and making it difficult for traders to obtain letters of credit and insurance to import everything from food, fuel, to household goods, and beyond.”

Defiant

The Houthis are unlikely to back down, at least not in the immediate aftermath, having endured a year-long bombing campaign driven by a belief in their ultimate victory.

In protest of the US, the group’s supporters gathered in Sanaa on Monday, many of whom were carrying weapons.

The US bombing of Yemen demonstrated that the US is a “habitual aggressor,” according to Mohammed, a Houthi rebel who only wanted to give his first name.

Americans aim to deceive and intimidate us. He remarked as he stood near a market in Sanaa, with a rifle on his shoulder, “but that won’t happen.”

He continued, “We were not born to live forever.” We will undoubtedly perish. To die with honor is preferable. Faced with a haughty adversary like the US is the honor. ”

Over the past few months, Yemen has experienced a rise in anti-US sentiment. Resentment is being fueled by American support for Israel’s airstrikes against Yemeni cities and its war against Gaza.

The Houthi government continues to be rebellious. In a televised speech on Sunday, Houthi Abdel-Malik al-Houthi warned that the US attacks would only aggravate the situation.

He declared, “We will face escalation with escalation.”

Many Sanaa residents are frightened of what lies ahead due to that rhetoric.

What he heard and saw on Saturday still leaves him haunted. He pondered with a loud oh-again what happened to the victims of the bombings. He remarked, “They must have turned to ash,” and he was concerned for what the future might hold.

Trump is impulsive, according to Mukhtar, and the Houthis are stubborn. The outcome will be catastrophic: there will be unrest, injuries, food and fuel shortages, and persistent fear.

Source: Aljazeera