"There is no military solution to the conflict," says the UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths. Iranian officials agree, at least in public, yet Tehran keeps sending weapons to the Houthi rebels, including ballistic missiles. Arming the rebels makes perfect sense when Iran does not want to resolve the conflict. Rather, it wants to perpetuate a war that ties down its adversaries, both financially and militarily, while shouldering only limited costs.
Iran's support to the Houthis is consistent with two pillars of its regional security policy, the first of which is taking the fight abroad to avoid fighting at home. If Saudi Arabia remains mired in a war on its own doorstep, it might be less capable and therefore less inclined to challenge Iran head-on with its conventional forces.
The second pillar is to rely on Iran’s asymmetric strengths, especially its ability to train or equip proxies who can fight wars and infiltrate governments on Tehran’s behalf. In Syria, Iran has dispatched Afghan, Pakistani and Arab Shiites to fight and die for Bashar Al Assad’s vicious dictatorship.
Further west in Lebanon, Iran has spent almost four decades politically, economically, and militarily supporting Hezbollah, which now dominates the country and threatens Israel with its large and growing missile and rocket arsenal.
In Yemen, Iran is perfecting this strategy with a much lighter footprint and with a comparatively lower cost. Rather than create a militia, Iran is co-opting and supporting local Houthi forces, who have their own grievances with Saudi Arabia as well as the Yemeni state.
Tehran has provided the Houthis with rifles and other field weapons, anti-tank missiles and even a modified short-range ballistic missile called the Burkan-2H – also known by its Iranian name, the Qiam-1 – that has permitted the Houthis to strike the Saudi capital Riyadh, that lies several hundred miles from the Yemeni border. Few in the West appreciate that the Yemeni war enables the regime in Tehran to injure and kill Saudi civilians while its own elites remain secure.
This bring us to the current battle for the deep-water port of Hodeidah located on Yemen's Red Sea coast. Hodeidah is the main lifeline for humanitarian aid such as medicine, food and clean drinking water for Yemeni citizens trapped in Houthi-controlled territory.
Part of the reason for this assault is the Arab coalition's desire to reclaim this port city as a way to stem the flow of Iranian arms into Yemen, in accordance with multiple intelligence assessments. However, the UN has also pointed out that Hodeidah is not necessarily the most likely gateway for Tehran's weapons.
According to a UN panel of experts report from earlier this year, the “most likely” missile-smuggling routes are overland via Oman or through Mahrah governorate in eastern Yemen. The UN panel asserts that it is “possible” that only hidden “non-explosive weapons in component form” could come through Hodeidah.
Capturing Hodeidah, however,also aims to cut off a major source of revenue to the Houthis in a bid to drive them to the negotiating table. Not only do the Houthis generate a profit through customs duties from ports but according to the aforementioned UN panel report, they are also involved in lucrative black market sales.
From May 2016 to July last year, the Houthis potentially earned up to $1.3 billion dollars from black market oil smuggling through two ports, one of which was Hodeidah. Media reporting has also presented concerns about Houthi obstruction and re-routing of humanitarian aid.
Over the course of the next few weeks, criticism of the coalition will likely reach an apogee over the predictable humanitarian fallout from the battle in Hodeidah - a matter that the coalition is both aware of and trying to mitigate against. Thus far, the Houthis and their Iranian backers have avoided bearing the brunt of public scrutiny, despite their determination to prolong the war.
Yet whatever the outcome of the battle for Hodeidah, one thing is certain. Iran and its partners in crime remain willing to sacrifice the welfare of ordinary Yemenis in order to keep the conflict raging and pursue their ideological aims.
Behnam Ben Taleblu is a research fellow focusing on Iran at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies in Washington, DC
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures (all in UAE time)
Friday
Everton v Burnley 11pm
Saturday
Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur 3.30pm
West Ham United v Southampton 6pm
Wolves v Fulham 6pm
Cardiff City v Crystal Palace 8.30pm
Newcastle United v Liverpool 10.45pm
Sunday
Chelsea v Watford 5pm
Huddersfield v Manchester United 5pm
Arsenal v Brighton 7.30pm
Monday
Manchester City v Leicester City 11pm
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
