Failing Saudi-US plan to target Al-Mashat
The United States and Saudi Arabia failed on Wednesday in their campaign to target the head of the Political Council, the highest authority in Sana’a, Mahdi al-Mashat.
Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
A social media campaign led by the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, and involving activists affiliated with US intelligence agencies had the opposite effect, with a wide Yemeni solidarity campaign forming around Al-Mashat.
Al-Mashat was the target of the campaign, which included insults and defamation, but Yemeni activists quickly turned the tables on it with a solidarity campaign using the hashtag #AlMashatPrideForUs (Al-Mashat pride for us).
Activists claim that the Saudi-US campaign was in response to Al-Mashat’s recent visit to the Saudi Arabian neighboring province of Hajjah; he had arrived in Hajjah by military helicopter for the first time since his appointment as head of the Political Council.
Activists considered the Saudi attack as reflecting the pain from Al-Mashat, who has demonstrated political savvy in managing the battle during the recent negotiations hosted by Sana’a with Saudi Arabia under the auspices of Oman.