Former Head of British Intelligence: Sana’a Forces Are Here to Stay, Will Not Be Defeated, and Will Remain in Control

The former head of the British Foreign Intelligence Service “MI6,” John Sawers, affirmed that the Sana’a forces will remain in control of a large part of Yemen in the foreseeable future, noting the failure of the Saudi efforts to keep an alternative government over the past ten years.

Exclusive Follow-ups — Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

Sawers said during the Doha Global Security Forum on Monday: “The Sana’a forces are here to stay, they will not be defeated, and they will remain in control of a large part of Yemen in the foreseeable future.”

Sawers, who headed the British Foreign Intelligence Service between 2009 and 2014, explained that the Sana’a forces revealed the limited options available to Saudi Arabia in dealing with them, noting that the movement possesses its own Yemeni national agenda.

The former British intelligence official noted that the Sana’a forces enjoy extensive knowledge of the terrain of the areas they control, and have effective apparatuses well equipped with weapons.

He noted the existence of indirect talks, in which the Sultanate of Oman plays a helping role, expressing his belief in the possibility of reaching a settlement, in light of what he considered the limited Saudi options and the failure of the attempts to keep an alternative authority over the past decade.

Sawers’ statements came in the context of his talk about the shifts in the nature of wars, and the ability of the Sana’a forces to carry out attacks that hit targets inside Saudi Arabia, and to impose security and military challenges on Riyadh, in addition to their impact on navigation movement in the Red Sea.