On the Day of Steadfastness: The Leader of the Revolution Presents Saudi Arabia and the UAE with Two Options, and Clarifies Yemen’s Stance on the Aggression Against Iran!
The speech delivered by the Leader of the Revolution, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, on the occasion of the National Day of Steadfastness at the beginning of its eleventh year, is an unprecedented strategic political and military document. It transcends being merely a speech for a national occasion, becoming a “declaration of resolve” that outlines the features of the next decade of comprehensive confrontation. The shift from a stage of merely defending one’s survival to one of imposing regional and international realities reflects a structural success in managing the conflict. The Leader clearly declared that the Yemeni people are no longer content with passive resistance, but have moved to a strategic offensive aimed at uprooting the Zionist-American hegemony from the region. This transformation would not have been possible without the military and political accumulation witnessed during the first decade, which transformed Yemen from a besieged and targeted country into a significant player in international navigation and the equations of the existential conflict with the Zionist entity, thus solidifying the fact that Yemen has become the cornerstone of the axis of resistance and jihad.
Analytically, the speech outlined the features of the “second decade” as a phase of settling historical accounts with the forces of aggression. There is no longer room for half-measures or the political maneuvering that the Saudi regime, at Washington’s behest, has habitually employed. The leader presented regional powers with a stark choice: either break free from the constraints of the Zionist agenda and enter into a genuine partnership of “good neighborliness” that secures the region, or continue playing the role of “functional proxies,” bearing the burdens and consequences while Washington and Tel Aviv reap the benefits. This speech represents a final “roadmap” for the aggressor states, asserting that a strong and independent Yemen is the region’s safety valve, while a besieged and devastated Yemen is a harbinger of doom for all who have contributed to the bloodshed of its people. This stems from the Yemeni stance, which is no longer merely a reaction but has become a moral and religious imperative dictated by the values of jihad against the tyrant of our time.
Riyadh Faces a Strategic Peace Test
The speech was characterized by a language of soft deterrence, interwoven with clear on-the-ground realities. A strategic message of “advice” was directed to the Saudi regime, urging it to reconsider its calculations and cease its hostility towards the Yemeni people. The leader’s call for Riyadh to sever its ties with the American and Israeli agendas is not merely a political maneuver, but rather a description of the regime’s reality. It burdens itself with a heavy responsibility in a conflict that will not achieve its goal of controlling a people “whose roots run deep in history.” The realities on the ground confirm that the Saudi bet on a long-term strategy has failed in the face of the even longer Yemeni resolve. The Kingdom’s best interest lies in allowing the confrontation to become a direct one between the Yemenis and the Americans, thus sparing itself the consequences of an unnecessary war to protect its security. This is a lesson that should have been learned from the recent rounds of fighting, which demonstrated the inadequacy of conventional arsenals against the unwavering will of the people.
In the context of dismantling the structure of the Saudi regime, the discourse highlights the fact that betting on the “traitors” who have become beholden to the Saudis is a gamble on a mirage. These individuals are treated as “puppet masters,” not as equal allies. This characterization reinforces the public’s conviction that political decision-making in the occupied territories is entirely usurped by the ambassadors of Washington, London, and Riyadh. This makes resistance against this aggressive approach the only option befitting the dignity of the Yemeni people. The real problem lies in the “arrogant and negative tendencies” of the Saudi regime, which remained unchanged even during the periods of political subservience under previous regimes. This underscores that complete Yemeni independence is the only guarantee of a dignified life, free from the policies of subjugation and dependency that the enemies seek to impose as a fait accompli.
Therefore, the ball is now in Riyadh’s court. It must choose between a genuine and serious commitment to peace and lifting the blockade, or continuing its association with Zionist schemes aimed at draining the nation’s resources. The leader affirms that Yemen harbors no aggressive intentions against any Muslim country, but that Saudi Arabia’s decades-long aggressive policies have created this rift. The peace available today may not be available tomorrow under the same conditions, especially given the continuous growth of Yemeni military capabilities and the peak of popular confidence in victory. This makes any new Saudi adventure a reckless gamble that could lead to the collapse of the regional security system, which the Americans are attempting in vain to repair.
The Record of Brutality: The Shocking Language of Numbers
The speech presented an international human rights report exposing the falsehood of the aggression coalition’s humanitarian claims. It documented the direct killing and wounding of approximately 60,000 Yemenis, in addition to a silent catastrophe that has claimed the lives of over 1.4 million civilians as a result of the blockade, the spread of chronic diseases, and malnutrition. These figures are not mere statistics; they constitute “an important record and an enduring legacy for generations,” documenting the most heinous crimes of our time. The destruction of 670 health facilities and 2,900 educational institutions proves that the aggression targeted the future of Yemen before targeting military sites, seeking to spread ignorance and disease to subdue and control the population. This explains the insistence on targeting social welfare centers and facilities for people with disabilities, a criminal precedent unprecedented in modern history.
Field data reveals a frantic desire to destroy infrastructure, with bombing affecting more than 5,600 power grids and stations and 2,200 telecommunications facilities, in addition to targeting 14 ports, 9 airports, and navigational guidance systems. This systematic destruction of the foundations of life, including the targeting of 15,000 food facilities and 19,000 agricultural and livestock facilities, reveals a deep-seated hatred that transcends political differences and reaches the point of attempting to erase Yemeni identity, as manifested in the bombing of 420 archaeological and historical sites and more than 1,840 mosques. The destruction of 90 cemeteries is a stark expression of a level of savagery and criminality that showed no respect even for the sanctity of the dead, making the occasion of the day