The 1979 War: Saudi Arabia's Secret Yemen Intervention

In February 1979, a brief but intense conflict erupted between North Yemen and South Yemen, threatening to upend Cold War alignments in the region. This episode of The History of Yemen delves into the 1979 Yemen War—a clash that saw Soviet-backed South Yemeni tanks roll toward Sana'a, prompting Saudi Arabia to secretly arm and fund tribal levies and even deploy its own military advisors. We explore the key players: North Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, South Yemen's Marxist leader Abdul Fattah Ismail, and Saudi Crown Prince Fahd. We examine the bizarre ceasefire mediated by the Arab League and the deployment of a symbolic inter-Aforce that never fired a shot. The war's aftermath reshaped Yemen: it accelerated North Yemen's militarization, deepened Saudi influence, and set the stage for the unification talks a decade later. We also discuss the overlooked role of the Bakil and Hashid tribal confederations, and how the conflict briefly brought together Cold War adversaries in a proxy dance. Full of specific place names (Khamis Mushayt, Dhale, Qataba), this episode offers a granular look at a pivotal but often forgotten chapter of modern Yemeni history.

#Yemen #1979YemenWar #NorthYemen #SouthYemen #AliAbdullahSaleh #AbdulFattahIsmail #SaudiArabia #ColdWarProxy #Bakil #Hashid #KhamisMushayt #Dhale #Qataba #ArabLeague #SovietUnion #MiddleEastHistory #WarHistory #FexingoHistory

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo