After becoming president of the Yemen Arab Republic in 1978, Ali Abdullah Saleh went on to be president of all of Yemen following the latter’s reunification with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1990. Saleh was thus president during the 1994 civil war, and in the 21st century the Yemeni strongman played off both sides of America’s counterterrorism campaigns against al-Qaeda’s local wing and waged six wars against Houthi rebels in Yemen’s underserved Saada governorate beginning in 2004. 

Saleh’s death Dec. 4 at the hands of Houthi rebels marked the end of a chapter in Yemeni history. Saleh had cunningly balanced and played off Yemen’s different factions while in power for 33 years, and he exercised his political prowess to remain extremely influential in the country following his 2012 departure from power. However, it was his decision to end his forces’ unnatural alliance with the Houthis and open himself to dialogue with the Saudi-led Arab coalition that ultimately cost him his life.

On Dec. 2, Saleh’s forces turned on the Houthis, whom they had been in a tactical alliance with based on their shared opposition to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The ex-president indicated his willingness to work with any forces seeking to defeat Iranian-allied groups in Yemen in exchange for an end to the Arab coalition’s bombing and blockading of the country. Of course, Saleh also wanted Saudi and Emirati support for his return to power, which some Gulf Cooperation Council states saw as a valuable opportunity to bring Yemen back into the Sunni Muslim/Arabian fold after years of Iranian-backed rebels controlling the capital and other parts of Yemen. Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman sought to avoid cooperation with Saleh, the Saudi media’s label for Saleh went from “deposed dictator” to “former president” after he ended his alliance with the Houthis earlier this month.

Yet for the Houthis, Saleh’s opening to the Saudi-led coalition was an absolute betrayal. His killing delivered a powerful message to domestic and regional actors about the Houthis’ determination to continue fighting the Saudi and Emirati military forces and their Yemeni allies, as have their two recent claims of firing missiles at the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is intensifying its air campaign against the confident Houthi rebels in Sanaa, naturally offering Iran its own opportunity to step up Tehran’s involvement in Yemen via Ansar Allah — the official name of the Houthi militia.