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The Lead: Yemen reset linked to Iran

US ups the ante in Yemen

The Biden administration is shifting its approach to the Yemen war, now entering its seventh year, in response to escalating drone and missile attacks by Ansarallah (Supporters of God, the formal name of the Houthis) on the home territories of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Just this week, the United States committed more military support to its Gulf partners while weighing whether to return Ansarallah to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizationsor, failing that, sanctioning key Houthi leaders.

The bottom line is that the United States is getting more, not less, involved in Yemen, as crucial nuclear talks with the Houthis backer, Iran, enter their final weeks. Consider this timeline:

2021: A particular focus on Houthi sanctions

2022: Holding Houthis accountable

So far in 2022, again according to the UN, there have been 1,403 coalition airstrikes on Yemen and an additional 39 attacks by the Houthis directly on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Our take: Watch the Iran talks

1. Iran and Israel: Bennett knocks Bibis unacceptable legacy

In what Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has touted as a period of unprecedented buildup, the Israeli military has embarked on a massive spending spree that includes acquisitions of missiles, rockets, ammunition, refueling aircraft, development of laser-based interceptor systems and new cyber tools. Bennett told Al-Monitor that the billions in additional defense expenditure will prevent war, not bring it closer, and he hopes to raise Israels GDP to $1 trillion within 12 years.

Bennett also discussed Benjamin Netanyahus unacceptable legacy on Iran, Israels disagreements with its great friend the United States and his view of the Vienna talks. [Iran] must be given a choice survival of the regime or a continued race to nuclear capabilities, and they must not be given a gift of tens of billions, he said. Read more of Ben Caspitsrecent interview with Bennett here.

2. Iran and Turkey: Iranian gas outages trigger energy review

In other Iran news, a disruption of Iranian gas supplies to Turkey this month triggeredan unprecedented energy crunchthat put Ankaras energy preparedness under new scrutiny. The gas cut on Jan. 20, which was blamed on a technical hitch in the pipeline between neighbors, forced Turkeys state pipeline operator to slash gas supplies to industrial zones and resulted in a supply drop of about 20 million cubic meters per day.

The energy crunch hit production at hundreds of enterprises at a time when Turkeys industry is already grappling with economic turmoil and skyrocketing gas and electricity prices, raising questions over Ankaras energy ties with Tehran and its energy policies, writes Muhdan Saglam. Energy pundits say the Turkish government was slow to respond to the stoppage, having failed to prepare for harsh winter weather and tough market conditions.

3. Iran and China: Beijing bolsters Iran ties with new consulate

Meanwhile, Iran has approved Chinas opening of a new consulate in the port city of Bandar Abbas, in what Sabena Siddiqui calls a significant development for Sino-Iranian ties. The consulate Chinas first in Iran is likely linked to the 25-year strategic pact the two countries signed in March 2021, which brought Tehran into Beijings Belt and Road Initiative.

China remains Irans top trading partner. But whether the pair can deepen economic ties with the Islamic Republichinges on the outcome of theVienna talks, including whether the United States will lift its secondary sanctions on Iran.

4. Egypt boosts Africa investment with new solar plant

As the long-running dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt continues over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Egyptian government is shoring up relations with other African countries. Most recently, Egypt inaugurated a solar power plant in eastern Uganda,whichIbrahim Ayyadreportsis the latest example of an Egyptian development project on the African continent. The power plants opening comes amid recent reports that Addis Ababa has begun testing power generation at the GERD at a time when Cairo called for resuming negotiations on a binding agreement.

5. Hamas producesalternative to Israels Fauda

A new Hamas-backed action series is coming to television screens across the Arab world this spring. The 30-episode show called Qabdat al-Ahrar ("Fist of the Free") portrays the infiltration of an Israeli cell sent to the Gaza Strip to abduct a prominent Palestinian resistance leader.

The series was filmed on location in the Gaza Strip with local actors.Ahmad Melhem writes thatHamas is framing the showas the alternative to Fauda, a popular Israeli series about an Israeli counterterrorism unit operating in the West Bank.

Listen: Back from her reporting trip to Ukraine, Amberin Zaman and analyst lliya Kusa discuss why Ukrainians are so fond of Turkey and its authoritarian leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Link here.

Watch: A search is now underway to find Islamic State fighters who escaped from a Kurdish-run prison in northeast Syria last month. Link here.

Listen: Ben Caspit interviews Ephraim Sneh, a former Israeli minister and retired brigadier general, about the Bennett-led governments policy on the Palestinians.Link here.

Watch: Gilles Kepel talks with former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud about his new book, The Afghanistan File.Link here.

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The Takeaway: Yemens future may be affected by Iran talks - Al-Monitor