Saudi Arabia cracks down on Houthis, magicians

Saudi Arabia's assault on the Yemeni Houthi rebels along its southern border appears to be reaching a conclusion, according to anonymous Saudi officials. According to the invaluable Yemen blog Waq al-Waq, however, we should expect a tactical pause to this conflict rather than a resolution.

The Saudi war on magicians, however, continues unabated -- and the war against the al-Houthis appears to be a central front. According to the Saudi Gazette, drawing on reporting from the Saudi daily Okaz, a Yemeni infiltrator into Saudi Arabia "was arrested in his underwear with strange drawings on his back. He was believed to have been practising black magic on Saudi troops."

Nor is this the only magician that Saudi Arabia has persecuted this week. A Lebanese man was sentenced to death this week for practicing black magic on satellite television, after a two year trial. The Saudi press reports that he was "caught red-handed in a hotel room...with herbs, talismans, and some papers with strange drawings and writings."

Do the Saudis really want to get on the wrong side of the dark arts? How will this affect their success in combating the Houthi insurgency?  Only time will tell.