News - Yemen: Former Minister, Ahmed al-Ale’i, said on Sunday that the September 21, 2014 Revolution transformed Yemen from the “backyard of Saudi Arabia” into an influential regional and international player.

In an interview with Al-Masirah TV, al-Ale’i stressed that the uprising embodied the real meaning of freedom and independence by ending decades of foreign tutelage over Yemen. He noted that one of its most significant achievements was breaking free from Saudi interference in the country’s internal affairs.

Al-Ale’i linked the revolution to the legacy of the late President Ibrahim al-Hamdi, who resisted external domination and, he said, paid with his life for his nationalist positions. Unlike previous uprisings, the September 21 movement, he argued, managed to firmly entrench sovereignty and dismantle the notion of Yemen as a subordinate to outside powers.

He recalled that the military intervention launched in March 2015 by a coalition of over 17 countries aimed to derail the revolution, but instead led to more than 11 years of resilience and armed resistance. According to him, this steadfastness allowed Yemen to emerge as a voice for oppressed peoples, especially the Palestinian people facing systematic killings by the Zionist entity, particularly in Gaza.

Al-Ale’i credited what he called the “collective awareness of the Yemeni people” and the leadership of Ssyyed Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi with steering Yemen away from foreign domination. “Yemen’s survival under aggression for over eleven years reflects the depth of the popular revolution and the awareness of its people,” he said, adding that the struggle has extended beyond domestic sovereignty to supporting regional liberation movements, notably the Palestinian cause.

He concluded by affirming that the September 21 Revolution remains deeply rooted, with Yemen continuing on the path toward full independence and the building of a strong state free from foreign interference.

The September 21 Revolution, led by Ansarullah in 2014, toppled Yemen’s former government and ended years of US tutelage over the country’s decision-making. Since 2015, Yemen has faced a devastating US-Saudi-led military intervention. In recent years, Yemen has expanded its regional role by targeting the Zionist entity with missiles, drones, and naval operations in support of Gaza, positioning the revolution as both a national liberation struggle and part of the wider Arab-Islamic resistance front.