11-6-17 Saud Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir accused Iran of orchestrating an “act of war” and asserted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had the right to defend itself. He went on to say: “The Iranians can’t interfere in the affairs of countries in the region and expect to get a free pass. There is no doubt that missiles and suicide boats are coming from Iran to the Al Houthis.
“We want to avoid war [with Iran] at all costs,” he said, but Iran continues to violate “every international law and every international norm.” Iran is waging a war through its regional proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Al Houthis in Yemen, Jubair said, adding, “we must say enough is enough” to Iran. https://www.debka.com/iran-gulf-nations-prepare-war-sudden-reshuffle-irans-top-army-naval-commands/
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3-21-17
FILE PHOTO: Newly recruited Houthi fighters ride on the back or a truck during a parade before heading to the frontline to fight against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen January 3, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo LONDON/ANKARA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran is sending advanced weapons and military advisers to Yemen’s rebel Houthi movement, stepping up support for its Shi‘ite ally in a civil war whose outcome could sway the balance of power in the Middle East, regional and Western sources say. Iran’s enemy Saudi Arabia is leading a Sunni Arab coalition fighting the Houthis in the impoverished state on the tip of the Arabian peninsula - part of the same regional power struggle that is fuelling the war in Syria.
Sources with knowledge of the military movements, who declined to be identified, said that in recent months Iran has taken a greater role in the two-year-old conflict by stepping up arms supplies and other support. This mirrors the strategy it has used to support its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in Syria.
A senior Iranian official said Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force - the external arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - met top IRGC officials in Tehran last month to look at ways to “empower” the Houthis.
“At this meeting, they agreed to increase the amount of help, through training, arms and financial support,” the official said.
“Yemen is where the real proxy war is going on and winning the battle in Yemen will help define the balance of power in the Middle East.”
Iran rejects accusations from Saudi Arabia that it is giving financial and military support to the Houthis in the struggle for Yemen, blaming the deepening crisis on Riyadh.
But Iran’s actions in Yemen seem to reflect the growing influence of hardliners in Tehran, keen to pre-empt a tougher policy toward Iran signaled by U.S. President Donald Trump. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-iran-houthis/exclusive-iran-steps-up-support-for-houthis-in-yemens-war-sources-idUSKBN16S22R
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