Saudi Arabia and Iran on the Brink of War

The Huthis are a tribe of rebels in Yemen who have been accusing the Saudi Arabian government and the royal family of having committed war crimes and human rights violations.  They have repeatedly called on the United Nations to punish or sanction the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for said violations.

For the past several years, the Huthis have been battling the Yemeni government, legitimately recognized by the international community since 2015 as being under the control of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.  The Saudis, as well as a coalition of forces, have been supporting President Hadi against the Huthi incursion and for that, they have been called out by the Huthi rebels.

In the interim, the Huthis are being handed loads of cash by a no-longer-cash-starved Iran thanks to the Obama regime who generously forked over nearly $200B to the terrorist country.

Saudi Arabia and Iran traded fierce accusations over Yemen on Monday, with Riyadh saying a rebel missile attack “may amount to an act of war” and Tehran accusing its rival of war crimes.

Tensions have been rising between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shiite Iran, which are opposed in disputes and conflicts across the Middle East from Yemen and Syria to Qatar and Lebanon.

On Monday, a Saudi-led military coalition battling Tehran-backed rebels in Yemen said it reserved the “right to respond” to the missile attack on Riyadh at the weekend, calling it a “blatant military aggression by the Iranian regime which may amount to an act of war”.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also warned Tehran.

“Iranian interventions in the region are detrimental to the security of neighbouring countries and affect international peace and security. We will not allow any infringement on our national security,” Jubeir tweeted.

Iran, of course, denies its involvement, but the fact remains that in places around the Middle East, the moderate Sunnis are feeling more threatened by the day as the influence of Iran and its radical Shiites spreads.  For instance, in Lebanon, a Saudi-friendly leader there, prime minister Saad Hariri, has just resigned his post for fear of his life, noting the increased influence that Iran and Hezbollah have in that country.

The Saudi-Iran rivalry also played out this weekend in the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister Saad Hariri, a protege of Riyadh who said he was stepping down because of the “grip” of Iran and its ally Hezbollah on the country.

Hariri, who announced his resignation in Riyadh, on Monday met Saudi King Salman and “reviewed the situation in Lebanon”, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah hit back on Sunday, saying Hariri’s resignation had been “imposed” by Saudi Arabia.

Iran rejected Hariri’s words as “baseless” and said his resignation was “designed to create tensions in Lebanon and in the region”.

Meanwhile, with the multiple arrests of 14 high-level corporate and government individuals this week, the KSA has shown that it is serious about slowing the progress of corruption both abroad and at home.  These moves and others have caused a larger rift between the KSA and Iran.

For Iran’s part, they are no strangers to controversy or defiance.  In fact, they are claiming that the attack on Riyadh this week was no one’s fault except Saudi Arabia.  Typical Leftist thought process right there.  Blame the attacked and not the attacker.  Hillary would be proud.

In the meantime, the Huthis have managed to take the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and have forced Hadi’s government to operate from the southern city of Aden.

Critics have accused the coalition of not doing enough to prevent civilian deaths in its air war in Yemen, where more than 8,650 people have been killed since the intervention began.

Repeated attempts to bring about a negotiated settlement to the conflict have failed, including a series of UN-backed peace talks.

Saudi Arabia has blamed the Huthis for the failed efforts, and on Monday offered rewards totalling $440 million for information on 40 senior officials among the rebels.

Topping the list, with a $30-million reward for tips leading to his capture, was the group’s leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi.

No doubt there will be more to follow in the upcoming weeks.  If it is any indication of the future, it appears that the move by President Trump earlier in the year to consolidate cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel was in preparation for an armed conflict with Iran and other nefarious players in that region.

Source:  Yahoo (AFB)

Image: IranHumanRights.org, IndiaToday