Torn Yemen Bleeds in Saudi-Iranian Proxy War
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Torn Yemen bleeds in SaudiIranian proxy war AFP | Mar 16, 2015 | 22:51 0 Like 5 Share 0 Tweet 1 A Yemeni protester holds a portrait of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh who stepped down in early 2012, during a demonstration on March 13, demanding him to rule the country in the capital Sanaa (AFP photo) DUBAI — Torn between a north controlled by Shiite rebels and a south dominated by the embattled president's allies, Yemen is mired in a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, analysts say. The struggle threatens to push the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state further towards the abyss as the SunniShiite sectarian divide grows wider. Amid the chaos, AlQaeda militants are closing ranks with tribes of fellow Sunni Muslims to counter the expansion of the Shiite Houthi rebels. In an unprecedented show of force, the Iranbacked Houthis, who overran the capital Sanaa unopposed in September, last week staged military exercises near the border with Sunniheavyweight Saudi Arabia. "In the face of Iran's Shiite expansionism, Sunni solidarity is building, led by Saudi Arabia," one diplomat who requested anonymity told AFP. The kingdom to the north has always played a prominent role in Yemeni politics. It hosted negotiations that helped end a year of deadly nationwide protests and led to a deal that eased out president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012. And following a request by President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, Riyadh is again poised to broker talks aimed at ending Yemen’s latest political impasse. When Hadi fled Houthiimposed house arrest in Sanaa in February and resurfaced in Aden, Saudi Arabia was the first country to transfer its embassy there, in an open display of support for the beleaguered leader. Tehran warning
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In an unprecedented show of force, the Iran-backed Houthis, who overran the capital Sanaa unopposed in September, last week staged military exercises near the border with Sunni-heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
Transcript of Torn Yemen Bleeds in Saudi-Iranian Proxy War
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TornYemenbleedsinSaudiIranianproxywarAFP|Mar16,2015|22:51
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AYemeniprotesterholdsaportraitofAhmedAliAbdullahSaleh,thesonofYemensformerpresidentAliAbdullahSalehwhosteppeddowninearly2012,duringademonstrationonMarch13,demandinghimtorulethecountryinthecapitalSanaa(AFPphoto)
DUBAITornbetweenanorthcontrolledbyShiiterebelsandasouthdominatedbytheembattledpresident'sallies,YemenismiredinaproxywarbetweenIranandSaudiArabia,analystssay.
ThestrugglethreatenstopushtheimpoverishedArabianPeninsulastatefurthertowardstheabyssastheSunniShiitesectariandividegrowswider.
Amidthechaos,AlQaedamilitantsareclosingrankswithtribesoffellowSunniMuslimstocountertheexpansionoftheShiiteHouthirebels.
Inanunprecedentedshowofforce,theIranbackedHouthis,whooverranthecapitalSanaaunopposedinSeptember,lastweekstagedmilitaryexercisesneartheborderwithSunniheavyweightSaudiArabia.
"InthefaceofIran'sShiiteexpansionism,Sunnisolidarityisbuilding,ledbySaudiArabia,"onediplomatwhorequestedanonymitytoldAFP.
ThekingdomtothenorthhasalwaysplayedaprominentroleinYemenipolitics.
IthostednegotiationsthathelpedendayearofdeadlynationwideprotestsandledtoadealthateasedoutpresidentAliAbdullahSalehin2012.
AndfollowingarequestbyPresidentAbedrabboMansourHadi,RiyadhisagainpoisedtobrokertalksaimedatendingYemenslatestpoliticalimpasse.
WhenHadifledHouthiimposedhousearrestinSanaainFebruaryandresurfacedinAden,SaudiArabiawasthefirstcountrytotransferitsembassythere,inanopendisplayofsupportforthebeleagueredleader.
Tehranwarning
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TehranhasopenlydenouncedmovestomakethesouthernportYemenstemporarycapital.
SanaaistheofficialandhistoricalcapitalofYemenandthoseinAdenwhobackdisintegrationorcivilwarareresponsiblefortheconsequences,IransdeputyforeignministerHosseinAmirAbdollahiansaidlastweek.
HechargedthatHadi,whooncehereachedAdenretractedaresignationtenderedunderduressinSanaa,wouldhavedonebettertostayinSanaaandkeeptohisresignationletterandnotleadthecountryintocrisis.
AprilLongleyAlley,YemenspecialistattheInternationalCrisisGroup,arguesthatTehranhasreceivedahugepoliticalreturnforverylittleinvestment.
AsSaudiArabiahardensitsstanceagainsttheHouthisandseekstorollbacktheirgains,theHouthisarelikelytoseekclosertieswithcountrieslikeIran,shesaid.
ThisTehranRiyadhstruggleisbothcomplicatingandamplifyingconflictinYemen,shesaid.
SaudiArabiafearsthattheHouthis,whosweptdownfromthenorthandexpandedtheareatheycontroltotheshoresoftheRedSea,nowhavetheirsightssetonthestrategicBabAlMandabstrait.
ThiswouldgiveIranproxycontroloverthekeywaterwaytoandfromtheSuezCanal,addingtoitsalreadystrongpresenceintheGulfsStraitofHormuzthroughwhichmuchoftheworldsoilpasses.
Saudiswitch
FearingtheriseofextremistSunniIslamists,especiallytheMuslimBrotherhood,RiyadhstoppedbackingYemensAlIslah(Reform)Party,thusgivingtheHouthistheupperhand,accordingtoLinaKhatib,directoroftheCarnegieMiddleEastCentre.
AtonepointSaudiArabiafavouredaHouthidomination[alongtheborder]insteadoftheMuslimBrotherhood.ItsroleinYementhendiminished,encouragingtheHouthistoadvancesouthandseizelargeamountsofterritorywithinweeks,shesaid.
TheHouthirunSabanewsagencyreportedonThursdaythatIranwillprovideYemenwithcrudeoilforoneyear,andalsoestablisha165megawattpowerplant.
TheagreementwasmadeduringaHouthivisittotheIslamicrepublicafteranIraniancommercialflightlandedinSanaaonMarch1thefirstinmanyyearsandthefruitofanaviationaccordwithTehran.
TheHouthisinsistthatIrandoesnotmeddleinYemeniaffairs.
Wevesaiditclearly:werejectallinterferenceinourinternalaffairs,whetherfromSaudiArabia,IranortheUnitedStates,HouthispokesmanMohammedAbdulsalamtoldAFP.
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HeaccusedSaudiArabiaofseekingtocreatechaosinYemen.
TheriskofcivilwarorpartitioninYemenisincreasinglyraisedinpoliticalcircles,Khatibsaid.
MohammadSadehSadqian,headoftheCentreforArabStudiesinTehran,warnedthattheSaudiIranstruggleforinfluence,alreadyclearinIraqandSyria,couldhaveconsequenceselsewhere.
ThestrugglecouldengulfothercountriesifRiyadhandTehrandonotsitaroundonetableanddiscussopenlyallpointsofdispute,hesaid.
