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US: Iran provides cruise missiles to Yemen’s Houthis, in threat to Bab el-Mandeb
 [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] US General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview this week that Iran is "harassing US and international maritime activities" in the Arabian Gulf.Speaking to Breaking Defense, Dunford said it was important to "zero in" on one of the most important issues for the United States, "and that’s freedom of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb." "By harassing U.S. and international maritime activities ... and supplying advanced anti-ship cruise missiles to Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews... rebels in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... on the Red Sea coast, Iran is posing a threat to two waterways that are absolutely crucial to global commerce." He added: "Since the 1970s and [President  Jimmy Carter... the worst president ever. Maybe the second worst. The votes aren't all in yet... ’s ’Carter Doctrine’], the United States has been committed to keeping those vital waterways open." In January, a US Navy destroyer fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down. Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran last year after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. But serious differences remain over Iran's ballistic missile program and conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Posted by: Fred 2017-06-19 |
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