Sanaa, Yemen, Jul. 18 (UPI) -- Yemen's military was preparing Sunday for a final attack on an Iranian-backed insurgent force near the border with Saudi Arabia.
| Ah, so that's the foreign country you've been talking about. |
Yemeni officials said the military has achieved significant gains over the last few weeks and captured most of the territory controlled by former Yemeni parliamentarian Hussein Badreddine Al Houthi, the Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said the month-long Shi'ite insurgency in northern Yemen has been financed by Iran.
From ArabicNews: The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday renewed his accusations for "foreign forces" to be behind the armed rebellion led by the Zeidi clergy Hussein Bader Eddine al-Houthi in Marran mountain in Sadaah province to the north of Yemen, at a time when Yemeni military sources said that 90 of al-Houthi supporters were killed during the past three days in addition to scores of policemen and thereby the number of one month of killings tolled 300.
In a meeting with former members of the people's assembly on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of assuming power, he said " I directly accuse foreign forces and this Houthi is just one element of the foreign forces." He indicated that al-Houthi's rebellion is " part if the foreign hirelings, rather than a thinking, sectarianism or a Zeidi sect." He added it is a foreign intelligence act which harassed " development, investment and undermine national unity."
He said " Evidences have cleared out and will be announced to the public, " stressing " we will not accept on our lands a foreign feet. We will never give up."
Yemeni Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al Qassimi said the army has seized control of the city and surrounding region of Saada, the focus of the insurgency. Al Qassimi said the military was preparing a final assault on Al Houthi's hideout. Al Qassimi said the military had planned to attack Al Houthi's hideout in Maran at an earlier stage of the insurgency. But he said the operation was delayed because of the difficult topography in the Saada region.
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