Saudi Arabia, Allies Committing Strategic Mistake in Yemen

A senior Iraqi parliament member strongly condemned the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen, and said Riyadh and its allies made a big strategic mistake by attacking the Arab country.

Speaking to FNA, Iraqi MP Mohammad Jamil al-Miyahi pointed to the political solution as the best option to resolve the Yemen crisis, and said, “Saudi Arabia and its allies have committed a big strategic mistake by conducting airstrikes against the Yemeni nation because these operation mostly target the civilians” and will cause deeper hatred among the public.

The Iraqi lawmaker noted that no outside military force can put an end to the Yemeni crisis and result in political changes in that country.

Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for 18 days now to restore power to fugitive president Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed at least 1,030 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children. The war has also wounded over 2,250 people.

Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement.

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

Five Arab Gulf States — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait — and Egypt that are also assisted by Israel and backed by the US declared war on Yemen in a joint statement issued on March 26.

US President Barack Obama authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to the military operations, National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said late on March 25.

She added that while US forces were not taking direct military action in Yemen, Washington was establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support.

FNA

R.S