MENL: Iran might have opened an insurgency front in Yemen
in an effort to weaken U.S. influence in the region.
A new report by the Washington-based Jamestown
Foundation said Yemen regarded the recent insurgency by former parliamentarian and Shi’ite cleric Al Houthi as backed and financed by Iran. Middle East News Line
WASHINGTON – Iran might have opened an insurgency front in Yemen in an effort to weaken U.S. influence in the region.
A new report by the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation said Yemen regarded the recent insurgency by former parliamentarian and Shi’ite cleric Al Houthi as backed and financed by Iran. In September, Al Houthi was killed by the Yemeni military and the three-month insurgency was declared over.
“In the midst of growing political tensions between Iran and the United States, a Shi’ite rebellion in the remote mountains of northwest Yemen has created suspicions that Iran may be attempting to open a new anti-American front to weaken U.S. efforts in the region,” the report said.
The report said Iran has long been helping Shi’ite insurgents, who could have also received assistance from Shi’ite communities in Gulf Cooperation Council states. Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have the largest Shi’ite communities in the GCC.
