The Saudi ambassador to the United States says his country has begun airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who drove out the U.S.-backed Yemeni president.
He says the Houthis, widely believed to be backed by Iran, “have always chosen the path of violence.” He declined to say whether the Saudi campaign involved U.S. intelligence assistance.
Al-Jubeir made the announcement at a rare news conference by the Sunni kingdom.
He says the Saudis “will do anything necessary” to protect the people of Yemen and “the legitimate government of Yemen.”
The departure of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi illustrated how one of the most important American counterterrorism efforts has disintegrated.
dissident on Wed, 25th Mar 2015 7:23 pm
Interesting. What would NATO’s response be if Russia “protected the legitimate government of Yanukovich” in Ukraine.
If NATO does not condemn this Saudi move and impose sanctions, then NATO will confirm for the whole world what a collection of hypocrites and liars it is.
NATO invokes moral authority when in reality it is engaged in might makes right imperialism. Well, NATO does not have a monopoly on might.
Perk Earl on Wed, 25th Mar 2015 8:35 pm
Defending/protecting Yemen?
OR Ras Tanura Refinery and other Saudi oil infrastructure?
It makes every bit of sense to go on offensive to try and avoid later having to go on the defensive.
BobInget on Wed, 25th Mar 2015 9:50 pm
Saudi Refineries are toast if Iran were to launch
conventional multi warhead, supersonic missiles.
Iran has a right to ‘return unfriendly fire’ according to a wide casus belli interpretation.
The real danger here will be when (not if)
Israel joins in to help it’s great Allie Saudi Arabia
by using this ‘fog of war’ to ‘take out’ Iranian
nuclear infrastructure.
If it looks like a world war, sounds like a world war…….
One certain WW definition rarely mentioned;
The shear numbers of war refugees from Libya, Nigeria, Syria, Mali, now Yemen alone already number in the millions.
Soon, God Forbid, there could be radio-active fall-out clouds drifting out of Iran and Israel across Middle Earth.
Attacking nuclear infrastructure even with conventional weapons is a huge ‘dirty bomb’.
M_B_S on Thu, 26th Mar 2015 3:36 am
GREAT WAR
150.000 troops in the game!
Another war in the middle east.
Newfie on Thu, 26th Mar 2015 3:53 pm
Saudi Arabia will protect “the legitimate government of Yemen.”
That’s a bit rich considering that Saudi Arabia is run by a family of kleptomaniacs called the House of Saud. It certainly isn’t a legitimate government.