The Saudi ambassador to the U.S., highlighting the determination of the Saudi-led coalition to restore stability in Yemen, said that the Iranian regime and Lebanese Hezbollah were behind the Houthis in Yemen.
He lashed out at Iran and Hezbollah for trying to depict the Yemen crisis as a sectarian conflict and pledged that his country would not let Yemen to be controlled by a group like that in Lebanon.
The battle in Yemen is between good and evil and not between Sunnis and Shiites, Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir has pointed out.
Addressing a symposium at the U.S. Congress, Al-Jubeir said the kingdom’s goal is to protect the legitimate government in Yemen from a group supported by Iran and Hezbollah.
“We did not want to launch this operation [in Yemen], but we had no other choice but to respond to the request of Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi,” he said.
He said that nowhere in history has a militia been able to possess heavy weapons, ballistic missiles and aircraft. “Those heavy weapons were now being targeted by the Saudi-led coalition,” he said.
Ambassador Al-Jubeir said that Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh — allied with the Houthis — was playing a negative role in Yemen.
The envoy also said the Houthis would not have been able to advance and takeover cities without the support of Saleh, Iran and Hezbollah.
“In Lebanon, the Hezbollah militia controls a state, and we do not want such a situation to develop in Yemen through Houthis,” he said.
Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia’s ongoing operations in Yemen were benefiting from the support of all Gulf and Arab states. He denied the presence of Saudi troops in Aden, explaining that sending ground forces remains a possible option.
“We are hopeful for the future prosperity of Yemen,” he noted, highlighting the kingdom’s commitment to helping Yemen overcome its difficulties.
“Saudi Arabia wants a stable government in Yemen and is keen on preserving its unity and territorial integrity,” said Al-Jubeir.
