Yemen’s information minister has called for stronger international action to rein in Iran’s destructive activities, warning that Iran is arming the Houthis to weaken the country and gain control over international trade and energy through the Red Sea.
Muammar Al-Eryani wrote for the Atlantic Council that Iran is establishing a Yemeni Hezbollah model by arming and financing the Houthi militia with the goal of using it to seize control of Yemen as well as using it as a launch pad for attacks against neighbouring countries and international maritime activities via Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea.
“The international community seems indifferent to the risks of Iranian hostile behaviour and intrusion through its support of Yemen’s Houthi rebels and efforts to clone another Lebanese Hezbollah in Yemen,” the Yemeni minister said.
“The Iranian regime’s interest in Yemen goes beyond the country’s internal conflict. It also seeks to impose its influence on the south of the Arabian Peninsula and to tighten its control over the 2,500 km-long coastal strip along the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait and the Indian Ocean.”
