401 replies to this topic

[SaudiArabian]

Saudi air force hits Yemen rebels after border raid
Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:17pm GMT

By Souhail Karam

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has launched heavy air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen and is moving troops nearer the border after a raid into its territory by the Shi'ite insurgents, a Saudi government adviser said Thursday.

Saudi government officials said only that the air force had bombed Yemeni rebels who had seized a border area inside the kingdom, which they said had now been recaptured. The officials said at least 40 rebels had been killed in the fighting.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has become increasingly anxious about instability and militancy in Yemen, which is also facing separatist sentiment in the south and a growing threat from resurgent al Qaeda fighters.

"As of yesterday late afternoon, Saudi air strikes began on their positions in northern Yemen," the adviser said, asking not to be named because operations were still going on.

"There have been successive air strikes, very heavy bombardment of their positions, not just on the border, but on their main positions around Saada," he said, alluding to the capital of the northern province where the rebels have been battling Yemen government forces since August.

Al Jazeera television quoted a rebel spokesman as saying the Saudi air force had raided six locations inside Yemen. One position had been hit by about 100 missiles in one hour.

There was no official confirmation from Riyadh or the Yemeni capital Sanaa of cross-border Saudi air strikes, which the Saudi adviser said were coordinated with Yemen's armed forces.

Saudi Arabia said Wednesday a security officer was killed and 11 were wounded in an attack by gunmen who had crossed the border from Yemen -- the first such reported incursion since the long-running Houthi revolt flared up again in August.

The Saudi-owned Elaph website reported that a second soldier had died later from the same clash.

NO DECISION ON GROUND OPERATION

The Saudi government adviser said no decision had yet been taken to send troops across the border, but made clear Riyadh was no longer prepared to tolerate the Yemeni rebels.

"After what happened yesterday, it is clear they have lost track of reality and it has got to a point where there is no other way. They have got to be finished," he said.

An al Qaeda group said Thursday it was behind an ambush this week in which seven Yemeni security officials were killed.

The Shi'ite rebels, known as Houthis after the family of their leader, have previously accused Saudi Arabia of backing Yemen's armed forces in the conflict. Sanaa had denied this.

The rebels said Wednesday they had taken control of the Jabal al-Dukhan area after defeating Saudi forces there.

Saudi Arabia was allowing the Yemeni army to use the mountainous area to launch attacks against them and they would take action if this continued, the rebels said.

Al Arabiya television reporter Mohammad al-Hasan, speaking by telephone from Jabal Dukhan, said fighting was in progress.

"We hear bullets and artillery from time to time and we see columns of smoke rising...There was intensive bombing by Saudi warplanes yesterday evening and this morning on Jabal Dukhan and some of the surrounding mountains...mainly to the east," Hasan said, adding that the air raids had stopped several hours ago.

The 1,500 km (930 miles) border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia is a security worry for the kingdom, which is building a high-tech border fence to prevent infiltration.

Saudi Arabia and the United States fear the conflict in Yemen's north and a separatist movement in the south will loosen already tenuous government control and empower al Qaeda.

Such fears rose in August, when a Yemen-based suicide bomber posing as a repentant al Qaeda militant tried to kill Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism chief, a member of the royal family.

U.S.-allied Arab countries such as mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Egypt fear Shi'ite power Iran could gain influence in Yemen through the Houthis. The rebels deny getting any help from Tehran, which has offered to mediate in the conflict.

Yemen's army launched Operation Scorched Earth in August to crush the rebellion. Aid groups say around 150,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, which first broke out in 2004.

The rebels say they are fighting political, economic and religious marginalisation by Yemen's central government.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5A41TN20091105?sp=true

[SaudiArabian]

Diplomats: Saudi forces attack rebels in Yemen
By AHMED AL-HAJ and SALAH NASRAWI (AP) – 1 hour ago

SAN'A, Yemen — Arab diplomats say Saudi Arabia has launched a large military incursion across the border into northern Yemen, aimed at ending a Shiite rebellion inside its troubled southern neighbor.

Two diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity Thursday, say Saudi Tornado and F-15 warplanes have bombarded targets inside Yemen since Wednesday afternoon, inflicting significant casualties on the Yemeni rebels. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to the media.

The Arab diplomats say army units and special forces have been sent to northern Yemen, and that several Saudi towns on the border have been evacuated.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor Yemen have confirmed the offensive. But a rebel spokesman told The Associated Press that Saudi warplanes and artillery hit several areas Thursday.



THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SAN'A, Yemen (AP) — The spokesman for Yemen's Shiite rebels says Saudi fighter jets have bombed the group's northern stronghold a day after Saudi Arabia accused the fighters of killing a soldier in a border skirmish.

The northern rebels, known as Hawthis, have been battling Yemeni government forces intensively over the past few months in the latest flare-up of a sporadic conflict over the last five years. The Hawthis are based in a northern province that borders Saudi Arabia.

Hawthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam told The Associated Press the Saudi offensive early Thursday hit at least four areas inside Yemeni territory. There was no immediate word on casualties.

Saudi and Yemeni government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...zbU56QD9BPCS080

[SaudiArabian]

Official Source States About Infilitrators

Riyadh, November 04, SPA -- An official source said on Tuesday morning that armed men were observed as infiltrated into the territory of Saudi Arabia at Jabal (mountain) Dukhan, near Khald Border Post in Khoba Sector, Jazan Region, noting that the infiltrators had fired at Border Guard Patrols with various weapons resulting in the martyrdom of a security person and wounding eleven others. " The situation is still under a follow-through pursuit".

The Kingdom affirms that it will execute the duty of preserving the homeland"s security, protecting its borders and deterring those infiltrators and others from any side, the source said.

"And soon will the unjust, know what vicissitudes, their affairs will take!"

--SPA 11:02 LOCAL TIME 08:02 GMT

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/details.php?id=715711

[SaudiArabian]

sidenote: the Iranian Al-Alam TV was the main channel that provided news reports in favor of the Hothi terrorists.


Iran Arabic channel taken off air
Page last updated at 19:25 GMT, Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Iran's Arabic language satellite television channel, al-Alam, has been taken off air by two Arab-controlled satellite companies.

The operators of Nilesat and Arabsat cited a breach of contract according to Egypt's MENA news agency, but al-Alam said they had not been given a reason.

Analysts say some Arab governments are worried about the channel's popularity and Iran's growing regional influence.

Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting of Arab information ministers on Tuesday.

The move comes at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and Western-allied Arab governments, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Iran, a predominantly Shia Muslim country, has expressed concerns over the treatment of minority Shia in Saudi Arabia where an austere form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism is dominant.

Tehran and Riyadh have exchanged warnings about the treatment and conduct of Shia pilgrims arriving in the Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Al-Alam's coverage of the war in Yemen including statements from the rebels accusing Saudi Arabia of involvement may also have angered Riyadh, analysts say.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8343137.stm



Al-Alam demands explanation for Saudi ban
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:03:59 GMT

Saudi-run satellite operator Arabsat continues to ban Iran's al-Alam from broadcasting on the air despite the news channel's request for an explanation.

Arabsat has accused Iran's Arabic-language news channel of violating the rules of broadcasting.

In particular, Arabsat has claimed that Al-Alam breached its commitments by criticizing some figures in the Arab world.

Al-Alam has called on the operator to mention the exact time and date of the programs which they have found offensive.

According to al-Alam authorities, the Iran-based television network was taken off the air by both Arabsat and Egyptian-run Nilesat on Tuesday without prior notice.

The channel authorities say the move is in violation of previous contracts with the two satellite companies.

Al-Alam has been seeking an explanation from the operators, but they have so far refused to give further details about their decision to take the news channel off the air.

AR/AKM
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=11051...ionid=351020101

[kaz89]

saudia arabia should take this oppurtunity to annex yemen, install a pro saudi government in somalia and djibouti and get control 100% of the red sea

[SaudiArabian]

video report on the events of the Saudi Yemeni borders today from Al-Arabiya (Arabic)

http://video.alarabiya.net/ShowClip.aspx?C...05.75.42.66.637

[SaudiArabian]

saudia arabia should take this oppurtunity to annex yemen, install a pro saudi government in somalia and djibouti and get control 100% of the red sea

whats Djibouti and Somalia got to do with this ? Yemen already has a pro-Saudi government. what KSA is doing is helping end the insurgency and terrorism.

nobody can get 100% control of the red sea.

[kaz89]

whats Djibouti and Somalia got to do with this ? Yemen already has a pro-Saudi government. what KSA is doing is helping end the insurgency and terrorism.

nobody can get 100% control of the red sea.

djibouti and somalia are the entrances to the red sea, and yes you can get 100% control of the red sea, if saudi controls the red sea it neutralizes israeli influence and the threat the israeli navy poses to saudi arabia, and creates a huge trade and shipment problem for israel. i know your arguement is gonna be "what does israel have to do with anything" so let me answer you, its you who always says saudi arabia has been at a state of war with israel since 1948

[SaudiArabian]

djibouti and somalia are the entrances to the red sea, and yes you can get 100% control of the red sea, if saudi controls the red sea it neutralizes israeli influence and the threat the israeli navy poses to saudi arabia, and creates a huge trade and shipment problem for israel. i know your arguement is gonna be "what does israel have to do with anything" so let me answer you, its you who always says saudi arabia has been at a state of war with israel since 1948

quick assumptions of what my answers would be is completely unwise.

israel has a lot to do with it. they have military bases on Eritrean Dahlak islands in south of the red sea.

[kaz89]

quick assumptions of what my answers would be is completely unwise.

israel has a lot to do with it. they have military bases on Eritrean Dahlak islands in south of the red sea.

well then i've just proved my arguement    lol

[SaudiArabian]

Saudi jets 'attack Yemen rebels'  
Page last updated at 14:16 GMT, Thursday, 5 November 2009
  
The Saudi air force has attacked rebels in northern Yemen following Wednesday's killing of a Saudi security officer in a border area, reports have said.

Saudi aircraft had targeted strongholds of the Houthi rebels on the Yemeni side of border, spokesmen for the group and Arab media said.

A Saudi official told Reuters they had hit rebels occupying its territory.

The attacks came after a Saudi officer was killed and 11 were wounded in a raid by the rebels on the Jizan region.

The Houthis said on Wednesday that they had taken "full control" of a mountainous section of the border region of Jabal al-Dukhan.

'Successive air strikes'

In a statement on its website on Wednesday, the group said Saudi warplanes and helicopters had dropped phosphorus bombs on its fighters in the areas of al-Malahaid, Jabal al-Mamdud, al-Husama and al-Mujdaa.

  "After what happened yesterday, it is clear they have lost track of reality and it has got to a point where there is no other way. They have got to be finished":Saudi government adviser

On Thursday, rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said the bombs had hit "crowded areas including local market in the northern province of Saada".

"They claim they are targeting Houthis, but regrettably they are killing civilians like the government does," he told the Associated Press. "The attacks were followed by hundreds of shells from the border."

A Saudi government adviser said the air force had targeted rebels who had seized Saudi parts of Jabal al-Dukhan, which they said had now been recaptured by troops.

The official said at least 40 rebels had been killed in the fighting.

"As of yesterday late afternoon, Saudi air strikes began on their positions in northern Yemen," the unnamed adviser told Reuters.

"There have been successive air strikes, very heavy bombardment of their positions, not just on the border, but on their main positions around Saada," he added.

The London-based Arabic newspaper Elaph meanwhile reported that Saudi ground forces were also moving towards the Yemeni border.

The deployment was later confirmed by Arab diplomats, who told the Associated Press that army units and special forces were amassing in the area, and that several nearby Saudi towns and villages had been evacuated.

Saudi reconnaissance teams believed there were between 4,000 and 5,000 Houthis based in the mountainous border region, Elaph said.

The Saudi government adviser said no decision had yet been taken to send troops across the border, but made it clear that Riyadh was no longer prepared to tolerate the Yemeni rebels, Reuters reported.

"After what happened yesterday, it is clear they have lost track of reality and it has got to a point where there is no other way. They have got to be finished," he said.

Neither the Saudi nor Yemeni governments have so far commented on the latest violence.

Displaced people

The Houthis, named after the family of their leader, say they want greater autonomy and a greater role for their version of Shia Islam. They complain that their community is discriminated against.

They also accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni armed forces by allowing them to launch attacks from its territory, a charge which both countries deny.

The Yemeni government accuses the rebels of wanting to re-establish Zaydi Shia clerical rule, and of receiving support from Iran.

Earlier in the week, 10 rebels captured in 2008 were sentenced to death.

The Zaidi Shia community are a minority in Yemen but make up the majority in the north of the country.

The insurgents first took up arms against the government in 2004.

The government launched a fresh offensive in August 2009 which has precipitated a new wave of intense fighting.

Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have been displaced.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8344394.stm

[SaudiArabian]

Saudi jets pound Yemen rebel camps: informed source
(AFP) – 2 hours ago

RIYADH — Saudi jets pounded Shiite rebel camps inside Yemen Thursday and ground troops could move across the border against them after they killed a Saudi border guard, an informed Saudi source told AFP.

F-15 and Tornado jets have been bombing the positions of the Zaidi Shiite rebels near the border with southern Jizan province since Wednesday, the source said.

"They've been hit hard and it's ongoing," he told AFP.

"This is not a hit and run, this is a sustained action" that could involve a ground incursion into Yemen to "clean out" the rebel camps in coordination with Yemen authorities, he said.

The assault was launched after a small group of Zaidi militants entered Saudi territory Tuesday in the rugged Jebel al-Dukhan area and occupied two small frontier villages before being driven out by Saudi troops.

"We took back a small piece of territory and hit their camps around Saada" in northwest Yemen, the source said.

The source also said that one and possibly two more Saudis had been killed in the fighting, and that the Saudi government was likely to issue an official statement on the unrest later Thursday.

Earlier Zaidi officials said that Saudi jets "had used phosphorous bombs" on them, but the allegation could not be independently verified.

The Saudi assault comes nearly three months after Yemen government forces launched a campaign on August 11 against the rebels, also known as Huthis, driving them across the mountainous landscape toward the Saudi border.

Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in the ongoing clashes, and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes, resulting in a humanitarian crisis complicated by a dire shortage of food and other basic necessities.

The Zaidis form the majority community in the far north but are a minority in mainly Sunni Yemen and Sanaa has accused Iran of backing the rebels.

The Yemeni authorities accuse the rebels of seeking to restore the Zaidi imamate that ruled in Sanaa until its overthrow in a republican coup in 1962 that sparked eight years of civil war. The rebels deny the charge.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...HVaHHjD2Hpwz9uA

[SaudiArabian]

well then i've just proved my arguement    lol

no you haven't , Somalia is troubled while Djibouti is poor. neither of them have relationships with israel.

also israel considers Yemen's govt to be "hostile" + Yemeni government showed peacefull policies towards us.

[kaz89]

no you haven't , Somalia is troubled while Djibouti is poor. neither of them have relationships with israel.

also israel considers Yemen's govt to be "hostile" + Yemeni government showed peacefull policies towards us.

i know what israel considers an enemy. but non of the above poses a threat, so it doesnt matter what they do as far israel is concerned. but like i said a pro-saudi gov would make 'em think twice (i.e saudi military base in djibouti or somalia). and most importantly give saudi control of the red sea, which means control of 100% chinese shipment trade to europe, and neutralize israeli naval threat, aswel 100% control of israeli-chinese and israeli-indian trade

[SaudiArabian]

i know what israel considers an enemy. but non of the above poses a threat, so it doesnt matter what they do as far israel is concerned. but like i said a pro-saudi gov would make 'em think twice (i.e saudi military base in djibouti or somalia). and most importantly give saudi control of the red sea, which means control of 100% chinese shipment trade to europe, and neutralize israeli naval threat, aswel 100% control of israeli-chinese and israeli-indian trade

i hope you do. israel's law named 6 states to be "enemy states".

parts of the red sea in concern are international waters. taking everything over then treating it like Suez canal can be seen as a war against the UN main leaders especially large powers (USA , China ..)

the only thing that can be done is military presence , recon and monitoring. we're doing pretty good in that regards considering the formation of the joint Arab naval force to protect red sea and gulf of aden.

[noxiouspython]

Aoa


When did this whole thing start?

w/salaam

[JamD]

What's the Yemeni government's position on Saudi Arabia operating on the borders like this?

[SaudiArabian]

Aoa


When did this whole thing start?

w/salaam

the Saudi military strikes started few hours ago.

the whole thing started on tuesday when the Hothi terrorists staged their first attack on KSA. 1 Saudi trooper was killed and 11 were injured in the ambush.

few towns were evacuated. KSA is also hosting some Yemeni refugees and built up temporary camps for them.

[SaudiArabian]

Q+A-Prospects for Saudi intervention in Yemen
Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:26am EST

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Saudi planes bombed Yemeni rebel targets on Thursday after insurgents launched a cross-border raid that killed at least one Saudi security officer, officials said.

A Saudi government adviser said the air force had been in action since late Wednesday and had struck positions well inside Yemen. He said Saudi troops were moving towards the border.

However, a Yemeni defence official denied the Saudis had hit targets on Yemeni soil, while officials in Riyadh only confirmed air raids on a Saudi border area briefly seized by rebels.

Here are some questions and answers on how the conflict might unfold:



HOW LIKELY IS A SAUDI MILITARY INCURSION?

* Until now Saudi Arabia has denied charges by the Shi'ite rebels that its planes have bombed their positions in support of Yemeni troops. But Tuesday's rebel raid across the border has provoked tough Saudi action to repel the intruders and could conceivably prompt Riyadh to intervene directly in the conflict.

* U.S.-equipped Saudi armed forces have far more resources than their Yemeni counterparts, but are relatively untested in guerrilla warfare. Sending troops across the border against battle-hardened mountain fighters would be fraught with risk for the world's top oil exporter -- and for the region.



HOW WOULD YEMEN REACT TO SAUDI INVOLVEMENT?

* Saudi Arabia is Yemen's main ally, alongside the United States. President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government relies heavily on Saudi financial aid. Sanaa has failed to quell the northern revolt despite launching Operation Scorched Earth in August.

* But direct Saudi military action would be unpopular with some Yemenis who resent their northern neighbour -- sentiments that could be exploited by al Qaeda's regional wing -- and could inflame a conflict that has flared intermittently since 2004.



HOW WOULD THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN REACT?

* Yemen tops the worries of U.S. counter-terrorism officials who share the deep concern of Saudi Arabia about growing instability and militancy in its impoverished neighbour, and the benefits al Qaeda might reap from weakening state control.

* The United States might not endorse a Saudi incursion, but would be unlikely to object strongly if Yemen made clear that it welcomed Saudi military help against the rebels in the north.

* Iran denies aiding the rebels, but sympathises with them even though their brand of Shi'ism is different. Saudi military intervention could prompt a sharper response from Tehran.



WHY ARE SAUDIS SO HOSTILE TO THE REBELS?

* Saudi Arabia is focused on securing its border against infiltration by Yemen-based al Qaeda militants, who include many Saudi members sworn to overthrow the monarchy in Riyadh. The protracted Shi'ite revolt in northern Yemen greatly complicates border security for the Saudi and Yemeni authorities.

* Saudi Arabia views the rebels as proxies for Shi'ite Iran, its chief regional rival, even though Riyadh itself has a record of backing various Zaydi tribes to gain influence in Yemen.

* The Saudis have ideological differences with the rebels, whose motives include asserting their Zaydi Shi'ite identity against what they see as the spread of Saudi-backed Salafi groups inspired by the kingdom's Wahhabi version of Islam.

http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSL52772

[Dizasta]

Yemen is a Cold War relic, with civil wars raging in the 70s and the 90s. Its been home to traditional Arab style tribal system, where people go by their clans and not nationalistically. With the current climate, it is evident that some time in the future the regional focus would reluctantly shift towards Yemen. Pounding Yemeni rebels is hardly something to boast about, I would've like to see Saudi Arabia exhube a more diplomatic approach on the issue.

There is a close affinity of Yemen to what will be in store for the future and it would be interesting to see how the people of Yemen would react when the time comes to join Imam-ul-Mahdi. In so far as I know, our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam did prophesize about a "fire that would come out of Yemen and drive the people to the place of Assembly". Saudi Arabia might perhaps want to look into that, as I can say, their days are numbered!

[PakiWorrior]

This is the most stupid thing the Saudis can do right now!!!!  You have seen the Suicide bomb blast in Pakistan which are taking place on regular basis.  Now you are on the verge o f playing the game the Jews, Eurpeans and Yanks.  They will sell high tech equipment to the rebels and you will see bomb blast i your cities in near future and think that Iran is behind it.  What will happen if some one blews a car outside of oil refinery like SAMREF or Rabigh.   It will create a disaster.  This is what I was hoping of that your government will not do!!!!

You should try to calm the situation as possible, you should'nt open a new front as I came to know that nearly 40-50 person of yemeni population is Shia so it will create an out-cry which will lead to a catacilismic events in future.

[SaudiArabian]

There is a close affinity of Yemen to what will be in store for the future and it would be interesting to see how the people of Yemen would react when the time comes to join Imam-ul-Mahdi.

that could be in centuries probably melliniums. such events will not happen in our lifetime as if you read them clearly it mentions the conditions of that time of humans to be similar to 1400 years ago using swords and horses for battle.

anyway , its completely unwise to determine policies and expectations based on religious texts. perhaps Muslims about 1000 years ago when Jerusalem was taken over were talking about the Mahdi back then.

This is the most stupid thing the Saudis can do right now!!!! You have sen the Suicide bomb blast in Pakistan. Now mack you have played the game the Jews, Eurpeans and Yanks wanted. Now they will sell high tech equipment to the rebels and you will see bomb blast i your cities in near future. What will happen if some one blews a car outside of oil refinery like SAMREF or Rabigh it will take the refinery in flames. This what I was hoping off that your government will not do!!!!

*KSA isn't Pakistan.
* the only foreign nation known and proven to have provided the Hothi terrorists with weapons is Iran , not the west.
* the terrorist attack on Rabigh refinery was on the main gate security troopers which is far from the refinery itself. the Saudi sensitive sites like these are heavily guarded and monitored even by satellites. terrorists have no way to access to do whatever you think they could do. unless the terrorist sticks the bomb up his arse and sneaks inside like the last assassination attempt on the deputy minister of interior.

[truthseeker]

I didn't know the situation was that bad, unbelievable.

[Aliph Ahmed]

Who are Hathramees?

I remember that most of them were sent back from Jeezan, Saudi Arabia after Yemen sided with Iraq in the first Gulf War.

[SaudiArabian]

Who are Hathramees?

I remember that most of them were sent back from Jeezan, Saudi Arabia after Yemen sided with Iraq in the first Gulf War.

no its not like that. Hathramees is a term that refers to Hathr Moot , its a region in Yemen and probably the main original land of the Arab race from where Arabs explored the Arabian penisnulla long ago.

the term "Hathramees" is often used here by some Saudis to refer to Yemenis in general (stereotyping) and yes KSA expelled like 800,000 Yemenis as a result of the tension with Yemen in the 90s.

[truthseeker]

This is big news, all Turkish newspapers are reporting...they  are saying that "Saudi Arabia and Iran are at war in Yemen"..

And that the Yemeni militants are accusing Saudia Arabia of using phosphorus bombs!

[SaudiArabian]

This is big news, all Turkish newspapers are reporting...they  are saying that "Saudi Arabia and Iran are at war in Yemen"..

unfortunately thats true.

Iran is proven to be complicit in supplying Hothi terrorists with weapons , financial and media support. an Iranian ship full of weapons was seized by Yemen's navy few days ago off their shores. also Al-Alam was broadcasting pro-Hothi news for weeks as well as anti-Saudi propaganda , its why it was shut off air by Arabsat and Nilesat.

the Hothi terrorists are Iran's hand in the south west of the Arabian Peninsulla , now its up for us to cut it.

[SaudiArabian]

US 'concerned' by expanding Yemen conflict
(AFP) – 44 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — The United States said Thursday it is "concerned" by expanding fighting on the Saudi-Yemeni border and urged all parties to protect civilians.

"We're concerned by the expansion of the conflict along the Saudi-Yemeni border," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.

"It's our view that there can be no long-term military solution to the conflict between the Yemeni government and the rebels," he said.

"We call on all parties to the conflict to make every effort to protect civilian populations and limit damage to civilian infrastructure," he said.

Kelly added he had no confirmation about whether Saudi warplanes had flown missions across the border.

In Riyadh, an informed Saudi source told AFP that Saudi jets pounded Shiite rebel camps in northern Yemen on Thursday and troops were poised to cross the border against them after they killed a Saudi border guard.

F-15 and Tornado jets have been bombing the positions of the Zaidi rebels near the border with southern Jizan province since Wednesday, the source said.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...qLWGxNsGEP-R4Tg

[kaz89]

i've been watching news for the past hour and no mention of this in the UK

[DarkAngel]

kaz - hardly a suprise, the media there in europe and here in the US is utterly disgusting. Mark my word they are probably devising some way of make saudia look bad and once they ahve finalized it they will release it in the media.

[Rooh Afza]

Don't believe saudi wahabi propaganda


here is the truth:

saudi has a fundamentalist, hard line, wahabi govt., the Yemeni govt. also sides supports wahabis & Sunni fundamentalist and they discriminate against Shias because they consider them heretics. The Shias are pissed so they rebelled against Yemeni government. saudi is helping their wahabi friends - the Yemeni govt. by attacking the rebels.

Heres a better picture:



Saudis launches offensive against Yemen rebels



SAN'A, Yemen – Saudi Arabia sent fighter jets and artillery bombardments across the border into northern Yemen Thursday in a military incursion apparently aimed at helping its troubled southern neighbor control an escalating Shiite rebellion, Arab diplomats and the rebels said.

The Saudis — owners of a sophisticated air force they rarely use — have been increasingly worried that extremism and instability in Yemen could spill over to their country, the world's largest oil exporter. The offensive came two days after the killing of a Saudi soldier, blamed on the rebels.

Yemen denied any military action by Saudi Arabia inside its borders. But Yemen's president is a key ally of the Saudis, making it highly unlikely the kingdom would have launched the offensive without tacit Yemeni agreement.

A U.S. government official said the Yemenis were not involved militarily in the fighting. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The offensive immediately raised concerns of another proxy war in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. Shiite Iran is believed to favor the rebels in Yemen while Saudi Arabia, which is Sunni, is Iran's fiercest regional rival.

The same dynamic has played out in various forms in Lebanon, where Iran supports the Shiite militant Hezbollah and Saudi Arabia favors a U.S.-backed faction, and in Iraq, where Saudi Arabia and Iran have thrown support to conflicting sides in the Sunni-Shiite struggle.

A top Saudi government adviser confirmed "a large scale" military operation underway on the Saudi-Yemeni border with further reinforcements sent to the rugged, mountainous area.

"It is a sustained operation which aims to finish this problem on our border," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. He said Saudi troops were coordinating with Yemen's army, but Yemen's defense ministry denied the Saudis were inside the country.

The northern rebels, known as Hawthis, have been battling Yemeni government forces the past few months in the latest flare-up of a sporadic five-year conflict. They claim their needs are ignored by a Yemeni government that is increasingly allied with hard-line Sunni fundamentalists, who consider Shiites heretics.

The rebels said the Saudi airstrikes hit five areas in their northern stronghold Thursday but it was not possible to independently verify the reports. They said there were dead and wounded, and that homes were destroyed. The rebels' spokesman said people were afraid to get near the areas being bombed, making it difficult to count the casualties.

"Saudi jets dropped bombs on a crowded areas including a local market in the northern province of Saada," Hawthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam told The Associated Press. "They claim they are targeting al-Hawthis, but regrettably they are killing civilians like the government does."

He said the attacks were followed by hundreds of artillery shells from the border.

"So far, three killed have been pulled out of the rubble, including a woman and a child who perished when their houses were bombed and burned down," said Abdel-Salam.

The fighting is more than 600 miles from Saudi Arabia's oil fields on the kingdom's eastern Persian Gulf coast. But northern Yemen overlooks the Red Sea, the world's busiest route for oil tankers.

Two Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saudi Tornado and F-15 warplanes had been bombarding targets inside Yemen since Wednesday afternoon, inflicting significant casualties on rebels. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to talk to the media.

They said army units and special forces also had been sent to northern Yemen, and that several Saudi towns on the border had been evacuated as a precaution.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters he had no information about whether the conflict had spread across the border but expressed Washington's concern over the situation.

"It's our view that there can be no long-term military solution to the conflict between the Yemeni government and the Hawthi rebels," Kelly said. "We call on all parties to the conflict to make every effort to protect civilian populations and limit damage to civilian infrastructure."

The weak central government of Yemen, which has little control outside the capital San'a, is fighting on multiple fronts including the northern rebels and a separatist movement in the south. But the most worrisome is a lingering threat from al-Qaida militants.

The U.S. also fears any Yemeni fighting could spill over into Saudi Arabia and is concerned that Yemen could become a haven for al-Qaida militants hiding out in the nation, at the tip of the Arabian peninsula.

The Yemeni government openly accuses Iran of arming the Hawthis rebels, but there has been no public evidence to back those claims, said Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director of the Middle East program for the International Crisis Group think tank in London.

"I think Iran is probably pleased with what is happening, but that is not the same as saying they are supporting the Hawthis," Hiltermann said.

Simon Henderson, director of Gulf and energy policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, agreed that there is no clear evidence that Iran funds the rebels. But he said there is a wide assumption that Iran favors the Hawthis and the Saudis are backing Yemen's Sunni president.

"So it is a Saudi-Iranian proxy war," he said.

Saudi Arabia, rich in oil, has one of the world's most sophisticated air forces but rarely uses it.

The bulk of its air power, with more than 350 combat aircraft, derives from squadrons of F-15s and British-supplied Tornados, according to the military and intelligence analysis group GlobalSecurity.org. The kingdom also for decades has received U.S. military assistance in the form of training.

The Saudi incursion marks the first time since the 1991 Gulf War that the country has deployed military might beyond its borders.

In that war, Saudi forces assisted the U.S. Marine Corps, providing staging grounds for airstrikes and in joint operations targeting Iraqi positions in Kuwait with artillery fire and ground offensives.

The incursion is not, however, Saudi Arabia's first involvement in internal Yemeni conflicts. During Yemen's 1962-70 civil war, sparked by a military coup that overthrew Yemen's royalist government, Saudi Arabia supported the royalists against the Egyptian-backed government.

When civil war erupted again in 1994, it was widely believed that the Saudis sided with southern secessionist rebels against the central government.

A security official told Saudi Arabia's state news agency that the soldier died when gunmen infiltrated from Yemen and attacked security guards patrolling the Mount Dokhan border area Tuesday. Rebels said that area was among the bombing targets Thursday.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, the region's main diplomatic forum, condemned what it called the "violation and infiltration" of Saudi Arabia's borders. "Saudi Arabia is capable of protecting its lands," it warned in a statement.

[noxiouspython]

Aoa


So you'd rather we believed Irani shia propoganda? lolz

Do you think Pakistan should support the anti-Government Sunni groups in Iran because the Shia Government of Iran is oppressing them?

w/salaam

[Rooh Afza]

Aoa


So you'd rather we believed Irani shia propoganda? lolz

Do you think Pakistan should support the anti-Government Sunni groups in Iran because the Shias of Iran are oppressing them?

w/salaam

No. I'm not saying to support either side. I'm just saying don't believe everything that saudi wahabian posts.

[noxiouspython]

Aoa

No. I'm not saying to support either side. I'm just saying don't believe everything that saudi wahabian posts.

Shouldn't that apply to everyone? That is not believing everything someone posts?


By 'saudi wahabian' do you mean the member 'SaudiArabian' or the Saudi citizens in general?


p.s. did you just object to the whole thing because SaudiArabian is a 'wahabi' and not because you thought the truth was otherwise?

w/salaam

[SaudiArabian]

I'm just saying don't believe everything that saudi wahabian posts.

its unfortunate that you look upon me that way.

[Caesar]

Here are some things to consider:

-Shitte Rebels in Yemen are being backed by Iran with the sole purpose of overthrowing Yemeni govt.

-Although there is no evidence of Israeli involvement, however, it is in Israeli’s interest to have this region de-stabalise so that no country in the region can gain enough influence to stop Israeli Navy’s reach in the region.

-The govt in Yemen is Pro-Saudi, and Saudis are launching this operation with the tacit agreement of the Yemeni government as the Yemeni govt seems to be unsuccessful in crushing these rebels

-It is also in the interests of the other Arab govts in the region to ensure this operation succeeds otherwise it will give Iran the confidence to support similar groups in their respective countries.

Lets wait and see how serious the Saudis are about this operation.

[SaudiArabian]

Saudi air force hits Yemen rebels after border raid
Yemen denies Saudi air strike targeted its soil

Thursday, 05 November 2009

SANAA/RIYADH (Agencies)

A Yemeni Defense Ministry official denied on Thursday that Saudi forces had struck targets inside Yemen, after Shiite rebels launched a cross-border attack into Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

"Saudi Arabia did not hit targets in Yemen," the official told Reuters, but declined to give further comment on reports that the kingdom's air force had attacked rebel positions.

A Saudi government adviser said earlier on Thursday that the kingdom had launched heavy air strikes on rebel camps on the border region of Jabal al-Dukhan and moved ground troops nearer the border against them after they killed a Saudi border guard and wounded 11 others on Tuesday.

"Clean out"

Jets have been bombing the positions of the Zaidi Shiite rebels near the border with southern Jizan province since Tuesday, the source said, asking not to be named because operations were still going on.

"This is not a hit and run, this is a sustained action" that could involve a ground incursion into Yemen to "clean out" the rebel camps in coordination with Yemen authorities, he said.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has become increasingly anxious about instability and militancy in Yemen, which is also facing separatist sentiment in the south and a growing threat from resurgent al-Qaeda fighters.

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday a security officer was killed and 11 were wounded in an attack by gunmen who had crossed the border from Yemen -- the first such reported incursion since the long-running Houthi revolt flared up again in August.

The Saudi government adviser said no decision had yet been taken to send troops across the border, but made clear Riyadh was no longer prepared to tolerate the Yemeni rebels.

"After what happened yesterday, it is clear they have lost track of reality and it has got to a point where there is no other way. They have got to be finished," he said.

Saudi fears

An al-Qaeda group said on Thursday it was behind an ambush this week in which seven Yemeni security officials were killed.

The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis after the family of their leader, said on Wednesday they had taken control of the Jabal al-Dukhan area after defeating Saudi forces there.

The 1,500 km (930 miles) border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia is a security worry for the kingdom, which is building a high-tech border fence to prevent infiltration.

Saudi Arabia and the United States fear the conflict in Yemen's north and a separatist movement in the south will loosen already tenuous government control and empower al-Qaeda.

Such fears rose in August, when a Yemen-based suicide bomber posing as a repentant al-Qaeda militant tried to kill Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism chief, a member of the royal family.

Arab countries such as mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Egypt fear Shiite power Iran could gain influence in Yemen through the Houthis. The rebels deny getting any help from Tehran, which has offered to mediate in the conflict.

Yemen's army launched Operation Scorched Earth in August to crush the rebellion. Aid groups say around 150,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, which first broke out in 2004.

The rebels say they are fighting political, economic and religious marginalization by Yemen's central government.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/11/05/90326.html

[truthseeker]

Do you think Pakistan should support the anti-Government Sunni groups in Iran because the Shia Government of Iran is oppressing them?

Isn't Pakistan oppressing its own shia population?

[Sardar]

These shite rebels are backed by Iran and the attempt is to overthrow the Yemeni government to establish a Iranian-shia state in the Arabian peninsula, which would then serve as a launching pad for a guerrilla war against Saudi Arabia.


Saudi Arabia is merely defending itself against aggression.

Good luck to Saudi brothers, our duas are with you.  

[noxiouspython]

Aoa

Isn't Pakistan oppressing its own shia population?

I wasn't saying that Iran does or doesn't, it was just saying it to make a point.

BTW the President of Pakistan is Shia, the Zulfiqar Bhutto was Shia and so was Benazir Bhutto. Many of the Senior officials in Pakistan are Shia...

So no I don't think Pakistan is oppressing the Shia population.

w/salaam