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Increasing Instability in Arabian Penninsula

by Barbara McPherson | November 11, 2009 at 09:42 am

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The conflict between the Houthi fighters in northern Yemen and the Saudi Arabian kingdom has led to increasing instability in that penninsula. A blockade of the Red Sea has been imposed by the Saudis in an effort to block supplies to the Houthi fighters.

Saudi forces have launched a series of military strikes in recent days against the Houthis after the fighters killed a Saudi soldier in a cross-border raid last week.

Riyadh has become increasingly anxious about instability in Yemen, which is facing opposition from the Shia population in the north, separatist sentiment in the south and a growing threat from resurgent al-Qaeda fighters.

Saudi Arabia has enjoyed good diplomatic relations with the Yemeni government in the past. The Houthis are little known in the west, but have been fighting against the Yemeni government since 2004 citing oppression. Fighting has intensified this summer and the situation continues to become increasingly dangerous.
Iran's foreign minister has warned off the Saudis calling the situation an internal affair.

Iran's foreign minister has sharply warned Yemen's neighbours to stay out of the country's internal affairs as the fighting between Yemeni rebels and Saudi forces intensifies.

But Saudi Arabia says its military offensive will continue until the Houthi rebels withdraw from the two countries' border.

Yemen does not have the oil resources of the Saudi Kingdom, but it is an important player in the Middle East in combatting terrorism. Instability in this region has the potential to spread into the Saudi Kingdom and destabilize that government. Yemen has accused Iran of funding the Houthi insurrection.

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a211423

at 10:01 on November 11th, 2009

Reports this morning are that Iran has stated they will aid in the security of Yemen. Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, made the offer on Wednesday, a day after Tehran warned Middle Eastern governments against interfering in the affairs of the the Arab Peninsula.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/11/20091111124811159617.html

However, Yemen has declined any interference by Iran stating it is a border dispute and does not involve Iran.

An Arabic newspaper reports that what Iran has been doing is interfering in other countries' affairs - we have seen it in Jordan, Sudan, Palestine, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq - creating pockets of influence and trying to control its puppets in every part of the Arab world.