Yemeni rebels capture key city
SANAA, YEMEN Shiite rebels and allied military units in Yemen defied Saudi- led airstrikes to seize a provincial capital in a heavily Sunni tribal area on Thursday as their patron Iran called the two- week air campaign a “crime” and appealed for peace talks.
The rebel fighters, known as Houthis, along with military units loyal to former autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh, overran Ataq, capital of the oil- rich southeastern Shabwa province, after days of airstrikes and clashes with local Sunni tribes. The capture marked the rebels’ first significant gain since the Saudi- led bombing began.
The Saudi- led coalition has imposed an air and sea blockade on Yemen and targeted both rebels and military units loyal to Saleh, hoping to eventually allow Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to return to the country.
The coalition had hoped to keep the rebels out of the southern port city of Aden, which Hadi had declared his provisional capital after fleeing Sanaa earlier this year and before leaving the country last month. But there too the rebels and Saleh loyalists have advanced, sparking days of heavy clashes.
The conflict pits the Saudi- led
To the countries in the region, I say, let’s adopt the spirit of brotherhood …
Sunni Gulf countries against Shiite rival Iran. Tehran supports the Houthis and has provided humanitarian aid, but both Iran and the rebels deny allegations that it has armed them. The growing regional involvement nevertheless risks transforming what until now has been a complex power struggle into a full- blown sectarian conflict like those raging in Syria and Iraq.
The chaos has also allowed alQaida’s powerful local affiliate to gain ground, and the Saudi- led bombing — backed by U. S. arms shipments and intelligence sharing — threatens to weaken the rebels and Saleh’s loyalists, who are alQaida’s most powerful opponents on the ground.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the air campaign, saying “this is a crime, genocide and legally pursuable,” according to comments posted on his website. He went on to warn that “the Saudis will lose” and that “Yemenis will resist and will win.”
In a speech in Tehran on Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged a ceasefire in Yemen to allow for broad- based talks on resolving the crisis.
“To the countries in the region, I say, let’s adopt the spirit of brotherhood, let’s respect each other and other nations. A nation does not give in through bombing,” said Rouhani. “Do not kill innocent children. Let’s think about an end to the war, about ceasefire and humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of Yemen.”
He said the bombing campaign was “wrong,” comparing it to Syria and Iraq, where a U. S.- led coalition is targeting ISIL militants.
“You will learn, not later but soon, that you are making a mistake in Yemen, too,” Rouhani said, without naming any particular country.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meanwhile held talks Thursday in Islamabad with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an effort to push for Yemen peace talks.
Zarif, who arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday, has said that Iran is ready to facilitate talks that would lead to a broad- based government in Yemen.
Pakistan’s parliament is debating whether to contribute forces to the Saudi- led air campaign in Yemen.