Iran military chief slams Saudi offensive in Yemen
Updated: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
12:00GMT—7:00AM/EST
Washington, 18 November (WashingtonTV)—Iran’s armed forces chief-of-staff on Tuesday denounced Saudi Arabia’s military offensive against Shiite Yemeni rebels, saying it was the onset of “Wahhabi state terrorism”.
Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi also warned that the actions of Yemen and Saudi Arabia against the rebels would fuel militancy and spread violence to the rest of the region, reports the official IRNA news agency.
Yemeni forces launched new strikes against the Shiite rebels in the north in August, and the conflict widened earlier this month, when neighboring Saudi Arabia launched air strikes against the rebels.
The Saudi offensive was in retaliation to a cross-border attack by the rebels.
Yemen has accused Iran of supporting the rebels, but Tehran has denied the allegations, and has called for a political solution to the fighting.
“The killing of Yemeni Shiites by Saudi Arabia is the onset of Wahhabi state terrorism, which is very dangerous for Islam and the region,” Firouzabadi said.
He warned that the actions by Yemen and Saudi Arabia “would sooner or later engulf all Muslims of the world.”
On Sunday, 250 members of Iran’s Majlis [parliament] condemned the Saudi attacks, reports Iran’s state-funded Press TV network.
Fighting between Yemeni forces and the Shiite rebels has flared on and off since 2004.
Sources: IRNA, Press TV
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