IRGC Commander says ‘We support Houthis in Yemen’

CAIRO – 23 November 2017: Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a press conference on Thursday that they support the Houthis (Ansar Allah) as the party holding control in Yemen.

“Per some countries’ governmental requests we offer our advisory support for them as we do with Yemen, for example. Houthis now are in control in Yemen and our support for them is just from the advisory side,” Jafari stated. He added that Yemen may need more support than this, and that they are willing to offer them all they may need.

The Houthi insurgency is an armed extremist movement established in 1992 and is considered as a rebellion movement by most international governments. Several official statements by Arab governments, including Egypt, affirmed their support for the Yemeni government to preserve its unity and sovereignty.

After a meeting between President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and his Yemeni counterpart Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2017, a statement issued by the presidency stressed the importance of a permanent coordination between the two sides. Hadi praised Egypt’s supportive stance for the Yemeni legitimate government, its interests and its stability.
On November 17, Khalid bin Ahmed, the foreign minister of Bahrain, stated on Twitter that Iran aims to spread sectarianism, to divide nations, and to overthrow countries in the Middle East.

An urgent meeting was held for the Arab Foreign ministers in Cairo last Sunday regarding Iran’s destabilizing polices in the region.

The meeting was titled “Iranian Interference in Arab States’ Affairs,” The Arab foreign ministers issued a statement in which they condemned the Iranian regime supplying missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who in turn used the weapons against Saudi Arabia, according to Sky News.

The Arab League denounced the ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed rebels earlier this month intercepted near the Saudi capital, Riyadh. It affirmed its solidarity with the measures Saudi Arabia took to protect its national security.

During the meeting, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the pan-Arab organization needed to take a “serious” decision in dealing with Iran.