MidEast

  • Print Friendly, PDF & Email
  • Send to Kindle

Iranian-Backed Houthi Rebels Threaten Israel and Its Assets with Missiles

A military spokesperson for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has warned that the group’s missiles can hit covert Israeli bases in Eritrea and his forces would soon have the capacity to reach bases in Israel itself, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

Col. Aziz Rashid was quoted by Al Masirah, a news outlet linked to the Houthi militia. He also accused Israel of taking part in the Saudi led-coalition in Yemen. “In the event that the military situation develops, all possibilities will be considered,” Rashid said.

Israel has long warned that, after cementing its influence in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, that Yemen would be next on Tehran’s list. The country is a crucial battle ground in the regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Islamic Republic has been accused by Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the international coalition of aiding the Houthi coup in the country. Tehran is reported to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars supporting the Houthi insurgency with weapons and military training. Notably, Kornet anti-tank missiles—a weapon possessed by Iran—have been reported on the battlefield, as have other advanced systems, including armed drones.

Recently it emerged that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is smuggling arms shipments to rebels in Yemen through a new route across the Gulf, after several shipments were confiscated by international patrols. The illicit activity marks a direct violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which formalized the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and gives the Trump administration grounds to decertify the agreement.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters earlier this year that Major General Qassem Soleimani, the powerful commander of the Quds Force, met with top Islamic Revolutionary Guard members in Tehran in February 2017 to discuss Iran’s role in Yemen and to look at ways to “strengthen their [Houthis] hand in the region. “They are planning to create a Hezbollah-like militia in Yemen. To confront Riyadh’s hostile policies … Iran needs to use all its cards,” he said.

A 2012 report by intelligence group Stratfor uncovered Israeli naval bases in Eritrea’s Dahlak Archipelago and Massawa along with a post on Amba Soira. The bases are thought to be used by submarines and ships taking part in the ongoing covert war against Iranian networks smuggling weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah through the Red Sea, as well as to Sudan and Egypt.

[Photo: wochit News / YouTube]