Mick Hartley

More on the Middle East flashpoint of Yemen: at MEMRI they've put together a selection of reactions from both sides to the "steadily escalating conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is part of the cold war in the Middle East between the pro-Saudi camp and the pro-Iranian camp".

For instance, Saudi columnist Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Latif Aal Al-Sheikh writing in the daily Al-Jazirah suggests that the Houthis – the Yemeni Shia tribe currently in conflict with the Yemen government – are a new Hizbullah:

"'Abd Al-Malik Al-Houthi, [the Houthi leader] in Yemen, is [the equivalent of] Lebanon's Hassan Nasrallah. The goings-on in northern Yemen and in southern [Saudi Arabia] serve Iran's interests and aspirations in the region. Just as Nasrallah has sold out Lebanon's stability, security and future for Iran's sake, under the pretext of fighting the enemies of the ummah, the Houthis too have sold their country and the blood of their tribe, [betraying] them for the sake of Iran's supreme interest while spouting similar slogans.

"The situation in northern Yemen and in the south of our country, and the situation in Lebanon, are identical [reflections] of Iran's aspirations [and its method of] exploiting the sectarian dimension to further the next Persian agenda… The Iranians infiltrated Lebanon while nobody was looking and set up the Hizbullah militia, meant to eventually become a powerful Iranian tool, first in Lebanon and later in the [entire] region. Hizbullah has fulfilled this Iranian task well, and through it Iran has become an influential factor in the region's power-balances, so that any regional agreement that Iran opposes encounters obstacles and requires negotiations [with Iran]. This means that [no agreement] can be achieved without considering Iran's interests.

"The Houthis serve the very same purpose, though, as an Iranian tool, they are still in the initial stages of formation. If they are met with concessions and their movement is not taken with the seriousness it deserves, an Iranian arm like Hizbullah could emerge in Yemen and on our southern border…"

And, on the Iranian side:

An article in the daily Iran, which is associated with the Ahmadinejad government, claimed that Saudi Arabia has an interest to ignite war in Yemen, and that this country is conspiring with the U.S.'s plots in the region. "Saudi Arabia's meddling in the Yemeni war is obvious to everyone… This war, which has been forced on the Shi'ites in Yemen, is a coordinated conspiracy by America and several Arab governments in the region, particularly Wahhabi ones… as evidenced by the fact that Saudi Arabia has occupied three Yemeni provinces and some 10 Yemeni islands… and is unwilling to withdraw from them, because they are very rich in oil… Creating a big crisis in Yemen… seems to be a Saudi goal."