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Saudis Renew Air Strikes After Iran-Backed Rebels Attack Yemeni Troops

April 22, 2015

Saudis Renew Air Strikes After Iran-Backed Rebels Attack Yemeni Troops
by TheTower.org Staff | 04.22.15 8:19 am


(Game on….again. – LS)

In response to an attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia resumed air strikes today against the rebels in Yemen, CNN reported. The resumption of air strikes comes less than a day after Saudi Arabia announced that it was ending the air war against the Houthis and seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Yemen.

The strikes returned after rebel forces launched an attack on a government military brigade not under Houthi control, security sources in Taiz said. The brigade quickly fell to the rebels, they said.

It was unclear if the fighting represented a resumption of the operation or was a short-term resumption of hostilities.

After a month of air raids, Saudi Arabia and its allies, including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, and Sudan, announced (Arabic link) the end of Operation Decisive Storm yesterday, claiming that all goals of the operation had been obtained, including the destruction of the Houthis’ heavy weapons and ballistic missile stockpiles. The Saudis called the operation a victory and argued that threats against Saudi Arabia and its neighbors by the rebels have been removed.

Saudi Arabia simultaneously announced (Arabic link) the beginning of a new campaign called “Renewal of Hope,” which apparently will not include any ground military operations in Yemen. It will instead focus on finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict between rebels and ousted President Abed Mansour Hadi. The spokesperson for the Arab coalition said vaguely that Saudi Arabia will continue to prevent the Houthis from carrying out their activities and will act militarily whenever it sees fit.

Hundreds of people were killed as a result of more than 2,000 air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition. The Saudis say that Hadi himself (Arabic link) requested the end of the military operation, and that he thanked the Arab states for their assistance and asked them to try and reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The president said that he thinks the legitimate regime will soon be able to return to Yemen’s capital Sanaa, which was captured by the rebels last September.

During the operation, the Saudi-led forces were able to destroy (Arabic link) some 80% of the weapons of the Houthi arsenal through air raids aimed primarily against Houthi bases. The bombings destroyed heavy weapons such as tanks, artillery and ballistic missiles.

However, a few hours after the declaration, Al-Arabiya news network reported (Arabic link) that armed clashes are continuing, with the Houthis taking advantage of the end of the air raids to continue fighting Hadi supporters in southern Yemen.

Categories: Iran in Yemen, Iranian proxies
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Obama: US could ‘penetrate’ Iran S-300 defense system

April 22, 2015

Obama: US could ‘penetrate’ Iran S-300 defense system
BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF April 22, 2015, 6:51 am


(If there’s one thing in which I still have faith, it’s the ability of the US military of overcome virtually any obstacle, even the supposedly almighty S-300’s. – LS)

US President Barack Obama warned that the US could penetrate any air defense system Iran has, should a military option be needed, playing down concerns over Russia’s decision to supply advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Tehran last week.

“Even if they’ve got some air defense systems, if we had to, we could penetrate them,” Obama told MSNBC late Tuesday.

The US president urged to keep things “in perspective,” noting that the US defense budget was “somewhere just a little under $600 billion. Theirs is a little over $17 billion.”

“This is a sale that’s been pending for six years,” Obama said. “It’s of concern, we object to it, particularly because right now we’re still negotiating [a nuclear agreement].”

The US-led P5+1 world powers were negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran to curb its atomic program, with a final deal set to be penned by June 30. Talks are set to resume in Vienna later this week. The initial framework, known as the Lausanne agreement, has been criticized as not having extracted enough concessions from Tehran and being too soft on the Islamic Republic, leaving it with too many capabilities to break out to the bomb and not being tough enough regarding the lifting of sanctions.

Last week, Obama indicated that the US was open to discussing the immediate lifting of sanctions on Iran, as demanded by Tehran but contrary to what the initial agreement calls for.

Israel, particularly, has been a vocal opponent of the deal, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the deal would threaten the very survival of Israel and would pave the way for Iran to become a nuclear states.

Obama said Tuesday that it was“up to the Iranians to make sure that they come to the table prepared to memorialize what has already been agreed to.”

In the MSNBC interview on Tuesday, the US president also issued a warning to Iran against delivering weapons to Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, said to be armed and trained by the Revolutionary Guards.

“There’s a reason why we keep some of our ships in the Persian Gulf region and that is to make sure we maintain freedom of navigation. And what we’ve said to them is if there are weapons delivered to factions within Yemen that could threaten navigation, that’s a problem.”

“What we need to do is bring all the parties together and find a political arrangement,” he said. “It is not solved by having another proxy war in Yemen. We’ve indicated to the Iranians that they need to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.”

On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel was treating Russia’s move to supply the S-300 air system to Iran with “utmost gravity.”

“Israel views with utmost gravity the supply of S-300 missiles from Russia to Iran, especially at a time when Iran is stepping up its aggression in the region and around the borders of the State of Israel,” he said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

The prime minister also reiterated Israel’s stance about the framework long-term nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, saying it didn’t address Iran’s regional military aspirations.

“Israel also views with utmost gravity the fact that there is no reference to this aggression in the agreement being made between the major powers and Iran,” he said. “There is no stipulation that this aggression be halted, whether at the start of the agreement or as a condition for the lifting of sanctions.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to Israeli media reports to the effect that Jerusalem was considering arms sales to Ukraine in response to the planned S-300 supply, warning Israel against such a “counterproductive” move.

Netanyahu spoke with Putin on Thursday, but failed to convince to halt the sale. Channel 2 reported that he may go to Moscow to meet with Putin in person to try to persuade him against it.

Putin defended his decision to sell the system to the Iranians, saying Russia’s 2010 ban against it was voluntary and not connected to other sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

US officials say the sale is more a sign of Russia’s economic woes and less a desire to cause controversy in the West.

Obama said Friday he was surprised that Russia’s suspension of missile sales to Iran “held this long.”

Categories: Iran in Yemen
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U.S. Warships On Watch – Leading From Behind – Lt Col Ralph Peters – Willis Report

April 22, 2015

U.S. Warships On Watch – Leading From Behind – Lt Col Ralph Peters – Willis Report, Fox News via You Tube, April 21, 2015

(It’s from yesterday and the situation remains fluid. Still, it’s worth watching. — DM)

 

Categories: Air strikes, Arab nations, Department of Defense, Diplomacy, Houthi, Iran in Yemen, Iran scam, Iranian proxies, Middle East, Obama, P5+1, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
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Libyan Crisis: CHRISTIAN Refugees are Being Murdered by ISLAMIC Refugees!

April 22, 2015

Libyan Crisis: CHRISTIAN Refugees are Being Murdered by ISLAMIC Refugees! PJTV via You Tube, April 22, 2015

 

Categories: Christians, Foreign policy, Islam, Islamic slaughter, Islamophobia, Libya, Muslims, Obama
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Psaki: Iran Funneling Arms to Houthis Won’t Make Us Re-Think Deal

April 22, 2015

Psaki: Iran Funneling Arms to Houthis Won’t Make Us Re-Think Deal

By Ian Hanchett

22 Apr 2015

via Psaki: Iran Funneling Arms to Houthis Won’t Make Us Re-Think Deal – Breitbart.

 

White House Communications Director Jen Psaki stated that Iran possibly supplying weapons to the Houthis in Yemen has not made the administration re-consider its approach toward nuclear negotiations with Iran on Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day.”

Psaki was asked “given the news about Iran possibly supplying weapons to the Houthi rebels, does it make you rethink the dealings with Iran in the nuclear negotiations that we’re starting up again this week?”

She responded, “no, Alisyn. I think it’s important for people to remember what the goal of the nuclear negotiations is, and continues to be, which is preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. That is good for the region. It’s good for our Gulf partners. It’s good for the United States. It doesn’t mean we’re giving rubber stamp approval to their other actions. They continue to be a human rights violator, they continue to hold American citizens in their own country. There are still a number of other issues that we have with Iran, but there’s no question that preventing them from acquiring a nuclear weapon is in the interest of, not just the United States, but countries in the region as well. We’re going to continue to work toward that at the end of June.”

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US Yemen ceasefire bid founders as Saudis resume air strikes, Iranian warships on course for Gulf of Aden

April 22, 2015

US Yemen ceasefire bid founders as Saudis resume air strikes, Iranian warships on course for Gulf of Aden, DEBKAfile, April 22, 2015

The tone coming from the White House towards the end of the day was that the US naval buildup opposite Yemen was intended to give diplomacy a military boost, rather than confront the Iranian fleet.

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Just hours after halting military operations in Yemen, Saudi Arabia Wednesday, April 22 resumed its air strikes, bombing pro-Iranian Houthi rebel positions southwest of Taiz, after they seized a brigade base from forces loyal to fugitive President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the Saudi-led coalition went back on a promise published Tuesday to shift its focus from military action to peace talks after Houthi rebels opted out of the ceasefire the Obama administration was trying to broker between Riyadh and Tehran. Tehran further refrained from ordering its warships to turn around and told them to stay on course for the Gulf of Aden opposite Yemen.
DEBKAfile reported earlier Wednesday:

Wide overnight predictions of a Yemen ceasefire coming out of US mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia were unfulfilled by Wednesday, April 22. All that happened was Saudi Arabia’s termination of its air strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels – but not its sea and air blockade of the country. The rebels made it clear that for them, the war goes on. From Washington, US President Barack Obama warned Tehran against delivering weapons to Yemen that could be used to threaten shipping traffic in the region. Speaking in a televised interview on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” the president said: “What we’ve said to them is that ‘if there are weapons delivered to factions within Yemen that could threaten navigation, that’s a problem.’”

He was referring to the Iranian buildup of nine vessels, some carrying weapons, and warning that US warships were deploying to defend international navigation in the Gulf of Aden and the strategic Strait of Bab el-Mandeb off the shores of Yemen.

DEBKAfile reported earlier::

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolllahian said Tuesday night, April 21, that Tehran is optimistic that ‘in the coming hours we shall see a halt to military attacks in Yemen.”

He did not say whether the Saudi Arabia had accepted a ceasefire after three weeks of air strikes, or its targets, the Houthi rebels and their Yemeni army allies – or both. Their acceptance would terminate the Yemen civil war.

Earlier Tuesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest tried to play down the danger of a collision between a US naval strike force led by the USS Theodore Rooseveltaircraft carrier and an Iranian naval convoy believed to be carrying arms for the Houthis. Both were due to arrive in the Gulf of Aden opposite the Yemeni shore. Earnest said the US fleet’s mission was “to ensure the free flow of commerce” i.e. the freedom of navigation through the Gulf of Aden and Strait of Bab El-Mandeb.

He did not repeat an earlier statement by US defense officials that The Roosevelt carrier, the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy and other accompanying warships had been sent to pre-empt any attempt by the Iranian vessels to unload weapons for the Houthis – in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

Pentagon officials said an Iranian convoy of nine cargo ships had reached international waters in the Gulf of Aden, but that to their knowledge, the US and Iranian ships had not yet seen each other or made any contact.

The tone coming from the White House towards the end of the day was that the US naval buildup opposite Yemen was intended to give diplomacy a military boost, rather than confront the Iranian fleet.

Reports from Riyadh likewise pointed to active diplomacy afoot for ending the violence in Yemen.

A statement read out on Saudi-owned Arabiya TV announced the end of the kingdom’s military operation against the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen. “The alliance had achieved its goals in Yemen through the “Storm of Resolve” campaign and would now begin a new operation called “Restoring Hope.”

This operation, the statement said, would focus on security at home and counter-terrorism, aid and a political solution in Yemen.

At the same time, DEBKAfile’s Gulf sources report the same TV channel carried the opposite message from Riyadh:

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Abdulaziz has ordered the Kingdom’s National Guard to join the military campaign in Yemen, said another communique. Minister of the Saudi National Guard Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah said his forces are on high alert and are ready to take part in Operation Storm of Resolve, a Saudi-led coalition of 10 states battling the advance of the Iran-backed rebels.

The Saudi National Guard is a strong armed force, superior to and better equipped than the Saudi national army. It would provide a solid increment for the Saudi air strikes in Yemen.

Behind this cloud of apparent contradictions hovering over the Yemen conflict Tuesday, is an Obama administration bid to broker the contest between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and bring about a ceasefire. The various parties are meanwhile jockeying for advantageous positions without surrendering their options. If the bid is successful, a truce may be announced in the Yemen war in the coming hours, but it is still hanging fire.

Categories: Diplomacy, Foreign policy, Houthi, Iran, Iran in Yemen, Iranian navy, Obama, Yemen
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Saudi-led coalition ends military operation in Yemen

April 21, 2015

Saudi-led coalition ends military operation in Yemen, Reuters, April 21, 2015

The Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen announced on Tuesday the end to a military operation that pounded the Iran-allied Houthi rebels for more than three weeks, a statement read on Saudi-owned Arabiya TV said.

The alliance had achieved its military goals in Yemen through the campaign dubbed “Storm of Resolve” and will now begin a new operation called “Restoring Hope,” it said.

The mission, the statement said, would focus on security at home and counter-terrorism, aid and a political solution in Yemen.

Categories: Houthi, Iran, Iran in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
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Why is the Iran Framework Deal Classified Secret and Locked Up in the Senate Security Office?

April 21, 2015

Why is the Iran Framework Deal Classified Secret and Locked Up in the Senate Security Office? Center for Security Policy, Fred Fleitz, April 21, 2015

A Senate staff member told me yesterday there is a classified version of the nuclear framework with Iran that members of the Senate are having difficulty assessing because it has been classified secret and is locked up in the Senate security office.  I was told that few Senate staffers are being allowed to read this classified version of the framework.

This revelation raises several serious questions about President Obama’s desperate effort to get a nuclear deal with Iran.

First, this classified version of the framework agreement must be different from the fact sheet on the framework released by the State Department on April 2.  We already know, based on a revelation by the French, that the Obama administration withheld from the fact sheet a controversial provision of the framework on advanced centrifuges.  Were other controversial provisions withheld?  Did Obama officials selectively release parts of the framework to block congressional action against a nuclear deal?

Second, since Iranian officials have denounced the fact sheet as a lie, does the classified version show what was actually agreed to?  Does it show major differences in areas where Obama officials are claiming the United States and Iran are in agreement?

Third, the U.S. government classifies information to prevent disclosure to our adversaries.  Who is the adversary here?  Not Iran, since the classified framework document reflects discussions and agreements with Iranian diplomats.  It is pretty clear that the framework documents have been classified to keep them from the American people, not hostile foreign governments, and to make it as difficult as possible for members of Congress and their staffs to access them.

With Iran rejecting U.S. claims that a final nuclear deal will have strong provisions on verification and lifting sanctions, and a new report that President Obama has offered Iran a $50 billion “signing bonus” for agreeing to a nuclear deal, opposition to the president’s dangerous nuclear diplomacy with Iran is growing on Capitol Hill.  Every member of Congress must review the classified documents on the framework with their staffs to determine the full extent of the Obama administration’s concessions to Iran in the nuclear talks and how to respond if important U.S. concessions have been kept from the American people.

Categories: Diplomacy, Iran scam, Iranian missiles, Iranian nukes, Israel, Obama, P5+1, Sanctions, U.S. Congress
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Iranian General Threatens Strikes on Saudi Arabian Soil

April 21, 2015

Iranian General Threatens Strikes on Saudi Arabian Soil, Clarion Project, April 21, 2015

Iran-Reveals-New-Missiles-HP_1Iranian missiles.

The commander of the ground troops in the Iranian army, General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, threatened Saudi Arabia with military strikes if it doesn’t stop the fighting in Yemen.

According to the Iranian Arabic language channel El-Alam, Pourdastan said that the Islamic Republic is not interested in getting into a conflict with Saudi Arabia. He called on Riyadh to stop fighting against her brothers in Yemen and said “by doing so she is entering a war of attrition which might expose her to severe strikes.”

Pourdastan reportedly claimed that his country will bomb Saudi Arabia if she won’t stop her attacks.

He added that “the Saudi army needs combat experience and that is why it is a weak army. If she will stand against a war of attrition she will be struck very hard and will be defeated. That’s why Riyadh should drop the option and turn to a diplomatic option and to negotiation.”

Pourdistan praised the successes of the Shiite aligned Yemini forces fighting against President Hadi, saying “The next stage will be carrying out strikes against Saudi Arabia.”

Pourdistan declared “the Islamic Republic is not interested in a confrontation with Saudi Arabia for she is a friend nation and our neighbor. The military advisor in the Saudi Embassy is currently in Iran. We invited him to the ceremonies of the Army Day that was on Saturday.

We want to have relations with Saudi Arabia and we don’t want bloody relations. There are still tables for dialogue and they can solve the problems. There is no need to use weapons or military equipment.”

Yet he also threatened Saudi Arabia saying “explosions might occur in Saudi Arabia through rockets falling on the ground. It is clear that dealing with that will be very hard for the Saudi officials.”

He suggested that forces in Yemen strike Saudi Arabia. He said “Based on the military purchases and the abilities of the Yemeni army, it is capable of inflicting painful strikes on Saudi Arabia.”

Categories: Foreign policy, Houthi, Iran, Iranian missiles, Iranian proxies, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
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Arab states snub Obama’s D.C. summit as Iran Mocks Obama

April 21, 2015

Arab states snub Obama’s D.C. summit as Iran Mocks Obama, Breitbart, Joel B. Pollak, April 21, 2015

ap_saud-bin-faisal-bin-abdulaziz-al-saud_ap-photo-640x422The Associated Press

As the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt heads to Yemen to confront a convoy of Iranian ships, including destroyers, it is worth asking why President Barack Obama is still talking to the Iranian regime about its nuclear program. The Iranians, who used the Houthi militia to knock over the American-aligned Yemeni government, clearly has no fear that Obama will suspend negotiations. If anything, Iranian tactics are winning more concessions.

When you strike a deal with an enemy who continues to attack you, that is not called “peace,” but “surrender.”

It is a wonder Obama is even bothering to send an aircraft carrier to the region at all. His hand has been forced by two factors: first, that Saudi Arabia has gone to war in Yemen without bothering to ask for American approval; second, Yemen is key to Obama’s drone policy against Al Qaeda, his only modest military success.

America has lost more than an ally in Yemen or a foothold in Iraq. It has lost the opportunity to defend hundreds of thousands of innocent lives from being murdered by Iran’s Syrian ally, which is using chemical weapons against civilians. It has lost the opportunity to demilitarize Lebanon—an achievement then-Sen. Joe Biden foolishly claimed in his debate with Sarah Palin in 2008. It may even have lost the chance to stop a nuclear Iran.

Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif made clear in his New York Times op-ed this week that the regime sees a nuclear deal as the key to regional domination. He offered—no, demanded—American cooperation on ISIS and other issues, not as a possible outcome of a deal but as a condition for a deal.

Yet the White House refuses to make its own regional demands—such as recognition of Israel, or an end to Iran’s global terrorism.

Israel has made clear that the Iran deal is an existential threat, and even that has not moved Obama to reconsider. The Arab nations are not waiting to be double-crossed, and are making their own plans, which likely include Saudi Arabia obtaining nuclear warheads from Pakistan.

In an attempt to save face, Obama has invited the Arab nations to a May 13 summit at the White House—long after final negotiations with Iran have begun

Already, some Arab states have indicated that they will not be attending (Oman), or will only send junior delegations (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates). Amir Taheri of theNew York Post quotes  one Arab official: “He is going to give a Churchillian speech. But we know that you can’t be Chamberlain one day and Churchill the next.”

Meanwhile, Israel quietly signals that it is not going to wait for a Churchill to arrive in the Oval Office.

Categories: Arab nations, Biden, Foreign policy, Gulf states, Iran, Iran in Yemen, Iran scam, Iranian missiles, Iranian navy, Iranian nukes, Iranian proxies, Israel, Middle East, Nukes, Obama, P5+1, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
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