Hariri Says Iran Actions Stimulated Saudi Intervention in Yemen as Jumblat Expresses Grave Concern/Hizbullah Urges Instant Halt to ‘Saudi-American Aggression’ in Yemen

Hariri Says Iran Actions Stimulated Saudi Intervention in Yemen as Jumblat Expresses Grave Concern
Naharnet/26.03.15

Mustaqbal Movment chief and Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised on Thursday the “wise and courageous decision” taken by Saudi King Salman to intervene militarily in Yemen as Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat feared that it would affect the interest of Lebanese in the Gulf. The Iranian interference in Sanaa compelled an Arab reaction,” Hariri said in comments to the al-Arabiya Arabic language television station. He expressed belief that the Yemeni people will “agree on the Arab military intervention against the Huthi” rebels.
Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday at dawn that it was leading a military offensive in Yemen after the Shiite rebels moved on Yemeni embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s last refuge in the southern city of Aden. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Egypt, Jordan and several other countries “expressed desire to participate in the operation” against the rebels, which the kingdom dubbed “Firmness Storm”.
For his part, Jumblat expressed grave concern over the developments in the region, considering that they are “advancing in an alarming manner.”
He called for dialogue “before it’s too late” in order to reach a balanced solution, stressing that Lebanon “and above all circumstances supports Saudi Arabia as the developments in Yemen threaten it national security and the interests of the Lebanese, who have been working for decades in the Gulf.”

Hizbullah Urges Instant Halt to ‘Saudi-American Aggression’ in Yemen
Naharnet 26.03.15
Hizbullah on Thursday called for an immediate end to what it described as the “Saudi-American aggression” against Yemen, a day before a scheduled speech by party chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. “Hizbullah strongly condemns the Saudi-American aggression that targets the brotherly people of Yemen, its national army and its vital institutions,” a statement from the group said.
Riyadh has said it assembled a coalition of more than 10 countries, including five Gulf monarchies, for the military operation to defend Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansur Hadi’s government. Washington said President Barack Obama had authorized the “provision of logistical and intelligence support” for the campaign.

The military move against the Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen triggered fury from Riyadh’s regional rival Iran, Hizbullah’s main regional ally, with officials in Tehran warning that the military action threatened to spill over into other countries. Slamming “the participation of some Arab and non-Arab countries in this aggression and their political cover for it,” the party warned that “this Saudi-led adventure that lacks wisdom and legitimate and legal justifications is driving the region towards further tensions and threats that will affect its present and future.”

It described the military operation as “a blatant aggression against people seeking to obtain an independent decision, without hegemony from any state, whether regionally or internationally.”
Accordingly, Hizbullah called on “Saudi Arabia and its allies” to “stop this unjust aggression immediately and unconditionally.” “This aggression secures the U.S. interests and gives a generous gift to the Zionist enemy and its choices,” the party added. It also noted that “this brute aggression represents a chance for the sons of the Yemeni people to unite, show domestic solidarity and reach a comprehensive political solution that preserves their country and guarantees its unity and territorial integrity without any foreign interference.”Later on Thursday, state-run National News Agency said Hizbullah chief Nasrallah is scheduled to deliver a televised speech Friday at 8:30 pm that will tackle “the latest developments in Lebanon and the region.”