Iran army spokesman blames Israel for Yemen war

Shekarchi, formerly a chief of culture for the armed forces and now a spokesman, gave a statement that was printed at Fars News.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Houthi followers attend a gathering to receive food supplies from tribesmen in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
Houthi followers attend a gathering to receive food supplies from tribesmen in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
Indicating greater Iranian attempts to link Israel to the conflict in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Brig.-Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi slammed Israel and other countries for the war in Yemen on Sunday.
Shekarchi, formerly a chief of culture for the armed forces and now a spokesman, gave a statement that was printed by Fars News Agency. He pointed to recent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps successes, such as seizing a British tanker, downing a US drone and also praised the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen for their attack on Saudi oil facilities.
“These can be considered the important developments in the last six months,” he said, noting that it showed Iran was able to confront the “evils of the Zionist regime in the region.”
He also said the US and its allies were at a disadvantage in the region. He claimed that since the 1980s, the US had supported enemies of the Islamic Republic but that America has suffered humiliations.
“We beat Saddam’s Iraq,” he  argued, pointing out that Iran is on a winning streak. “Despite the overwhelming power of the [US] hegemonic system that came to the fore, and their equipment, radar, weapons, air defense, they fear Iran. The world has realized the serious weakness of the US and UK in the wake of the [Houthis] attack on Aramco in Saudi Arabia.”
Despite hundreds of billions in “highly advanced US, British, French and Israeli weapons in Saudi Arabia, they were unable to defend the world’s most important oil facilities,” he said.
The attempt to add Israel into the mix of countries involved in the Yemen conflict is a relatively new addition to Iran’s talking points.
“Yemen has been ruthlessly raped for years with the support of the Saudi Arabia-UAE coalition and the support of the US, Israel, Britain and France,” he claimed. “They have had no mercy on Yemen’s schools and hospitals.”