Saudi Arabia: Airstrikes in Yemen a ‘War of Necessity’

Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, said on cbs’s Face the Nation that Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes against Houthi rebels was a “war of necessity.”

A Saudi-led coalition of 10 nations started bombing Yemen on Thursday. They targeted Houthis and their allies. The airstrikes could pave the way for a ground invasion, an option the ambassador left open.

Soundbite: “I don’t know that anyone wants to go into Yemen in terms of land forces, but we don’t rule anything out. We have sufficient forces in the current coalition, if need be, to go into Yemen.”

The Houthis are a Shiite insurgent group supported by Iran. They have fought Yemen’s Sunni government for control over their territory in northern Yemen since 2011, resulting in the overthrow of the previous president. This past September, the rebels took over the capital, Sanaa. In January, they ousted current Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The Houthis’ rise to power has galvanized religions and regional alliances revolving around a Middle East power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Arab League is an alliance of Sunni Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia. The league met in Egypt on Sunday and agreed, in principle, to form a joint military force. Ambassador Jubier explains this direct challenge to Iran:

Soundbite: “The Arab League agreed to the creation of a force that would be similar to a rapid deployment force. The purpose of this force would be to go after extremists, go after terrorists, to support countries that may not have the ability to do the job on their own, and this is an idea that has been discussed for some time now.”

The Trumpet expects the Middle East to continue to destabilize as the U.S. purposely takes a backseat in the region and negotiates a nuclear deal with Iran.