(Reuters-Gulf Times-Qatar) Lebanon's Hizbullah and Hamas are helping their backers in Shia Iran by working with Shia Muslim rebels in northern Yemen and secessionists in the country's south, the U.S. envoy to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, told the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat on Sunday. "The Iranians want to build influence in Yemen...both internally and more broadly in the region by establishing a foothold in the Arabian Peninsula," Feierstein said. "It's something that's naturally regarded as a security threat to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC states." "There is evidence that Hizbullah and Hamas support this Iranian effort. We are aware of a southern Yemeni presence in Beirut that has been used as a conduit for Iranian support for obstructions in southern Yemen," he said.
2012-03-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive