Saudi Ambassador to US Denies Reports of Saudi Troops in Yemen
Published at
State Dept photo(WASHINGTON) — Speaking in front of a Capitol Hill forum titled “Yemen in Chaos” on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Adel Al-Jubeir left open the prospect of Saudi ground troops invading Yemen to combat the Houthis, but said none were currently inside the country, contrary to some reports overnight.
“We don’t have troops, formal Saudi troops in Aden,” Al-Jubeir said. “The issue of using ground troops is always something that is on the table but the decisions will be made based on the circumstances and the need.”
Al-Jubeir arrived in the room after nearly every member of the panel had called on the Saudi coalition to move away from its airstrikes campaign. He began his remarks by defending “Operation Decisive Storm,” which began on March 26.
“This is not something that we wanted to do,” Al-Jubeir said. “This is an issue of last resort for us. Nobody wants to use force and anger but we were left with no choice.”
Al-Jubeir outlined the objectives of the current campaign, which is receiving logistical and intelligence support from the United States, saying the goal is to protect the legitimate government of Yemen at the order of its “legitimate President” Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who fled the country the day before airstrikes commenced.
“We believe that the coalition activities are achieving their objectives,” Al-Jubeir said. “It will take a little more time but we’re determined to prevail in Yemen, we’re determined to strengthen and restore the legitimate government in Yemen, and protect the people of Yemen from this radical group.”
When asked whether he would support the Houthis being officially labeled as a “terrorist group,” Al Jubeir said doing so would be “acknowledging a fact.”
“What they have committed in Yemen is nothing short of terrorism,” he said. “But in terms of facts on the ground, I don’t know what impact it will have on the short term.”
When asked whether Saudi Arabia had direct evidence of Iranian support to the tribal Houthis, Al-Jubeir said it was “very, very clear,” referencing the actions of the group when they took over Yemen’s capital in January.
“The first thing that the Houthis did when they captured Sanaa was release operatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah from the intelligence jails in Sanaa,” Al-Jubeir said. “The Iranians have been shipping weapons to the Houthis long before this conflict began, those weapons include shoulder-launched air-surface missiles. The evidence is very clear to us and we have no doubt about it.”
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.