Yemeni crisis takes unexpected Cold War turn

Middle East sources say the Houthis, who took over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa last September, are posing a threat to Sunni Saudi Arabia.

 

Riyadh sees the Houthis as a proxy for Shiite Iran.

 

The Houthis, who are part of the Zaidi offshoot of Shiite Islam, have sought to extend their control from the northern part of the country. The Houthis comprise about 30 percent of Yemen’s 26 million people.

 

Beyond the area the Houthis control, however, AQAP and other Sunni jihadist tribes occupy the remainder of the country.

 

Houthi interest in approaching the Russians is consistent with Moscow’s backing of Iran to preserve the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

 

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