British Member of Parliament Graham Jones has held Iran-backed Houthi militias responsible for Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program, the Labour party politician said that aside from environmental issues, the Houthis “represent the greatest threat on the planet now.”
He said: “If you read the ambassadors at the UN and the unanimous decision to back the (Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour) Hadi government, it’s not hard to come to the conclusion that the way we find peace and security is to stop the Ansar Allah advance into other tribal areas and the oppression that goes with it.”
Saudi Arabia has come under attack by the insurgents, said Jones, who chairs the Commons Committees on Arms Exports Controls.
“The Iran-backed rebels, with hi-tech missiles. Ansar Allah, in my view, represent the greatest threat on the planet now in the way that they are trying to take over the Yemeni government … apart from environmental issues.
“We had, what, 1,300 V2 rockets fired into the UK during World War Two? The Saudis have now faced over 200 long-range ballistic missiles, Iranian-made missiles. That is a very serious issue.”
The Yemeni president’s adviser, Abdulaziz al-Maflahi, welcomed the UK lawmaker’s “positive” remarks, describing them as “a step in the right direction.”
He reiterated that Houthis were responsible for Yemen’s humanitarian situation, saying they became Iranian tools in expanding Tehran’s sectarian plans in the region and threatening regional and international security.
The presidential adviser told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi measures were an “act of war against the entire population,” and said that they have besieged the Yemeni people.
He added that it was time for the insurgents to distance themselves from Iran and stop their “adventures.”
