Saudi pushing Yemen into al-Qaeda hands: al-Qaeda

Press TV has interviewed Hussain al-Bukhaiti, an activist and political commentator in Sana’a, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s ongoing aggression against Yemen.

What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Tell us about this situation as it took place today. It seems that on the one hand the Saudi attacks are continuing and they are not backing off and on the other hand we also see lots of retaliatory attacks and successful attacks by Ansarullah.

Bukhaiti: We have seen lately in Saudis latest retaliation attack, they concentrate their attack on civilian areas. At the beginning of this war against Yemen, they did bomb military bases and civilian areas but now we have seen most of their bombings could be 80 to 90 percent on civilian areas.

We have seen in the last two weeks they bombed two wedding, killing about two hundred and injuring many and today they have targeted a mosque in al-Khubar in al-Hudaydah and as well they have targeted a building block in Ta’izz and there are reports of dozens of casualties and they bombed as you mentioned a prison in al-Ghaydah and we know that many prisons in Yemen especially the ones in the south or in al-Ghaydah with the border with the south, those prisons have many people who are related or linked directly to al-Qaeda and we have seen that the Saudis have bombed. This is not the first prison. They have bombed a prison before in Hajjah at the beginning of the war. They bombed Sa’ada prison. They bombed as well now al-Ghaydah prison and when Hadi fled from Sana’a to Aden, he had opened the door for all prisoners there.

It is so clear that the Saudis want to bring chaos to Yemen and they want to let it go under the hand of al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda is in much control of the south especially in Hadhramaut. They have released all the prisoners in al-Mukalla prison and I think this is all an international plan headed by the Saudi and the American and the British and as well the Israelis are involved because at the beginning of Saudi campaign in Yemen, Netanyahu has mentioned that the situation in Yemen is so dangerous because if ... that will fall in the hand of the Houthis, this will affect Israel directly. And there are many reports in Israeli newspaper claiming there is direct involvement of Israeli air force or Israeli intelligent services in providing the Saudis like areas to target in Yemen and we have not heard anything from the international community or the UN.

And we know that last week Ansarullah and the GPC (the General People's Congress) and many parties inside Yemen have agreed to the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 which was the Saudis keep asking to do this and still now the Saudis and the former President Hadi are still refusing to accept this and this shows that they do not want peace in Yemen, they just want a continuous attack and destruction of Yemen. And yesterday they have targeted a Somali refugee [camp], killing and injuring dozens of them. So everybody in Yemen not only Houthis as they say is under the Saudi target and their killing machine.

Press TV: I want to look at, you just mentioned something about Israeli involvement, I want to talk about that. There have been various analysts saying different things. Can you expand on that, if the Israelis are involved, how much are they involved and what do you see then as being the reason that they would be present on the scene?  

Bukhaiti: There are reports that like the command center of this war in Khamis Mushait, half American officers and British and as well Israeli officers because Israel looked to Ansarullah, the Houthi as similar to Hezbollah and we have seen as well the tactic that is used in Yemen is similar to what Israel done and still doing in Gaza and as well it is the same tactic used in Lebanon.

They targeted military areas, they destroyed all bridges, they targeted airport, they targeted water stations, they targeted ports, they have blockade against Yemen as the same they had it at that time against Gaza and the Saudis still blaming Ansarullah, the Houthi and Yemeni army for example for having blockade on Ta’izz and this is all lies because if there is no water in Sana’a or Sa’ada, there will be no water as well in Ta’izz because they have destroyed all roads, all bridges and they blockade all fuel and to have water in many areas you need fuel.

And in Ta’izz, I mean I lived in Ta’izz like five years between 1995 and 2000, and it is one of the worst cities that have lack of water and this was before any war. So can you imagine the situation now? But they still blame Yemeni army and Ansarullah for this and this is all lies and it is the same tactic and lies that the Israelis have used against Lebanon and as well against Gaza.   

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