SHAFAQNA – In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Sheikh Naim Qassem said Saudi Arabia made a “strategic mistake” by interfering in Yemen’s internal affairs and warned that the kingdom will “pay a heavy price” for the campaign. More than two weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Shia rebels known as Houthis have failed to stop the rebel power grab. The Saudi campaign has also turned Yemen into a new proxy war between the kingdom and Iran, which has backed the Houthis, though Tehran denies aiding the rebels militarily. Hezbollah is a close Iran ally.
“Saudi Arabia has embroiled itself and will incur very serious losses that have started to show and will increasingly reflect on its status, its internal situation and its role in the region,” Qassem said. “What happened in Yemen is a crime that cannot be ignored … Saudi Arabia is committing genocide in Yemen, we cannot be silent after that.” Qassem, who spoke in southern Beirut, suggested that the situation inside Saudi Arabia could implode as a result of its “aggression” in Yemen.