Arabian Peninsula / Persian Gulf update 7/29/2017...Yemeni forces take Saudi positions in Jizan

Yemeni forces take Saudi positions in Jizan

English news bulletin

Yemeni Forces Hit UAE Warship off Coast of Mukha

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An Emirati warship was targeted by the Yemeni naval forces and Ansarullah movement off the coast of Mukha port city in Ta’iz Province on Saturday. Local activists reported that the warship was in Yemen’s territorial waters, near the port city of Mocha, when it came under attack by the allied forces confronting the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen. According to reports, the Yemeni troops fired several rockets at the Emirati vessel after the ship sailed to the striking range of their forces.

Meantime, Al-Masireh TV Network quoted the Yemeni Naval forces and Ansarullah fighters as saying that the warship was destroyed by a “qualitative weapon”. A military source also confirmed late June that a Saudi-led coalition warship was targeted by the Yemeni forces off the coast of Mukha port city. Meanwhile, Vice-Spokesman of the Yemeni Army Brigadier General Aziz Rashed also disclosed that the country’s forces have used an advanced secret weapon in their recent attack on a Saudi-led coalition warship in the Southern waters of Yemen.

More than 10 warships have been hit by the Yemeni army and popular committees since the start of the military operations conducted in reaction to the Riyadh and its allies aggression.

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US Aircraft Carrier Changes Course after Facing IRGC Navy Missile-Launching Frigate

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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy’s fourth naval zone announced in a statement on Saturday that the US naval forces have for the second time in a week made a provocative move in the Persian Gulf. “The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and an accompanying cruiser flew a helicopter and approached the IRGC’s vessels on Friday 4pm while they were monitored and traced by the missile-launching frigates of Zolfaqar Naval regiment of the IRGC Navy’s fourth zone in Resalat oil-gas region (in the middle parts of the Persian Gulf),” the IRGC Navy said in a statement on Saturday. It added that the incident happened a few days after another US cruiser had fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel in the Northern parts of the Persian Gulf.

The statement blasted the “Americans’ provocative and unprofessional move”, and said the IRGC vessels continued their mission in the region after the US warships fired warning flares, forcing the US aircraft carrier and cruiser to leave the region.

The IRGC Navy said on Tuesday that it has frustrated a provocative move by a US navy ship in the Persian Gulf after it allegedly fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel. “This morning, a US Navy ship in the Northern part of the Persian Gulf sailed towards an IRGC Navy’s patrol ship, which was patrolling in international waters, and fired two shots into the air with the aim of provocation and intimidation,” the IRGC said in a statement. The IRGC Navy’s ship paid no attention to the “provocative and unprofessional” move by the US Navy and continued with its mission, it added. “After a while, the US Navy ship left the area,” the IRGC said.

The IRGC issued the statement after some Western media outlets quoted a US official as saying that a US Navy ship had fired warning shots toward an Iranian vessel near the Northern Persian Gulf on Tuesday after the Iranian vessel came within 150 yards (137 meters) of it. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed the USS Thunderbolt fired the warning shots after the Iranian vessel ignored radio calls and the ship’s whistle. Iran has also repeatedly warned that any act of transgression into Iran’s territorial waters would be met with an immediate and befitting response.

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Qatar Accuses Saudi Arabia of Politicising Hajj

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Qatar accused Saudi Arabia of politicising the Hajj, claiming Riyadh has imposed restrictions on Qatari nationals planning to travel to Mecca for the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

Qatar’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Saturday that Qatari citizens have been told they can only enter Saudi Arabia through two airports, and that they must travel via Doha to be allowed in, Al-Jazeera reported. This would be challenging for Qataris who do not live in Doha, such as those studying abroad.

The NHRC added that it has filed a complaint with the UN special rapporteur on freedom of belief and religion over the restrictions, which it said were in “stark violation of international laws and agreements that guarantee the right to worship”. The NHRC said it was “extremely concerned over [Saudi Arabia] politicising religious rituals and using [Hajj] to achieve political gains”.

“The Saudi authorities have allowed the Qatari pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia only through two airports via Qatar only, thus any Qatari citizen located outside Qatar, must first return to Qatar then travel to Saudi Arabia,” it added. The civil liberties group also announced that it will lodge a second complaint against Saudi Arabia with UNESCO for subjecting Qatari nationals to harassment and threats in Saudi territory.

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Arab Think-Tank: Saudi King-to-Be to Increase Tensions with Iran

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A leading Arab think-tank underlined said Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia would try hard to heighten tensions with Iran as soon as he replaces his father.

Iran and the dissidents inside Saudi Arabia believe that Mohammed bin Salman’s succession to power will further inflame the fire of tensions not only with Tehran but in the region given bin Salman’s little experience and the existence of different lobbies that pressure him, al-Naba’ strategic studies center wrote on Saturday.

It referred to bin Salman’s recent remarks that any battle between Riyadh and Tehran would take place on Iran’s soil, and said he claimed that his country is a primary target for Iran and charged that Iran sought to control the Islamic world. “We won’t wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia,” Prince Mohammed said, “instead, we’ll work so that the battle is for them in Iran.”

The Arab think-tank stressed that such harsh and threatening remarks have never been uttered by any other high-ranking Saudi official and therefore, create concerns in the region and the world.

It added that if bin Salman ascends to power, he will use his cards to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs by supporting the dissidents and minorities which oppose the political establishment in Iran, including certain groups in Ahvaz or other regions.

The Arab media have been reporting recently that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is much likely to step down in favor of his son Mohammed, the new crown prince, within the next few months.

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