The armed “resistance” groups against Israel have “their own means” and act based on “their own decisions and capabilities”, according to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Iran has rejected US accusations of involvement in Yemen's Houthi rebel attacks on merchant ships. The armed “resistance” groups against Israel have “their own means” and act based on “their own decisions and capabilities,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the Mehr news agency on Saturday.
Bagheri was responding to statements by US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson on Friday that Iran was “significantly involved in planning operations against merchant ships in the Red Sea”. The fact that “certain powers such as the Americans and the Israelis are suffering attacks from the resistance movement” should “in no way call into question their strength in the region”, added the Iranian deputy foreign minister.
“Axis of Resistance”
The Houthi rebels, supported by Tehran, consider themselves part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel. Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas, the Houthi militia in Yemen has carried out 100 drone and rocket attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, according to the US Department of Defense.
According to US intelligence released by the White House, Tehran provided the Houthis with drones and missiles, as well as tactical intelligence for these attacks. (APA/AFP)