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Middle East a Powder Keg as Saudi Bombing of Yemen Resumes
Middle East a Powder Keg as Saudi Bombing of Yemen Resumes
- Saudi operation in Yemen enters new phase as U.S. and Iranian Navies gather in the Gulf of Aden
- Saudi's blame Houthi rebels and Iran for Saudi bombardment of Yemen, supported by US
- Chinese President Xi calls Saudi King Salman urging speedy resolution to crisis, Chinese media take neutral stance
- Russian media describes Saudi operation as ethnic cleansing and Iranian media emphasise that Saudi is operating without a UN mandate to restore their ally, the former President, to power in Yemen
While the US beefs up its navy presence around the Gulf of Aden - apparently in response to Iran dispatching a navy convoy to bring arms to the Yemeni rebels - the Saudi's operation has entered a new phase.
Following an initial announcement on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia was to end its bombardment of Yemen, it later resumed bombing of rebel positions. The risk of a 'proxy' war remains real.
U.S. Navy officials confirmed to AP that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is in Yemeni waters to intercept an Iranian weapons shipments. This was then denied and the U.S. said it was there to “keep shipping lanes in the region open” as Iran parked two warships off the Yemeni coast.
The resumption of violence was played down by the Saudi government who insist that any further bombings will be in response to Houthi rebel actions.
Iran's Press TV reports, "Saudi government spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri, in a broadcast late on Tuesday, announced the termination of the first phase of the Saudi war on Yemen, which was codenamed as the so-called Decisive Storm against Yemen."
The latest phase of Saudi's war in Yemen which has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people is being called "Renewal of Hope" according to the New York Times.
"Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, said the campaign was shifting to a new phase — one in which Saudi airstrikes would be more limited and come only in response to Houthi attacks, such as the assault against Yemeni troops in Taiz", reports The New York Times.
The New York Times refers to "Saudi insistence on continuing to wield airstrikes as a cudgel, if necessary, to batter rebel Houthi leaders to the bargaining table".
It adds, incongruously, that "The Houthis issued a statement declaring that they were ready 'to resume political dialogue' under United Nations auspices, but only after 'a complete end to the aggression against Yemen and the lifting of the blockade.' "
The wider regional and global implications of the war remain significant.
If Iran is intent on arming the rebels - a claim which is as yet unsubstantiated - it will be impossible for the West to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on them while Saudi Arabia interferes in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation without any kind of mandate.
The U.S. appears to have lost a degree of control over its main Arabian ally, the New York Times reports.
"'Once your clients have a quasi-independent military capacity, you lose some control over them,' said F. Gregory Gause III, a Middle East specialist at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service."
The narrow Gulf of Aden is a potential flash-point between the Iranian and U.S. navies. It could also be a flashpoint between the Saudi and Iranian militaries.
Thus far the Chinese media have shown no clear support for either side. But China is concerned by unfolding events in the Gulf region. President Xi called King Salmon of Saudi Arabia over the weekend, urging for a political solution to the crisis.
Russia Today has described the Saudi's operation as being about "chaos and violence and genocide" in Yemen. Iran's Press TV has emphasises the illegal nature of the Saudi's actions and the the blatant use of violence to restore power to their ally, former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in a sovereign nation.
The new flashpoint comes at a time when ISIS is becoming a new and volatile force in the unstable region. Instability and chaos is a recipe for higher oil prices in the long term.
The Saudi bombing of Yemen is another flash point and will deepen tensions between the U.S., NATO allies and Russia and indeed China. Geopolitical risk remains high and the region remains a powder keg that is likely to explode as has already been seen in Syria and much of North Africa.
Breaking Gold News and Research Here
MARKET UPDATE
Today’s AM LBMA Gold Price was USD 1,187.75, EUR 1,107.92 and GBP 792.31 per ounce.
Yesterday’s AM LBMA Gold Price was USD 1,202.40, EUR 1,113.44 and GBP 799.19 per ounce.
Gold fell 1.25 percent or $15.00 and closed at $1,186.80 an ounce yesterday, while silver slipped 1.37 percent or $0.22 closing at $15.79 an ounce.

- Silver in US Dollars - 10 Years
Strong U.S. housing data sent spot gold in Singapore below the $1,200 an ounce level in its largest drop in a month. U.S. home resales surged to its highest figure in 18 months. There has been six consecutive months of home sale increases. This data may prompt investors to revisit the possibility of a June Fed interest rate hike.
The U.S. FOMC has a policy meeting next week April 28-29th. The dollar also strengthened which weighed on the yellow metal. A large bullion price drop often triggers technical selling.
The Greek debt crisis still looms over the precious metals market and supports safe haven bids for bullion.
In London in late morning trading gold is flat at $1,189.00. Silver is up 0.30 percent at $15.88. Platinum is down 0.35 percent at $1,128.00.
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May I add to the 'wtf are we doing over there, anyways' query by asking you guys something?
Can anyone here tell me - please tell me - where all of the online hate for Russia comes from? Just how is it that American males can become so enraged by the mere thought of a country or head of state 10,000 miles away, a culture about which they know literally nothing, and places they've never seen?
I was watching YT vieos from foreign news sources covering Ukraine/Donbas and read the comments. Wow... just wow. Sooo much Russia hate, it was _everywhere_.
What injury has Russia ever done to any American? I feel like I'm living in 1930's Germany: young man with plenty of blood in their eyes, full of rage, and they never stop to question the reasons why.
Bombing with US military weapons. Oorah!
beefing up our Naval presence...aka an accident waiting to happen
wtf are we doing over there anyways?
This is incorrect. "Yemen" is not a "flashpoint." There will be no wider war because Saudi Arabia must now invade Yemen.
However there will be disruptions in the oil market because the bulk of Saudi production will be off the table while the operation is ongoing.
I would have given the operation a matter of weeks after the initial onslaught but now it looks like years.
'Thus far the Chinese media have shown no clear support for either side. But China is concerned by unfolding events in the Gulf region.'
Fucking sat-on-the-fence pussys, the Chinese won't do fuck all EVER, if the U.S, army took full control of Russia and parked missile batteries all along the Russian/Chinese border it would be the same shit.."Ohh, we are concerned!" and as the bombs rained down on them the Chinese people would be waving little stars and stripes flags as their kids and grandkids lay dying at their feet...
Again, 'Fucking Pussys."
the ME has been a "powder keg" all my life (53 years) - tell me something new - I'm getting bored
Higher oil prices whodathunkit? Think the Saudis might need a little extra oil to run their operations? Think they might need higher prices to pay the soldiers?
With no UN mandate, Saudi's attack and bomb a sovereign nation, Yemen, in order to restore power to their ally, former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Obviously, the US and EU can be expected to soon declare sanctions against Saudi Arabia.
Oh wait, "The job is not done" says the White House.
The US has been involved in a support role in Yemen, helping Saudi planes pick targets and assisting in the naval blockade which is causing humanitarian shortages.
http://news.antiwar.com/2015/04/22/white-house-to-saudis-job-is-not-done...
Cluster, meet fuck. The UN is only useful for PR purposes and we'll only hear from them after the disaster is well underway. The big thing is our wimp-in-chief Obutthole can't make up his mind to do anything but play golf, so all the players are going with their own plans. Middle east has always been a rolling disaster but there is nobody, good or bad, trying to slow down the train wreck anymore. The place is going up in flames and the nihilists are celebrating....
For once we have a post that hits the nail on the head in ME cauldron:
"It is the military independence of the ally (Saud) from their hegemonic partner (USA)"... that signifies the weakening of the 70 year old deal between FDR and Saud.
Especially as Syrac dystopia has cut the ground from under saudi sunni wahhabism's claim of it being a religiously stabilizing factor amongst the Sunni Umma. Not so anymore. Especially as the nuclear deal imminent between US and Iran means Iran comes back into the international fold as it is no longer perceived in West as "seat of satanic terrorism".
If the financial weakening of the US means Oil leaves the USD monopoly, if the military diversity of Saud's purchases moves away from US MIC dominance, if Iran develops a relation to the ongoing Asian Pivot of Putin/China, we enter a NWO and that...
Whaddya say, 2 more years of this nonsense? Three!
Finally! Proof of Iran's support for the Houthis... kind of.
URGENT: Saudi Arabia Bars Iran's Cargo Plane from Entering Yemen's Airspace
Two well-known terrorist organizations - the Red Cross and the Red Crescent societies - attempted to smuggle in weaponized food and medical aid and were preparing to airlift injured child and elderly 'terrorists' from Sana. Heroic Saudi fighter pilots defied all odds and secured victory by chasing the unarmed humanitarian charter flight out of Yemeni airspace before it could unload the lethal medical aid and evacuate the injured so-called civilians.
The U.S., israel and Saudi Arabia (the Axis of Evil) applauded the brave Saudi pilots for preventing the plane from landing. "Everyone in Yemen is a terrorist, so any so-called aid goes directly to terrorists. The faster Yemenis die, the faster Saudi Arabia can annex it and bring peace, liberty and freedom to al Qaeda in Yemen. Operation Decisive Storm is meeting its primary goal: dead Yemenis and destruction of infrastructure (which is already resulting in even more dead Yemenis). We would hate to have the Saudi AF stop the bombing too early and have the death goals suffer."