Hassan Nasrallah to Saudi Arabia: You Will Be Defeated and Humiliated in Yemen

According to AFP, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Lebanon, stated in a televised speech on Friday, April 7, "The outcome of this war is clear; Saudi Arabia will be defeated and the people of Yemen will achieve an undeniable victory." Hezbollah Lebanon is a Shia political-military group supported by Iran in Lebanon. Iran is accused of supporting the Shia Houthi rebels, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has strongly condemned Saudi Arabia's operations against them. Previously, Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, stated, "Iran supports the Houthis' struggles in Yemen." Velayati expressed hope that Ansar Allah (another name for the Houthis) would play a role in Yemen similar to that of Hezbollah in Lebanon. In recent months, the Houthis have deposed the Yemeni government, which is backed by Arab countries and global powers, by capturing Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi then fled to the southern city of Aden, but the Houthis were advancing towards this city, prompting Saudi Arabia to form a military coalition with powerful Arab-Islamic countries to begin air operations against the Houthi rebels. The United States has also supported this operation. The Islamic Republic of Iran has strongly opposed the military intervention of Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen, and now the leader of Hezbollah Lebanon has stated that Saudi Arabia will be defeated in this war. Nasrallah described the operation as "unjust" and "illegal," urging Arab leaders to end the "aggression" against the Houthis. In addition to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Sudan, and Morocco are also involved in this air operation. The stated goal of this operation is to "restore power to the legitimate government of Yemen." However, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Lebanon said, "This is the right of the oppressed; the people of Yemen are resisting and defending themselves." Nasrallah also called for a "political solution" to the crisis. Nevertheless, he addressed Saudi leaders, stating that they want to restore their "hegemony" over Yemen: "The problem is you; you have failed. Your methods have failed." Hassan Nasrallah added, "Saudi leaders have one last chance before they are defeated and humiliated, and that is to treat the Yemenis like brothers and start dialogues while the door is still open." The Shia militants of Hezbollah Lebanon have been fighting for years in Syria against armed opponents of Bashar al-Assad. The majority of Yemen's 24 million population are Sunni.