Pordestan: Saudi Arabia's Mercenary Army in Yemen Will Be Defeated

The commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, Ahmadreza Pordestan, referred to the Saudi army as 'mercenary' and predicted that the military intervention of this country in Yemen 'will certainly fail.' In a press conference on Sunday, April 23, he stated, 'Not a single bullet has been fired towards the Saudi army yet, but we see signs of defeat in the mercenary army of Saudi Arabia; woe to the day when a few firecrackers are shot in Riyadh.' Saudi Arabia and its allied Arab countries are attempting to force the Houthi rebels and their military units to retreat through airstrikes and by blocking maritime routes, thereby creating conditions for the return of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen's official president, to power. The Islamic Republic strongly opposes this action, and many Iranian parliament members and officials have warned that Saudi Arabia will fail in its operations. Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Saturday, April 22, that two members of Iran's Quds Force were captured by anti-Houthi militants in the city of Aden, southern Yemen. However, a 'well-informed source in the Iranian Foreign Ministry' denied this news, stating that 'no Iranian military forces are present in Yemen.' According to AFP, Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that since the coalition led by the Saudis began its airstrikes against the Houthis in late March, 'at least 500 Shia rebels' have been killed in border clashes along the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border. 'We are preparing for the atmosphere of proxy wars.' Some analysts have previously characterized the unrest and battles in Yemen as a sectarian proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, former U.S. President Barack Obama stated on Thursday, February 19, 2015, 'The Shiite-Sunni war will end when governments resolve their differences through dialogue, not through proxy wars.' Although Obama did not name these countries, AFP noted that Saudi Arabia and Iran are accused of trying to increase their influence in the region by supporting rival groups in Middle Eastern countries. Nonetheless, Ahmadreza Pordestan, in his remarks on Sunday, spoke of proxy wars and emphasized, 'Boko Haram and ISIS are committing crimes on behalf of the United States; we are also preparing for the atmosphere of proxy wars.' He added, 'Of course, we are monitoring threats and also practicing asymmetric warfare tactics.' Pordestan had previously warned that a depth of 40 kilometers into Iraqi territory is 'Iran's red line' for groups he described as 'terrorist.' Meanwhile, Mohsen Azarafrouz, commander of the 33rd Artillery Group of the Iranian Army, reported on Wednesday, January 14, 2015, that this group had returned to Kurdistan province 'after the proximity of the ISIS group to the Iranian border.' A few months later, however, Qeymourth Heydari, deputy commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, announced on February 22, 2015, that the 'special mission' of this force in the western borders of the country to potentially counter the Islamic State (formerly ISIS) had ended.