White House: It is unclear whether Iran influences the Houthis or not

One day after the Yemeni Prime Minister resigned under pressure from Houthi Shiite rebels, the White House spokesperson stated that it is "unclear" whether Iran influences the Houthi rebels. According to Reuters, Josh Earnest emphasized on Friday, January 23, that the United States continues its counter-terrorism cooperation with Yemen and does not consider the Houthis' control over the Yemeni government as a sign of Iranian influence in the country. Mr. Earnest also clarified that "the political instability in Yemen does not indicate that the influence of the 'Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula' group has increased in Yemen." The political crisis in Yemen deepened on Thursday following the resignation announcement of the President, Prime Minister, and Cabinet of the country. Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen, is under house arrest, and Houthi militants continue to besiege the presidential palace and the residences of senior government officials. Yemeni officials have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of supporting the Houthi Shiites and interfering in Yemen's internal affairs, an accusation that Iran has always denied. Amid the ongoing political crisis in Yemen, thousands of Houthi supporters marched in Sana'a, the capital of the country, on Friday, chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Houthi opponents also held protests in Sana'a and in Aden, in the south of the country. According to Reuters, on Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in the Yemeni capital in protests against the Houthis. Witnesses reported that the number of demonstrators reached "10,000," and the marchers chanted slogans against the Houthi Shiites and also against Al-Qaeda. The U.S. "seeks to continue cooperation with the Yemeni government against Al-Qaeda." The White House spokesperson continued on Friday, stating: "The United States is concerned about the political instability in Yemen and considers the Al-Qaeda branch in that country, namely Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the most dangerous group in the world." According to Josh Earnest, the U.S. political approach to Yemen has not changed, and the Obama administration continues to have "close cooperation" with Yemen's national security infrastructure. He emphasized that the Houthi Shiites and Al-Qaeda are "enemies of each other," stating: "We have closely collaborated with the [Abdrabbuh Mansur] Hadi government and certainly seek to continue cooperation with the Yemeni government to continue this important counter-terrorism effort."