Iran already in an unconventional war with Saudi Arabia via proxies

While not declaring war on Saudi Arabia, Iran was believed to be helping both Al Qaida as well as Shi’ite rebels in neighboring Yemen to take over the area along the Saudi border.

Saudi Arabia has responded with heavy air strikes on suspected Shi’ite rebel strongholds in both the kingdom and Yemen.

Riyad is under no illusions about Iran’s intentions. The next clash could take place during the Hajj later this month, when thousands of Iranian agents riot in Mecca.

Gulf sources and analysts said Yemeni rebels want to widen the war against the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They said the Iranian-backed Believing Youth has been aided by Iran to attack Saudi Arabia.

“The Saudis do not want to end up with a strong militia in their southern neighbor similar to Hizbullah,” Mustafa Al Alani, research director of the Gulf Research Center, said.

Al Alani said Saudi Arabia has sought to prevent attacks by the Believing Youth. He said the Shi’ite rebels were attacking Saudi outposts along the 1,500-kilometer border with Yemen.

Officials in Yemen said the Interior Ministry has gathered evidence of coordination between the Shi’ite Believing Youth and Al Qaida. They said the two militias were believed to be cooperating in the northern Yemeni province of Saada and along the border with Saudi Arabia.

“In the past, these two organizations have announced their support for each other,” Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al Qurbi said. “It seems that Al Qaida and Al Houthis [Believing Youth] have coordinated to undermine the security and stability of Yemen.”

In a Nov. 3 interview with the Saudi-owned daily Al Hayat, Al Qurbi said the Sanaa government was investigating allegations of cooperation between Shi’ite rebels and Al Qaida. The foreign minister said both insurgency groups were united in their efforts to destabilize Yemen.

“There have been investigations of contacts between the two as well as efforts to coordinate,” Al Qurbi said.

Officials said Saudi Arabia has enhanced security assistance to Yemen to battle insurgency. But Al Qurbi did not confirm reports by the Believing Youth that Riyad was helping in Yemeni attacks on the Shi’ite rebels in Saada. Reports from Iran asserted that 1,000 Saudi troops were fighting the rebels near the Yemeni border.

“The cooperation between security agencies in both countries achieved outstanding results in the defeat of the terrorist organization [Al Qaida] and cooperation to hunt down remnants,” Al Qurbi said.

Al Qurbi said Sanaa was also investigating reports that Iran was helping the Shi’ite rebellion. He said Sanaa has identified elements within Iran as sending aid to the Believing Youth.

“The finger of suspicion point to several [Shi'ite] seminaries in Iran and abroad,” Al Qurbi said.

On Nov. 2, the Believing Youth said Saudi Arabia has allowed the Yemen Army to use the Jabal Al Dukhan base for attacks on Shi’ite rebels. The Shi’ite movement said the Saudi policy marked a “flagrant aggression and dangerous intervention.”

On the following day, unidentified insurgents clashed with Saudi border guards at an outpost in Jizan near Yemen. At least one Saudi officer was reported to have been killed when a Saudi border patrol came under heavy fire. Several other soldiers were injured in an attack attributed to Al Qaida.

“We advise the Saudi regime to remain impartial and not allow the Yemeni army to use its territories to attack us, because we would be otherwise forced to retaliate,” Believing Youth said. On Nov. 3, Shi’ite rebels attacked a Saudi military outpost near the southwestern town of Jizan. At least one Saudi soldier was killed and 11 others were injured in the mountainous border region of Jabal Al Dukhan.

This marked the deadliest clash between the Yemeni rebels and Saudi Arabia. In October, Yemeni Shi’ites infiltrated Saudi Arabia and confronted security forces along the border in what analysts said marked operations supported by Iran.

“The recent seizure of an Iranian boat carrying weapons destined for Yemeni rebels is a primary example,” Saudi analyst Ali Al Atiyyah said.

For its part, the Believing Youth said the rebels captured a sliver of Saudi territory. The movement said Riyad was allowing the Yemeni military to use a Saudi base to attack the Shi’ite rebels.

“If the Saudi regime continues to attack us, we will defend ourselves,” the Believing Youth said.

Saudi sources said Yemeni rebels attacked border communities in the Arab kingdom.

They said Saudis fled from about 10 villages to escape the Believing Youth.

The Saudi military has counter-attacked. On Nov. 5, the Royal Saudi Air Force sent F-15 and Tornado combat jets to attack Believing Youth positions near Jazan. The sources said the Saudi air strikes, in what they deemed a major operation, have been coordinated with the Yemeni military.

The Shi’ite rebels said Saudi fighter-jets also struck six targets inside Yemen. Riyad has denied military operations in Yemen.

“Saudi Arabia is capable of protecting its lands,” the Gulf Cooperation Council said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has bolstered its security force amid threats that Iran could disrupt the annual Islamic pilgrimage.

Officials said the Interior Ministry has intensified efforts to monitor the millions of pilgrims expected to attend the Haj in late November. They said the biggest threat was deemed as stemming from Iran, which has sought to increase its attendance at the pilgrimage.

“The kingdom’s policy does not allow any party to tamper with the smooth operation of Haj events and undermine the security of pilgrims,” the Saudi Cabinet said on Nov. 2.

[On Nov. 3, Saudi Arabia held its first missile defense exercise with the United States. Officials said the live fire test included the interception of seven targets by the Patriot missile defense system.]

Officials said the Interior Ministry would deploy more than 63,000 officers to secure the Haj. They said the officers would be equipped with everything from armored personnel carriers, motorcyles to helicopters.

“We have completed all the preparations to tackle any emergency situations during the Haj,” Saudi Civil Defense director Brig. Gen. Jamil Arbaeen said.

Arbaeen said security, medical and rescue teams would be positioned throughout Mecca. He said Civil Defense has identified points of friction throughout the city.

“We have already located danger-prone zones at the holy sites,” Arbaeen said. “All highly advanced techniques are in place to get fast information and tackle the situation without any delay.”

Officials said Saudi authorities were bracing for what they termed a provocation by Iranian pilgrims. They said the Iranians would come under intense monitoring throughout their stay in the Saudi kingdom.

On Nov. 2, the first Iranian pilgrims landed in Saudi Arabia and were said to undergo seven hours of fingerprints and photography. The pilgrims were said to have called government officials in Teheran and complained of discrimination.

The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎ Ḥaǧǧ) is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a moral obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah (God). The pilgrimage occurs from the 7th to 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. In 2009 that will be November 25–29. Ihram is the name given to the special state in which Muslims live whilst on the pilgrimage. In 2008 3 million Muslims pilgrims participated.