Paris-Based Political Lebanese Analyst Ali Naseredine: Houthis Are Used by Iran; If the Head Is "Chopped Off," the Hands and Tail Will Follow

Paris-based political analyst Ali Naseredine said in a September 14, 2019 interview on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) that he believes Iran is directly behind the recent Houthi bombings of the Abqaiq and Khurais oil fields in Saudi Arabia because it and Hizbullah provide weapons, expertise, and logistical support to the Houthi rebels, which he described as "putty in the hands" of Iran. He also said that the Iranians are cowards because they hide behind terrorism in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. He added: "If Iran's head is not chopped off, the hands and tail of this Iranian enterprise will not be chopped off, either."

Following are excerpts:

Ali Naseredine: I believe that there is an effort to portray the Houthis as if they are superpower and to portray Saudi Arabia as being unable to confront them or as if it is unable to protect itself and some of its installations. The terrorist act that the Houthis committed today [in Abqaiq and Khurais] by launching ten drones – eight from Yemen and two from Iraq – raises the following questions: Is this really a war with the Houthis? I believe that Iran has entered this war directly. True, it is done by Arab, Houthi hands in Arab land, but the weapons, the experts, and all the logistics are given to the Houthis by Iran and Hizbullah from Lebanon as support. Hizbullah has openly declared that it is present in Yemen, supporting the Houthis. I may be a little harsh, but I believe that the Iranians are cowards, because they always hide behind terror, like they did in Beirut in the bombings of the American and French marines, and like they do today in Syria, hiding behind the young people of Hizbullah. Also, when Israel bombs them, they run away.

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Saudi Arabia is the vanguard that is protecting the honor of this nation, and it is the country that is protecting the very existence of this nation from Iranian invasion and occupation. What Iran has done in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, and what it is doing today in Lebanon, is destroying these peoples and countries. We talk about the Houthis… The Houthis are nothing but [putty] in the hands of Iran. I believe that Iran will keep acting this way, and if Iran's head is not chopped off, the hands and tail of this Iranian enterprise will not be chopped off, either.