Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa called for a ground offensive “to eliminate the Iranian influence” in Yemen, in an interview with France’s Le Figaro newspaper published Thursday.
“We need to be present on the ground to obtain the application of UN Resolution 2216 and the return of the legitimate authority to power,” he said, according to AFP.
“We must be sure that we completely eliminate the Iranian influence and that of their Huthi allies.”
Bahrain is part of an Arab coalition that since March has been striking from the air at the Shiite Houthi rebels in a bid to prevent them from taking full control of Yemen and to restore the rule of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who is exiled in Saudi Arabia.
Also on Thursday, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister said explosives smuggled on boats from Iran seized by Bahraini authorities in July were enough to destroy the Bahraini capital Manama, Al Arabiya News reported.
He urged the regime in Iran to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and said Tehran should stop what he described as “dualism” between its language and actions, the Bahraini News Agency reported.
