Eritrea denies channeling Iranian support to Houthis

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Eritrean Foreign Ministry has dismissed reports that alleged Iranian support to Shiite Houthi militant group was being channeled through the Horn of Africa nation.

"The government of Eritrea has been monitoring such repeated and groundless allegations claiming at one time that 'there exist Israeli bases in Eritrea' and at another 'Iranian bases,'" the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry went on to denounce "the practice of unethical and unprofessional acts of certain media outlets."

"Eritrea views the crisis [in Yemen] as an internal matter," the statement said.

The release came after Saudi media outlets recently alleged that the Eritrean government is supporting the Houthi insurgency in Yemen.

A week ago, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have started pounding Houthi positions across Yemen.

Riyadh says the strikes are in response to appeals by embattled President Abd Rabbu Manshour Hadi to "save the [Yemeni] people from the Houthi militias."

Fractious Yemen has remained in turmoil since last September, when the Houthis overran capital Sanaa, from which they have sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country.

Some Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's Houthi insurgency.