Saudi Arabian King Abdullah dies at age 90 as Yemeni President Resigns

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Died at Age 90

Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi had agreed to demands that included giving the Shiite Houthi rebels greater powers, but he and his cabinet resigned Thursday. (Jason DeCrow/AP)

By Marion Algier – AskMarion

It was a bad day for the United States and Middle East relations as both the Yemeni President, a U.S. ally, resigned and the powerful Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, another powerful U.S. ally who fought against al-Qaida and sought to modernize the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom, including nudging along greater opportunities for women, has died at age 90, on the same day.

More than his hidebound and guarded predecessors, Abdullah assertively threw his oil-rich nation’s weight behind trying to shape the Middle East. His priority was to counter the influence of rival, primarily Shi’ite Iran wherever it tried to make advances.

The Yemini government’s collapse could also plunge Yemen into full-scale civil war. The Houthi rebels are widely ­considered to be backed by ­Shiite-majority Iran, although they deny it. Yemen’s population is majority Sunni, and there is a strong separatist movement in the Sunni-dominated south.

The resignations of  President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his cabinet in Yemen are  likely to set off alarms not just in Washington, D.C. but in Sunni Arab capitals, especially in neighboring Saudi Arabia whose future policies are now also uncertain. Saudi Arabia has backed Hadi’s government with billions of dollars and views Iran as its foremost regional rival.

The loss of these two leaders will certainly have a negative impact.  Liz Cheney appeared on ‘On the Record’ and spoke with Martha McCallum about the impact of Abdullah’s death.

Video:  Yemen President Resigns Amid Pressure From Shiite Rebels – On The Record

Video:  Israeli Media: Iran Has New Missile – U.S.-Allied Yemeni Gov’t Falls To Rebels – The Kelly File

These events put Iran in the driver’s seat in many situations in the Middle East while the Obama administration appears to think that their negotiations with Iran are effectively stopping Iran from developing a nuclear bomb… Or they at least they want us to believe that.

The loss of these two leaders and U.S. friends in the Middle East will certainly bring challenges for the U.S. as well as for Israel.  It certainly will deepen the challenges in fighting al-Qaeda and ISIS for the Big and Little Satan countries, as they call the U.S. and Israel as well for their allies.

Below are videos of the most recent Congressional hearings on Iran sanctions.

On the Kelly File, Megyn Kelly reported there may be enough votes for a veto override on Iran sanctions. The title of the video is one topic that is covered, but also covered is the veto override on sanctions. Governor Huckabee is the guest.

Video: WH Caught Off Guard As House Speaker Boehner Invites Israel PM Netanyahu To DC – The Kelly File

Video: Dem Sen. Menendez: Obama Admin’s Position on Iran Sounds like Talking Points from Tehran

Video: Dem Sen Bob Menendez: Tehran Treating Its Parliament Better Than The WH Is Treating Congress

The affects of President Obama’s foreign policy will certainly bring the administration under fire.

Obama’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program has been ‘halted’ and its nuclear stockpile ‘reduced’ – Fact Check

Video: Pres Obama’s Foreign Policy Under Fire – Gov Scott Walker – The Kelly File