Things need to be seen in a broader perspective. Since the Ayatollahs in came into power, Iran has become the "caretaker" of the Shia's across the globe. It appears they eventually want to become the dominant power in the region by fomenting trouble in countries where they have a population of Shias present. In the northern areas of this region, they are In Iraq and in Syria. In the west, they are in Lebanon. In the east they are in Bahrain where some years back, they had fomented trouble. Now they are in the South and have supported the Shias to take over the controls in Yemen. Their latest move to support the Shias in Yemen allowing them to take over the government by force, reflects broader plans of controlling the region, and due to the geographical location of Yemen, the all-important Red Sea shipping routes. One does not need to be a political wizard to understand this game of political chess that is being played in the region. There is also a sizable number of Shias in S Arabia itself mostly located in the Eastern Province of the country in the cities of Qatif and AlAhsa. In the 80's when the Iraq-Iran was taking place, the Shia's in S Arabia did carry out some terrorist activities in the kingdom in support of Iran, as S Arabia was then providing financial support to Iraq in its war with Iran. The leaders at the Arab Summit are realizing this new, developing, potential threat in the region and this is what has forced them to huddle together and chalk out plans to thwart the growing menace.
Things need to be seen in a broader perspective. Since the Ayatollahs in came into power, Iran has become the "caretaker" of the Shia's across the globe. It appears they eventually want to become the dominant power in the region by fomenting trouble in countries where they have a population of Shias present. In the northern areas of this region, they are In Iraq and in Syria. In the west, they are in Lebanon. In the east they are in Bahrain where some years back, they had fomented trouble. Now they are in the South and have supported the Shias to take over the controls in Yemen. Their latest move to support the Shias in Yemen allowing them to take over the government by force, reflects broader plans of controlling the region, and due to the geographical location of Yemen, the all-important Red Sea shipping routes. One does not need to be a political wizard to understand this game of political chess that is being played in the region. There is also a sizable number of Shias in S Arabia itself mostly located in the Eastern Province of the country in the cities of Qatif and AlAhsa. In the 80's when the Iraq-Iran was taking place, the Shia's in S Arabia did carry out some terrorist activities in the kingdom in support of Iran, as S Arabia was then providing financial support to Iraq in its war with Iran. The leaders at the Arab Summit are realizing this new, developing, potential threat in the region and this is what has forced them to huddle together and chalk out plans to thwart the growing menace.