Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 5 May 1934, page 23


FIGHTING IN ARABIA

YEMEN INVADED

By Warlike Wahabis

British Warship Sent to Hodeida

CAIRO, May 3.

As the result of the war between Ibn Saud, King of the Hedjaz, and the Imam Yahya of Yemen over the ownership of Tehama, hitherto a no-man's land be-tween the Hedjaz and Yemen Inhabited by the nomad Idrissi tribe, the Wahabis,

KING IBN SAUD

Ibn Sauds warlike tribesmen have made a sweeping invasion of Yemen They are moving rapidly towards Hodeida which the Imam Yahya's troops evacuated after locating the ammunition store and the Customs shed

A revolution is reported to have

broken out In the Imam's capital, Sanaa, as the result of lack of food.

Prince Self ul Islam, the Imam's heir apparent, has lied. The Imam Yahya has telegraphed denying a report that he has been slain. He explained that he and his followers had decided not to consider themselves at war, therefore they had withdrawn from Tehama in order to .wait

Ibn Saud's return to justice and wisdom. Meanwhile tile Imam has asked King Fuad of Egypt to intervene.

The British authorities at Aden have despatched the sloop Penzance, eight aeroplanes, and armed native police to Hodelda, while the cruiser Enter prise has left Mombassa for Aden.

ITehama is part of the principality of Asir, which maintained for a few years subsequent to the Great War a precarious independence between the territory of the Wallabi King Ibn Saud and that of the Imam of Yemen. In 1926 it accepted the suzerainty of Ibn Saud, and In 1930, under a new agreement, it was practically annexed by Ibn Saud. A dispute then arose between Ibu Saud and the Imam of Yemen regarding the frontier between Asir and Yemen, and this was believed to have been settled by a treaty concluded in December, 1931. In announcing his in-tention of taking action against Yemen, Ibn Saud's legation in London said: "The Saudi Government has tried all pacific means tlirough diplomatic chan-nels to come to an agreement with the Imam of the Yemen, but he obstinately persists in his aggressive policy by occupy-ing our highlands in Tehama, oppressing their inhabitants, and eradicating all who do not surrender to his rule."