The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has denied reports claiming it is involved in discussions with the United States about a potential land offensive in Yemen aimed at the Houthi group.
UAE Assistant Minister for Political Affairs Lana Nusseibeh dismissed the media reports as “wild unsubstantiated stories” in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday.
The reports, first published by The Wall Street Journal on Monday, suggested that Yemeni factions were planning a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast to capitalize on U.S. airstrikes targeting the Houthis. It was claimed that the UAE had raised these plans with U.S. officials. Additionally, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Yemeni forces opposed to the Houthis were in talks with U.S. and Gulf allies about a potential land offensive.
The UAE had been part of the Saudi-led coalition that launched a military intervention in Yemen in 2015 to support the Gulf-backed government against the Houthi rebels, who took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. However, the UAE reduced its military presence in Yemen by 2019, and fighting largely paused after a truce and peace talks in 2022, with the Houthis still in control of the western part of the country, where most of Yemen’s population resides.
The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran and oppose Israel, escalated their attacks on Red Sea shipping in November 2023 in what they described as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump increased airstrikes against the Houthis in March.
