UAE Denies Involvement in Yemen Land Offensive Plans

The UAE has refuted media claims of its involvement in discussions with the U.S. regarding a potential land offensive in Yemen against the Houthis. Reports surfaced about a planned offensive along the Red Sea coast, but the UAE's political affairs minister dismissed them as 'wild unsubstantiated stories'.

The United Arab Emirates firmly denied allegations of participating in talks with the United States about a possible land offensive by military groups in Yemen targeting the Houthi faction.

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's assistant minister for political affairs, labeled the media reports as "wild unsubstantiated stories" in a statement given to Reuters. This came after The Wall Street Journal published claims of a planned Yemeni offensive on the Red Sea coast.

Despite the UAE being initially part of a 2015 Saudi-led coalition to support Yemen's government against the Houthis, it scaled back its involvement in 2019. The Houthis, aligned with Iran, hold significant control in Yemen and recently targeted Red Sea shipping, citing support for Palestinians.

(With inputs from agencies.)