The Saudi-led Arab Coalition Spokesperson General Turki Al Maliki issued statements regarding the latest allegations claiming that the troops were withdrawing from some key military position, including a base in Burayqah district in Aden.
In response to allegations, General Maliki stated that the troops had been redeployed according to the Coalition’s strategy in order to provide support for Yemeni forces against the Iranian-backed Houthi group.
“The movement and redeployment of troops based on operational and tactical assessment was a standard operation in all military forces across the world,” the spokesperson said.
Maliki’s remarks followed some local Yemeni sources stating that the Coalition forces were removing military units, hardware, and heavy artillery. While some military units and equipment were shipped in Aden port, others were sent to the city’s airport. According to witnesses, long convoys, comprised of Saudi military units, verged to Aden port from Burayqah military base.
General Turki Al Maliki denied the assertations, saying those are “baseless and unfounded.”
Meanwhile, the US Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, traveled to Saudi Arabia last week within the scope of his regional tour. His visit came as Washington has been pressuring Riyadh to remove the blockade on ports under Houthi control, which is a precondition that the Iranian-backed group put forward to start ceasefire talks.
In exchange, however, the Saudi side stipulates the US weapons to ensure its security against attacks that the Houthi group carry out through drones and ballistic missiles towards the Kingdom’s territory.
Meanwhile, military escalation between the Houthi group and the coalition forces has been maintained. In response to Houthi missile attacks targeting the south of Saudi Arabia, the coalition’s warplanes carried airstrikes against the positions in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.
Upon the latest escalation, ambassadors of the five permanent Security Council members came together with the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber. A joint statement, which stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire, was issued following the meeting.
The statement said, “All Yemeni parties should engage in genuine dialogue in order to reach a comprehensive political solution to end the crisis in Yemen and alleviate the humanitarian suffering of its people.”
