Coalition says foreign military experts are training Houthi militias

Hezbollah providing Houthis with communications network in Yemen

Coalition forces continue to make ground despite claims of foreign military intervention in the conflict. WAM

Foreign military experts are training the Houthi rebels in Yemen and have provided them with an integrated communications network, said the Arab Coalition.

Col Turki Al Malki, spokesman for the coalition fighting on behalf of the internationally-recognised government in Yemen, said on Monday that the communications network that was provided by Hezbollah was destroyed.

It operated from five different sites in the Saada governorate, including Mashtab, Maran, Razeh, Al Maqlaq and Al Nouaa.

The coalition — which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE — intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 to fight the Iran-backed rebels and restore the power of the legitimate government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi. It has helped pro-government forces regain control of the south and much of the Red Sea coast. The rebels, however, still control the capital Sanaa.

Col Al Malki said that pro-government forces are making significant advances in Saada, Taez and Al Bayda governorates.

He said that Houthi rebels are recruiting women — most of whom had either lost their husbands or sons during the war, adding that the Iran-backed group continues to recruit children, which is a clear violation of international law.

Col Al Malki also said the coalition had issued up to 27,000 relief permits between March 26 and June 9, adding that Saudi Arabia has topped the list of donor countries to the 2018 UN Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, donating US$530.4 million (Dh1,948m) out of a total of $1.54 billion.

Meanwhile, the King Salman Humanitarian Act and Relief Centre has provided assistance to almost five million beneficiaries within 167 days, as part of the Comprehensive Humanitarian Operation Plan.