Aden, Riyadh- High-ranking Yemeni sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that around forty Iranian warships violated on Wednesday Yemeni territorial waters. According to Yemeni government sources, there is a huge probability that these warships were smuggling weapons for the Houthis and transporting mercenaries from some African countries to join the insurgents.
“The Yemeni cabinet session, on Wednesday, discussed this issue and the way to protect Yemeni territorial waters; the government asked the Arab coalition forces to help guard the Yemeni waters and decided to address the U.N. and Security Council on the repeated violations by the Iranian warships,” reported the sources.
The Minister of Fisheries Wealth Fahd Salim Kafayen said that the violation of the Iranian warships was the second in one month, adding that the Yemeni naval forces lack capabilities to intercept them.
“The Iranian flags were not raised on the warships but their structure and matching with previous Iranian warships that were caught in the Yemeni waters, prove that they are Iranian warships,” Kafayen added.
These updates coincide with the Yemeni government’s efforts to submit to the U.N. Security Council a comprehensive file on the Iranian meddling in Yemen’s internal affairs.
On another level, forces loyal to the Yemeni government have advanced into the Houthi stronghold Sa’dah. Forces announced taking over Al-Buqah border following a quick operation which enabled them to purge the zone of rebels.
Sa’dah Governor Hadi Tarshan affirmed that Buqah border has been liberated and that the forces loyal to the government advanced dozens of kilometers towards Sa’dah.
Buqah is considered one of the major land borders of Yemen with Saudi Arabia, around 150 kilometers away from Sa’adah. |