UAE accuses Iran of arming Yemen’s Shia militia group

By Ahmed al-Masri

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UAE Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the charge d'affaires of Iran’s embassy in Abu Dhabi to protest the alleged provision of arms by Iran to Yemen’s Shia Houthi militia.

According to the UAE’s official news agency, Abdul Rahim al-Awadi, UAE assistant foreign minister for legal affairs, delivered a note to the Iranian diplomat protesting Iran’s "illegal provision of weapons to the illegitimate coup militia [i.e., the Houthis] in Yemen".

The alleged Iranian arms provisions, he said, "is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions… and is regarded as an attack on international legitimacy and the rule of law in Yemen".

UNSC Resolution 2216 on Yemen is "clear in this regard", he said, adding: "[The delivery of] Iranian weapons and unmanned aircraft… represent a clear violation of relevant international resolutions".

The UAE Air Force, which contributes to a Saudi-led anti-Houthi military coalition, announced Saturday that it had shot down an "Iranian military drone" near Yemen’s southwestern Port of Mocha.

The Saudi-led coalition frequently accuses Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons -- allegations Tehran denies.

In 2014, the Houthis overran capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, forcing members of the country’s Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.

The following year, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a major air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s pro-Saudi government.