MoFAIC, UAE Armed Forces present Evidence of Iranian support for Houthi Militia

ABU DHABI, 20th June, 2018 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, MoFAIC, and the UAE Armed Forces today presented evidence showcasing a wide range of military weapons and equipment acquired by the Arab Coalition during operations in Yemen on behalf of the legitimate Yemeni Government. The captured weapons, each of which bore distinctive links to Iran, provided physical evidence of Iranian support for the Houthi militias fighting in Yemen, and had been verified by relevant UN organisations and agencies. A UAE MoFAIC representative revealed that the Arab Coalition had succeeding in dismantling over 30,000 landmines since the beginning of operations in Yemen. He noted that the UN bodies concerned with supervising the implementation of UNSC Resolutions 2216 and 2231 had recently completed detailed monitoring reports & assessments, which detailed Iran’s complicity in providing Houthi militias with weapons, in direct contravention of UN resolutions. The UAE confirmed that Arab Coalition forces had followed all international procedures and standards governing the seizure, transfer and storage of confiscated weapons and equipment. Numerous international experts, including those from the United Nations and United States, had confirmed that the captured weapons could only have come from Iran. This finding has been re-affirmed by relevant institutes and independent bodies. r Weaponry seized by the Arab Coalition include the Ababil Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), anti-tank missiles, rockets, drones, scud missile fuel tanks, and improvised landmines, the representative explained, adding that the use of the Persian language on seized weapons and components, as well as systems consistent with documented weapons used by Iran's proxies in Iraq, Syria and other countries, prove beyond any doubt Iran's involvement in smuggling weaponry to the Houthis. A spokesperson from the UAE Armed Forces reaffirmed the Arab Coalition Forces' continued efforts to deactivate landmines and ensure the safety and security of Yemeni civilians, as well as to train Yemen's Resistance Forces with the necessary expertise to dismantle said mines. He went on to emphasise the Coalition Forces' objectives to eliminate the violent and illegal acts practiced by Houthi militias that seek to threaten international shipping lines, thus delaying the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen's shores.