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UAE summons Iranian official to protest Iran supplying Yemeni rebels weapons

Xinhua, February 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

Foreign affairs ministry summoned on Thursday Iranian embassy Charge d'Affaires to protest Iran's "illegal provision of weapons" to militant rebels, reported the United Arab Emirates's (UAE) state news agency WAM.

The UAE's Assistant Minister, Dr. Abdul Rahim Al Awadi, said that the rebels are fighting "Yemen's legitimate government" and handed a note of protest to the Charge d'Affaires in Abu Dhabi, stating that Iran's move violates United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.

He added that this is considered an "attack on the international legitimacy and rule in Yemen and further fuels the conflict there."

He highlighted that the UNSC Resolution 2216 on Yemen is "clear" in this respect, therefore, "Iranian weapons and unmanned aircraft which the Arab coalition forces targeted recently, are a clear violation of this resolution."

On Jan. 28, 2017, the Arab coalition forces destroyed an Iranian military drone at Yemen's Red Sea coast "with the assistance of the UAE's air force," reported WAM last Saturday, quoting a Yemeni military source.

The UAE is a member of the Saudi-led coalition which includes nine Arab states supportive of Yemen's legitimate government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The coalition has been conducting daily air strikes against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi group across Yemen since March 26, when Hadi fled to and took refuge in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The coalition said its intervention aims to restore Hadi's authority in Yemen. Endit