UAE denies reports it is involved in talks with US about land offensive in Yemen

Ms Lana Nusseibeh denied that the UAE had raised with the US plans by Yemeni factions for a move against the country's Houthis. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Apr 16, 2025, 11:36 PM

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DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates on April 16 denied media reports that it is involved in talks with the United States over a land offensive by military factions in Yemen against the Houthi group that controls much of the country.

The UAE's assistant minister for political affairs, Ms Lana Nusseibeh, described the reports as "wild unsubstantiated stories" in a statement to Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal on April 14 reported that Yemeni factions were planning a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast to take advantage of US bombing of the Houthis and that the UAE had raised the factions' plan with US officials.

Bloomberg reported on April 16 that Yemeni forces opposed to the Houthis are in talks with the US and Gulf allies about a possible land offensive.

The UAE was part of a Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign in Yemen from early 2015 to support the Gulf-backed government against the Houthis, who had seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.