Rumors of Saudi Ground Offensive Aimed at Boosting Al-Qaeda Morale
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A spokesman for Yemen's Ansarullah movement said the baseless reports about the deployment of Saudi ground forces in the Yemeni city of Aden are meant to lift the spirits of Al-Qaeda terrorists.
In an interview with Al-Alam TV, Mohammed Abdul-Salam said the rumors are aimed at raising the morale of Al-Qaeda terrorists affiliated with Saudi Arabia.
He insisted that Aden is under the control of Yemeni troops and popular committee forces, and that Al-Qaeda militants have not made any progress in the city.
The Ansarullah spokesman also emphasized that Yemen's army has taken over half of the weapons that Saudi planes threw for Al-Qaeda terrorists in Aden.
Abdul-Salam's remarks came after AFP reported on Monday that the Saudi-led coalition has sent a "limited" force to the city of Aden in "what would be its first ground deployment inside the country."
On March 26, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies began to militarily interfere in Yemen's internal affairs by launching deadly air strikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
The Saudi-led coalition announced on April 21 that its military operation "Decisive Storm" has ended, but hours later, air strikes and ground fighting resumed.
The Saudi-led war on the Arab country has killed more than 2000 people, most of them civilians.
