ABU DHABI (Dispatches) – The Saudi-led coalition that has waged a war in Yemen is preparing for the next phase, a United Arab Emirates minister says.
"The coalition is preparing for the next phase with its political and military tools and is determined to achieve its strategic objectives,” said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Twitter. The alliance "repelled attempts to change the balance of power and restored the government and what now remains is restoring sustainable political stability,” he claimed.
The claims come as the UAE withdrew large numbers of troops from the embattled country last month allegedly in fear of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
The withdrawal took place because Abu Dhabi wanted to have forces and equipment "on hand" following recent tensions in the Persian Gulf region, Reuters cited four unnamed Western diplomats as saying on Friday.
The troop withdrawal comes as the Saudi-led coalition has recently come under much pressure from Yemen's Houthi movement and armed forces.
In the past two months, the Yemeni forces have launched an array of missile and drone attacks on vital Saudi facilities, including oil installations, airports and air defense batteries in response to incessant Saudi-led strikes on the country.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing Houthis.
The U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the Saudi-led war has claimed the lives of over 60,000 Yemenis since January 2016.
The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.