TEHRAN – Iran on Wednesday
dismissed Saudi Arabia’s claims that it had targeted a secret base belonging to Iranian forces in Yemen.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran “has never had a military presence in Yemen to be targeted by the aggressors”.
“The published news about the attack by the self-proclaimed Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the claim of targeting a so-called secret headquarters belonging to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) experts in Sana’a is baseless,” he said, dismissing any military link between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Yemen.
“Such baseless allegations are made in order to divert the public opinion of the nations of the region and the world from the crimes of the aggressor countries,” Khatibzadeh said.
“Such baseless statements will not change the reality of Yemen with regard to the fallacy of the military strategy of the aggressors,” he added.
Yemeni forces fighting the Saudi-led aggression have gained important new ground in the yearslong war, as the kingdom is struggling to prevent them from capturing the strategic, oil-rich city of Ma’rib.
Saudi-backed militants also abruptly withdrew recently from key positions near the western port city of Hudaydah.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia claimed it launched air raids on “legitimate” military targets in the Yemeni capital including a “secret” site belonging to the IRGC.
Yemen’s main broadcaster Al Masirah TV said three airstrikes by Saudi Arabia had hit Sana’a airport, while a fourth raid targeted a park.
The raid is one of several the kingdom has carried out this month over the densely populated capital city of Sana’a.
Last week, international weekly magazine The Economist wrote in its new edition that Saudi Arabia is growing desperate to end its disastrous war on its southern neighbor.
It said while the Yemen conflict has become a “quagmire” for the Riyadh regime, and cost the kingdom untold billions and damaged its relations with key partners, the Yemeni forces think they are winning the conflict.
“The Saudis, by contrast, are growing desperate to end the war, if only for self-interested reasons. A conflict sold to the public in 2015 as a quick romp has instead become a quagmire, one that has cost the kingdom untold billions and damaged relations with key partners, particularly America. It has also invited frequent drone and missile attacks by the Houthis. The coalition says it intercepts 90% of attacks (a figure that is hard to verify). Still, a few have hit airports and other vital infrastructure,” the publication said.
“The Saudis are eager to cut their losses, but they cannot find a way to do so,” it added.