The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates denied media reports that both countries are involved in talks with the United States of America over a possible land offensive by military factions in Yemen against the Houthi rebels in Yemen and American officials close to the military operation against the Houthis were unaware of any plans for a ground operation, a US official told The National.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement saying “among all the wild, unsubstantiated stories going around, that one surely wins the misleading-news-of-the-week award, by a wide margin". A Saudi official source later in the day also said the reports were false.
The Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that Yemeni factions were planning a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast to take advantage of the US bombing campaign and that the UAE had raised that plan with US officials.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Yemeni forces opposed to the Iran-backed Houthis are in talks with the US and Gulf allies about a possible land offensive.
The anti-Houthi operation has not so far achieved its aim of ending Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a vital trade route, and Israel.
After the US renewed air strikes, armed groups supporting the internationally recognized government have been preparing to march on the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, analysts say.
The attacks on the city have reportedly killed Houthi figures and weakened the rebels.
The UAE was part of a Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign against the Houthis from early 2015 after the rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
The UAE ended its military involvement in Yemen in 2019 and major fighting in the civil war paused in 2022 with a truce and peace talks, leaving the Houthis in control of most of the west of the country, home to most of the population.