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Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al Maliki. Image Credit: SPA

Riyadh: The official spokesman of the Arab Coalition Forces to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, Colonel Turki Al Maliki, confirmed that Coalition forces have evidence of the presence of foreign military experts training the Iran-military-backed Al Houthi militia and providing them with integrated military communication system.

He also revealed the involvement of terrorist Hezbollah organisation in this matter, citing its contribution to operating different sites of command and control in Saada Governorate, Yemen, five of which, located on Mashtab, Maran, Razeh, Al Maglag and Al Noua’a mountains, were destroyed by the Coalition forces.

This came at the press conference, held by Col. Al Maliki at the Armed Forces Club in Riyadh on Monday, to give an account on the developments of the war against the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, to restore stability in the country through complete control of all-out Yemen by the legitimate government and highlight the relief efforts in Yemen following the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in all cities and governorates of Yemen.

On the humanitarian work in Yemen over the last days, Col. Al Maliki said the Coalition forces had issued 26,997 relief permits during the period from March 26 to June 9, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s topping the world donor countries list of UN-sponsored Response Plan in Yemen 2018.

The Kingdom’s contributions amount to $530.4 million, with the King Salman Humanitarian Act and Relief Centre has providing relief assistance for 4,954,742 beneficiaries within 167 days as part of the Comprehensive Humanitarian Operation Plan.

On military operations, Col. Al Maliki confirmed that the Yemeni national army is scoring victories throughout the country, citing the stunning advances of the army on the ground in Saada, Taiz and Al Baidha Governorates.

He drew the attention to the new phenomenon of Houthi recruiting of women to join the army, particularly those who lost their husbands or sons in the war. In an unprecedented flagrant violation of human rights and contrary to Yemen conservative traditions, the Houthi militias dared to enlist women, adding to their children enrolment in the army and giving a new evidence of their barbaric behaviour.

Al Maliki declared the Yemeni zone neighbouring Saudi Arabia free of ground-based militias after having been purified by the Coalition Forces and Yemeni national army, citing few pockets of ballistic missiles and projectiles launching platforms in Saada and Omran.

He said the number of ballistic missiles and projectiles launched by Houthis since the flare-up of the war reached 158 missiles and 42,924 projectiles while the losses of Houthis amounted to a total of 285 sites, weapons and equipment over the period from 2 June to 9 June 2018 in addition to 716 terrorist Houthi killed.