US Expedites Military Equipment to Saudis, UAE for Yemen Offensive

The United States has been accelerating shipments of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the military operation against the Houthis in Yemen, US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In the end of March, a coalition headed by Saudi Arabia launched a military operation against Houthi rebel positions in Yemen.

“We [the United States] are working to deliver some preexisting orders for military equipment more quickly, obviously given the ongoing situation [in Yemen], to the UAE and to the Saudis,” Harf said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Harf denied media reports that the United States was providing military support to the Saudi-led coalition to use in Yemen. She said the US military was only providing logistical and intelligence support.

“I was wrong yesterday,” Harf said. “It was reported accurately. So, there you go, mark that down.”

Yemen is at the center of violent clashes between the Houthi rebel group, the country's main opposition force, and forces loyal to the incumbent president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who has fled the country amid the hostilities.

A total of 643 people have been killed and 2,226 injured since the Yemen conflict escalated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).