Saudi-led coalition says troops redeploying in Yemen, not withdrawing

DUBAI: The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen said on Wednesday its troops were redeploying in line with its strategy to support Yemeni forces, but were not withdrawing.

Yemeni security sources told Reuters the Saudi military had withdrawn from a major military base in Brega district in the southern port city of Aden, removing troops, hardware and heavy artillery.

Some of the troops and equipment were loaded in warships in Aden port, while others flew out from the city’s airport, the sources said. Long convoys of the kingdom’s military were seen on Tuesday heading from Brega military base to Aden port, witnesses said.

The spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition, General Turki al-Malki, told Reuters reports circulating about a Saudi military withdrawal from south Yemen were “baseless and unfounded”.

“Movement and redeployment of troops based on operational and tactical assessment” was a standard operation “in all military forces across the world”, General Malki said.