Hadi: Over 85 percent of Yemen liberated

Riyadh — Yemen’s national army and popular resistance forces have liberated more than 85 percent of the Yemeni territories from Houthi militia control and the forces of the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi said in an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette and Okaz newspapers.

Hadi also admitted during the exclusive interview with the Saudi newspapers that Yemen would have fallen in four days and would have been an Iranian state had it not been for the Operation Decisive Storm launched by the Arab military coalition under the leadership of Saudi Arabia.

The president expressed confidence that Sanaa, which was taken by the Houthis, would be freed after the liberation of both Taiz and Hudaidah.

Pro-government army soldiers man a checkpoint on a road in Fardhat Nahm area. (Reuters)

Hadi described his relationship with Saudi King Salman as sublime, close and strong and said Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, minister of defense, is providing them with all the necessary facilities and support.

He added there are a number of Iranians and elements of Hezbollah in Yemen providing military training to the Houthis militias.

During the interview, Hadi also revealed that Iranians came to Yemen to build a factory for the manufacture of Grad missiles for the rebels. “The factory’s components were shipped in a container among children’s toys. We discovered from the documents that it was on its way to Saadah, the stronghold of the Houthis,” he said.

The Yemeni president also put aside rumors by denying reports of a serious rifts with his deputy and prime minister Khaled Bahah and said there might be some differences in viewpoints. “The circumstances require that we remain together,” he said.

A version of this article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on March 3, 2016.