Saudi-led coalition says Iran is arming Yemen rebels

Officials in a Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite rebels in Yemen have shown journalists weapons they say they seized on the battlefield that prove Iran is arming the insurgents.

Iran long has denied arming the rebels, known as Houthis, despite reports by the United Nations, Western countries and outside groups linking them to the rebels’ arsenal.

The weapons shown today in Abu Dhabi and later at an Emirati military installation included drones, a sniper rifle, roadside bombs disguised as rocks and even a “drone boat,” which had been filled with explosives that failed to detonate.

The news conference came as the United Arab Emirates leads Yemeni fighters in an assault on the rebel-held port city of Hodeida that has been criticized by international rights groups.

— AP