X account “Lotf Al-Fattahi” posted a video clip of a press conference by Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, in which he said, “We announce for the first time that we have dozens of targets in our target bank in the UAE, including those in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and they could be targeted at any moment.” The account accompanied the clip with the following description: “Soon the UAE will be within range of Yemeni missiles and drones, and fires and flames will ignite throughout the UAE.”
Kashif verified the video clip via Invid search and found it to be old. The clip was first circulated in September 2019, and Brigadier General Yahya Saree did not appear at a press conference to discuss the recent targeting of the UAE.
The Yemeni Military Media website published the video on 18/9/2019, with the following title: “Press conference by the Armed Forces spokesman, revealing details of the second deterrence balance operation deep inside Saudi Arabia.”
On the Telegram channel of Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree, Kashif found that he did not mention the UAE or its recent targeting, but rather focused on operations targeting Israel and confronting the US attack.
American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, reported that Yemeni factions are planning a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast to take advantage of US strikes against the Houthi Ansar Allah group, and that the UAE has discussed these factions’ plan with US officials.
UAE denied media reports that it was participating in talks with the United States regarding a potential ground attack by Yemeni military factions against the Houthis. UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Lana Nusseibeh described the reports to Reuters as “outlandish and baseless allegations.”
| Sources of verification | Sources of claim |
| Yemeni War Media Brigadier General Yahya Saree Sky News Arabia | Lotf Al-Fattahi |