Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 12
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The Islamic Republic does not have any military presence in Yemen, an official with the country's foreign ministry said.
The source was commenting on the Reuters report about the arrest of two Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) military officers in the country.
The media reports on the issue are completely untrue, the official said, Iran's Fars news agency reported April 12.
Earlier, Reuters quoted local militiamen in the southern Yemeni city of Aden as saying they have captured two Iranian military officers advising Houthi rebels, during fighting on April 10 evening.
Three sources in the city's anti-Houthi local militias said the Iranians, identified as a colonel and a captain, were seized in two different districts rocked by heavy gun battles.
"The initial investigation revealed that they are from the Quds Force of the IRGC and are working as advisors to the Houthi militia," one of the militia sources told Reuters.
An international military operation kicked off on March 26 in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthis, with involvement of the armed forces of a number of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia.
The Shiite rebels have taken control of several cities and are assaulting the port of Aden, where Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi had been based before fleeing to Riyadh.
Iran denies accusations that it gives military assistance to the Shiite group.
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