UPDATE - Yemen condemns UAE airstrikes on government forces

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS

By Ali Oweida

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Yemeni government on Thursday condemned United Arab Emirates' (UAE) airstrikes that left a number of government forces dead and injured in Aden and Abyan provinces.

"The [Yemeni] government condemns the UAE airstrikes on the government forces in the interim capital of Aden and Zanzibar [provincial capital of Abyan]," Mohammed al-Hadhrami, Yemen's deputy foreign minister, said.

He asserted that the attacks killed and injured a number of people from government forces without giving an exact number.

"The Foreign Affairs Ministry holds the UAE fully responsible for this blatant attack," he added, noting that these attacks are being "committed beyond the law and international norms."

Yemeni government would take "all necessary measures to stop this targeting and the escalation," he stressed.

He also called on Saudi Arabia -- as the leader of the Arab coalition -- to stand with the legitimate government and to "stop this illegal and unjustified military escalation."

Al-Hadrami also urged the international community especially the UN Security Council to "condemn these blatant attacks and assume responsibility for the maintenance of security, peace, unity and territorial integrity of Yemen."

Emirati escalation comes a day after the Yemeni government forces retook control of Aden and Zanzibar from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces.

Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and supporting the country’s pro-Saudi government.