Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (R), receives Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi. (Photo courtesy: WAM news agency)

The UAE will continue to take part in the Saudi-led military operation against Houthi militias in Yemen until security and stability are restored to the embattled country, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said on Saturday.

Yemen’s President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi met with Sheikh Mohamed to pay his respects to the 45 Emirati soldiers who died in Yemen last week, the official WAM news agency reported.

“The UAE will remain committed to the Arab Coalition alongside Saudi Arabia to defend Yemen and the region until security, stability and peace are restored to sisterly Yemen,” Sheikh Mohamed, the deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces said.

“We will not hesitate. We are with you until the mission is accomplished. Yemen is not your country alone, but we share common history with you. We pray to the Almighty Allah to bless our impending victory,” Sheikh Mohamed was quoted by WAM as saying.

As well as offering his condolences to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Hadi also said the people and government of Yemen stood in solidarity with the UAE.

“This great historic stance is a paradigm shift, as it reflects cohesion and solidarity among Arabs at its best. This position will remain etched in the minds and hearts of the people of Yemen,” the Yemeni president, who has fled to Riyadh after Houthi militias advanced on his city of Aden, said.

This comes as the UAE continues three-days of mourning that started on Saturday in the wake of the death of the soldiers.

The 45 soldiers were killed when Houthi militias fired a missile at arms depot at a military base in Yemen’s eastern province of Marib, the UAE’s state news agency WAM reported. Ten Saudi soldiers, as well as five from Bahrain, were also killed in the attack.

Hours after the Houthi attack, UAE Air Force fighter jets launched strikes on militia targets.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are three key members of the Arab-led coalition seeking to restore Hadi’s internationally-recognized government to power.

Al-Arabia