Yemen denies placing Hadi under house arrest in Riyadh

By Mohammed al-Samei

ADEN, Yemen

The Yemeni Presidency on Wednesday denied reports that President Abd Rabbou Mansour Hadi has been placed under house arrest in capital Riyadh.

A presidential source cited by the official Saba news agency termed reports about placing Hadi under house arrest as “lies”.

“[These lies] are part of a systematic campaign targeting Saudi Arabia, which is leading a battle to stop Iranian interference in Yemen and the region,” the source said.

"The campaign also comes at a time when pro-legitimacy forces are closing in on Yemeni capital Sanaa and making significant progress on all [military] fronts,” the source added.

Foreign media earlier said that Hadi and a number of Yemeni ministers and military commanders had been placed under house arrest in the Saudi capital.

Hadi has been in Riyadh since he fled Yemen after Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa, in 2014.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled government.