BEIRUT (Sputnik) — The Shiite Lebanese militant group Hezbollah rejected recent media claims on Sunday that one of its fighters was killed in Yemen, torn by an internal armed conflict and Saudi-led military action.
“Indeed, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat and some other Saudi and Lebanese media have published false news about the death of a Hezbollah soldier in Yemen. Hezbollah officially, categorically denies such reports,” the group’s press service told RIA Novosti.
On Saturday, several Arab media reported that three Iranian officers had been killed in Yemen. The reports were rejected by Iran, which deemed them an attempt by certain governments to prove that Iran is participating in the Yemen conflict.
The situation in Yemen has been tense in recent years as several insurgent groups are operating in the country, including the Sunni Islamist Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the opposing Houthis, a Shiite group in control of parts of the country, including the capital.
Yemen’s president has been forced to flee the country amid the Houthis’ advance. Since late March, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis, following a request from the president.
