The Pentagon said Wednesday that reports that the U.S. is conducting airstrikes over Yemen by the Kremlin-backed Sputnik News Agency are false.
Over the last several days, a consortium of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia and including Egypt have carried out airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who overthrew the Yemeni government last week.
In a sign to assure its Arab partners of its allegiance even as it tries to maintain good faith with Iran in the final hours of a potential nuclear deal, the White House on Wednesday released holds on sales of M1A1 Abrams tanks, F-16 fighters and missiles to Egypt. The weapons had been on hold since 2013 over U.S. concerns of human rights abuses following the military coup of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
In addition to the sales, the U.S. is holding a joint planning cell with Saudi Arabia to provide logistics and intelligence support as the Arab forces launch attacks on the Houthis.
But there was no airstrike support, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The Sputnik report “is not accurate,” a Pentagon spokesman said. “U.S. forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen in support of this effort.”
