Jan 29, 2022: According to an AFP report, the UAE-trained militia said on Saturday that some of its fighters were on the front lines in key disputed areas of Yemen as part of defensive measures against Houthi rebels.

The Giants Brigades said Friday it has begun redeploying its forces after pushing the rebels out of the oil-rich province of Shibwa and preventing them from attacking the strategically important city of Marib to the north. The announcement came after two Houthi drone and missile strikes on the United Arab Emirates, the first of which killed three oil workers.

After losing ground to UAE-trained forces, the Houthis have warned of more attacks on the UAE unless such operations are stopped. The Emir of the Gulf state withdrew from Yemen in 2019 but remains an influential player in the Saudi-led coalition supporting an internationally recognized government against Iranian-backed rebels.

“The forces completed their mission in liberating the district of Shabwa and securing it and pushed the Houthis out of the district of Harib, south of Marib,” a Giants Brigades official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

“The force that was repositioned did not leave the front lines, but rather began putting up defensive measures to repel any military attacks by the Houthis.

Houthi and pro-government forces have been fighting for months in the south, north and west of the city of Marb, the last northern part of the government. The Giants’ brigades, fighting as part of a pro-Saudi coalition coalition, have dealt a severe blow to the Houthi movement since moving to Shabwa.

After their defeat in Shabwa, the rebels seized a UAE-flagged ship on January 3 and launched a deadly attack on Abu Dhabi on January 17. A second strike was called off a week later. An Emirati official said Thursday that Houthi attacks would not be a “new routine” for the UAE, and vowed a strong defense.

“This is not going to be the new normal for the UAE,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.