Emirati dies in training for Saudi mission in Yemen

A non-commissioned officer in the UAE armed forces has died during training in Saudi Arabia.

Hazim Obaid al-Ali was due to take part in Operation Restoring Hope, the military operation by a Saudi-led coalition that aims to restore Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power and find a political solution to the conflict in Yemen.

It is the successor of Operation Decisive Storm.

Airstrikes continue to hit targets in Yemen amid floundering attempts to find a solution to the conflict.

Hazim's body returned to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, received at a special military ceremony at Al Bateen Airport. Several of the military's most senior officers took part in the ceremony.

Many took to Twitter, under the hashtag Martyr-of-UAE-Hazim-al-Ali to commemorate his death.

Abdullah al-Athbah tweeted: "May God have mercy on the Martyr of UAE Hazim al-Ali. May God relieve the heart of his loved ones. He was defending the two [holy] mosques (Saudi Arabia) and his [Arab] Gulf and to deter the greed of the deposed [president] Saleh, his son, and their Houthi partner."

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Another twitter user, Mohammad Mutrik al-Nafii, tweeted: "Emirati blood mixed with Saudi blood in defence of the countries of monotheism..."

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