Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once again threw his full weight behind Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, urging them to further intensify resistance against the Saudi-led "aggression" in their country.

Khamenei made the remarks at a meeting with a senior delegation representing the group, which has been enjoying Tehran's unrelenting support since long before the country's devastating war broke out in 2015. The Iranian leader praised the "faith, persistence and fighting spirit" of the Yemenis against the "savage" invasion, assuring them of "ultimate victory" in the conflict.

The meeting came a few days after deadly clashes in the city of Aden between Saudi soldiers and UAE-backed forces, who were once fighting on the same front against the Shiite rebels.

Khamenei warned that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE were pushing to partition Yemen. That plot, he said, demands tough "resistance" but will end up in failure. Khamenei expressed confidence that Yemenis "will certainly form their own powerful government." He alluded to Yemen's ethnic and religious diversity, asserting that the key to a unified and sovereign Yemen was "Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue."