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Arab Coalition Allows Fuel Ship to Enter Yemen’s Hodeidah Port

Ships are unloaded at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen November 16, 2016. (Reuters file photo)
Ships are unloaded at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen November 16, 2016. (Reuters file photo)
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Arab Coalition Allows Fuel Ship to Enter Yemen’s Hodeidah Port

Ships are unloaded at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen November 16, 2016. (Reuters file photo)
Ships are unloaded at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen November 16, 2016. (Reuters file photo)

The Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen allowed on Saturday a fuel ship to enter the port city of Hodeidah.

An official source said that the Coalition permitted the Bahia Danas ship, which was carrying 13,808 metric tons of fuel, to enter the port.

The source stressed that the Coalition will continue to support humanitarian and relief efforts in Yemen,

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki had declared that the Iranian-backed Houthi militias were preventing the distribution of vaccines in the war-torn country. They were also looting medical and food aid.

Such acts are a violation of all humanitarian laws, he stressed.

The Coalition had on Wednesday announced that it will continue to keep Houthi-held Hodeidah open to receiving relief aid.

It will remain open for 30 days, at the recommendation of United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

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Arab League Delegation to Visit Syria Next Week

Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arab League Delegation to Visit Syria Next Week

Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A delegation from the Arab League is set to visit Damascus next week, the league’s assistant secretary-general, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Zaki, who will head the delegation, said preparations are ongoing to finalize the visit’s agenda. The trip will include meetings with various Syrian parties, as well as discussions with the new administration led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
Earlier this month, Asharq Al-Awsat quoted an informed Arab diplomatic source as saying that the Arab League was intending to dispatch a delegation to Damascus to “open communication channels with the new authorities and understand their perspective.”
The league has been planning this visit for some time, coordinating with the new Syrian administration to ensure it moves forward smoothly. According to Zaki, the visit aims to “compile a report for Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and member states about the changes in Syria.”
While some Arab nations have already engaged with the new Syrian leadership, Zaki noted that many of the League’s 22 member states have yet to do so.
He explained that the visit will provide these countries with an updated understanding of developments in Syria and give the Syrian administration an opportunity to present its vision for the future.
Last Sunday, Riyadh hosted a ministerial meeting involving Arab and Western officials to discuss Syria. The meeting included the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Secretary-General of the GCC, and foreign ministers from Egypt, Syria, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, and Bahrain, as well as representatives from Western countries.
When asked whether the outcomes of the Riyadh meeting would influence the Arab League’s visit to Damascus, Zaki emphasized that while the Riyadh meeting’s results are significant, they will not change the visit’s main objective: to assess the situation on the ground in Syria, consult with various parties, and prepare a detailed report for member states.
The Arab Ministerial Contact Group on Syria convened in Aqaba, Jordan, on December 14, 2024, where it reaffirmed its support for the Syrian people during the transitional phase.
Syrian political writer and researcher Ghassan Youssef described the league’s visit to Damascus as a “mission focused on familiarization, fact-finding, and public relations.”
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Youssef said: “Syria is in a transitional phase, and the new administration must be engaged.” He added that the planned National Dialogue Conference in Damascus and upcoming elections could bolster the legitimacy of the country’s new leadership and encourage deeper Arab and Western engagement.
In May 2023, the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers held an emergency meeting in Cairo, reinstating Syria’s membership in the Arab League. This decision ended a suspension imposed in November 2011.