UAE: Hodeidah Operation Aims to Break Political Deadlock

A soldier walks at Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad/File Photo
A soldier walks at Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad/File Photo
TT

UAE: Hodeidah Operation Aims to Break Political Deadlock

A soldier walks at Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad/File Photo
A soldier walks at Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad/File Photo

The UAE said that the operation to liberate Yemen’s Hodeidah port aimed to “end the deadlock in the political process”, due to the Houthis’ continuous violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

UAE State Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashemi addressed a letter to the current president of the Security Council, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia, saying that the operation to liberate Hodeidah, carried out by the Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen and the legitimate Yemeni government, was aimed at ending the stalemate in the political process resulting from three years of intransigence and obstruction by the Houthis, and their continued violations of Security Council Resolution 2216.

She added that the UAE “is committed to international humanitarian law and affirms its humanitarian commitment to the Yemeni people, regardless of their location or affiliation.”

The minister noted that the current humanitarian situation in the area was stable, explaining that as the result of collective efforts by UN entities and the Arab coalition, 120 thousand metric tons of food have been stored in Hodeidah.

“This is enough to cover the food needs of 6.6 million people for at least one month,” Hashemi said, quoting the World Food Program (WFP).



Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
TT

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militias in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeidah, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”

Netanyahu monitored the new strikes along with military leaders, his government said. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.