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Houthi Violations in Hodeidah Threaten to Collapse Stockholm Agreement

Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
    Aden, Riyadh- Ali Rabih and Abdulhadi Habtoor
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Houthi Violations in Hodeidah Threaten to Collapse Stockholm Agreement

Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad

Fears of the UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement collapsing between the internationally recognized government of Yemen and Iran-backed Houthi militias have resurfaced with the latter stepping up attacks against civilians in recent days.

Yemeni government sources have raised the alarm on the fragile deal falling apart in the port city of Hodeidah, labeling the situation as “very dangerous.”

The UN Security Council and the international community need to reassess the status of the UN mission stationed in Hodeidah, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, explaining that the peacekeeping taskforce has been taken “hostage” by Houthis.

Last September, the Yemeni government suspended its participation in all meetings with the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) and conditioned its return with the replacement of UNMHA Head Lt. Gen. Abhijit Guha.

Guha had succeeded Lt.Gen. Michael Lollesgaard in October 2019. He also chairs the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) in Hodeidah.

“Two years have passed since inking the Stockholm Agreement and the situation of the UN mission in Hodeidah is very bad. It was unable to achieve anything,” Yemeni government spokesperson Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It (UNMHA) became a hostage of the Houthi militia,” Badi added, explaining that the UN body is greatly influenced by Houthi orders and is unable to take any action that could potentially anger the Iran-aligned group.

Houthi militias, on Saturday, launched a round of Katyusha rockets that targeted government-run areas and residential complexes in Hodeidah’s al-Manzhar neighborhood. In the attack, al-Qassimi mosque was destroyed.

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry, for its part, repeated its call to the international community and the UN to condemn the Houthi attacks on Marib, government-controlled areas in Hodeidah and Saudi Arabia, stressing that the Houthis are contradicting their commitments to peace initiatives and previous agreements.

“Houthi violations in Hodeidah and attacks on Marib, which is a shelter for millions of internally displaced people fleeing Houthi oppression, coincide with their continued targeting of Saudi Arabia. It all confirms again how Houthis don’t care about agreements and seeking peace,” the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry repeated its call to the international community and the UN to condemn Houthi attacks on Marib, Hodeidah and Saudi Arabia.

“Houthi violations in Hodeidah and attacks on Marib, which is a shelter for millions of internally displaced people fleeing Houthi oppression, coincide with their continued targeting of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry said.

“It confirms again that the Houthis don’t care about agreements and seeking peace,” it affirmed.

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Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Representatives of Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Shiite Council and Shiite deputies boycotted a meeting of the heads of sects and parliamentary blocs with Vatican Secretary Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki on Tuesday.

The meeting, which focused on the presidential crisis, was held at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai's invitation.

Addressing the gatherers, Parolin underlined the need to preserve the “Lebanese model” in the turbulent region. He called on the different parties to cooperate to resolve the crisis and reach solutions that “bring hope to Lebanon and its people.”

“I convey to you the greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is carefully following the developments in Lebanon...” he stated, adding: “Today, Lebanon must remain a model of coexistence and unity in light of the ongoing crises and wars.”

He said he was in Lebanon to help end the crisis, namely the failure to elect a president of the republic.

The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.

For his part, al-Rai emphasized that the meeting was a “gathering of the Lebanese family” and an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding, especially during these challenging times.

Shiite representatives boycotted the meeting despite an invitation being sent to the Supreme Shiite Islamic Council.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision was a response to remarks made by al-Rai during the Sunday mass sermon, in which he said that the resistance against Israel in the South has turned the area into an arena for terrorist acts that destabilize the security and stability of the region.

According to the same source, the Shiite community has no problem with the Vatican, as Parolin is scheduled to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri - a Shiite - on Wednesday.

Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan sent a letter to the Vatican secretary, criticizing al-Rai’s position without naming him and saying: “Some spiritual leaders in my country view what the group of its resisters are doing as abhorrent terrorism that must be deterred and prevented.”

“We do not accept that the Church uses positions that serve Zionist terrorism and global crime,” he added.

Regarding the election of a president, Qabalan stressed: “We want a Christian president for the Muslims, who is as eager as the Muslim resistance [Hezbollah] and its sacrifices for the sake of the Christian churches. This can only be achieved through consensus that safeguards the homeland of Muslims and Christians.”

Christian parties quickly slammed Qabalan’s remarks. In a statement, the Kataeb Party said the letter “contained clear incitement against the role of Bkirki and hateful sectarianism that we have never heard before even at the peak of the Lebanese [civil] war.”