Mass exodus as Houthis march on
SAUDI ARABIA’S navy evacuated dozens of diplomats from Yemen yesterday and the United Nations pulled out international staff after a third night of Saudi-led air strikes trying to stem advances by Iranian-allied Houthi fighters.
Residents reported heavy clashes between the Houthis and mainly Sunni tribal fighters in the south of the country, while the air campaign sought to stall a fresh offensive by the Shi’ite Muslim group on Aden from the east.
Riyadh’s intervention, a surprise move from a conservative monarchy better known for flexing its muscle in oil markets than through military might, is planned to last a month but could extend for five or six, a Gulf diplomatic source said.
He said satellite imagery had shown in January that the Houthis had repositioned longrange Scud missiles in the north, close to the Saudi border and aimed at Saudi territory. A Yemeni official said Iran, which says it has not armed the Houthis, was providing parts for the missiles.
Eighty-six foreign diplomats and Saudi nationals were shipped out of Aden to the Red Sea port of Jeddah, a Saudi military officer said, escaping the city where President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had taken refuge until Friday, when he left for Egypt to shore up Arab support for his crumbling authority.
The director-general of Yemen’s Health Ministry, al Khadher Laswar, said more than 68 people had been killed and 452 wounded in the city since Thursday. Explosions at Aden’s largest ammunition depot yesterday killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens, he said.
In the capital Sana’a, which has been under Houthi control since September, the UN said most of its 100 international staff were evacuated. Airport officials said up to 250 other foreigners also flew out to Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Houthi fighters seeking to overthrow the Western- and Saudibacked Hadi have continued to make gains since the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against them on Friday.
On Saturday the Houthis and allied army units gained their first foothold on Yemen’s Arabian Sea coast by seizing Shaqra, 100 kilometres east of Aden, allowing them to open a new front to march on the south’s main city.
Residents said a Houthi convoy of armoured vehicles, tanks and military trucks heading along the coastal road to Aden from Shaqra was attacked by warplanes.
Residents said the convoy had been stopped, but the Houthis were sending reinforcements before advancing on Aden.
At an Arab summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, Hadi urged Yemen’s army to protect state institutions and obey the orders of Yemen’s ‘‘legitimate leadership’’. He also underlined the regional dimensions of the conflict, calling the Houthis ‘‘Iran’s puppet’’.
Saudi Arabia’s intervention is the latest front in its widening contest with Iran for power in the region. Their proxy struggle is also playing out in Syria, where Tehran backs Bashar al Assad’s government against mainly Sunni rebels, and Iraq, where Iranianbacked Shi’ite militias are playing a major role.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman told the summit the operation would continue until Yemen achieved peace and security, while Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, said the Houthi advances ‘‘pose a threat to our security’’.
A Gulf diplomatic source said the Arab alliance initially planned a month-long campaign, but it could last up to six months.
The source said Yemen’s military had about 300 Scuds, the bulk of them believed to be in the hands of the Houthis and allied military units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and that the campaign so far had destroyed 21 of them.
The air strikes are believed to have destroyed most of the Houthis’ ballistic missile capabilities.