Hodeida port, Sana’a airport to reopen for aid

Hodeida port can receive aid supplies; Sana’a airport to be open to UN aircraft

Coalition imposed the closure two weeks ago after Al Houthi missile attack on Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition battling to restore legitimacy in Yemen announced that it will reopen the port of Hodeida in order to allow Yemen to receive urgent humanitarian and relief aid. Sana’a airport will also been reopened to UN aircraft that can bring in humanitarian and relief supplies.

These steps will be implemented in accordance with the procedures approved by the Evacuation and Humanitarian Operation Cell starting at 1200 on Thursday. The coalition moves comes after a two-week closure which followed Al Houthi militia’s ballistic missile attack on Riyadh, which was condemned internationally.

With reference to the measures taken in response to Al Houthis’ launching of an Iranian-made ballistic missile, which was smuggled into Yemen, and used by the militia to target Riyadh, the coalition announced on Wednesday that it had completed a comprehensive review of the inspection and verification procedures used to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216, which prohibits the provision of weapons and military equipment to Al Houthis and their supporters, who are using these weapons to sustain their military operations in Yemen.

The Coalition will soon announce a comprehensive humanitarian operations plan.

The Coalition Command also renewed its call for the UN to urgently send a team of experts to meet with their counterparts in the coalition to review and enhance the UN’s inspection and verification mechanism to facilitate the entry of aid and humanitarian shipments.