Hodeidah ‘is on its way’ to be liberated

‘Bringing back a federal Yemen and restoring the legitimate state is the only option’

Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has said that the Yemeni coastal province of Hodeidah is on its way to becoming liberated from the grip of Iranian-backed Al Houthi militia, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Hadi drew attention to the sacrifices of the Yemeni people during a telephone call with the commander of the Tihani resistance, Abdul Rahman Hajar, on Thursday.

He also thanked the Saudi-led Arab coalition for its generous support in fighting Al Houthis in order to restore the internationally-recognised government.

“Bringing back a federal Yemen and restoring the legitimate state is the only option and it can never be reversed despite challenges,” SPA reported Hadi saying.

Government troops have been buoyed after the Al Houthi assassination of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in December.

Saleh’s powerful tribal allies, which had been in an awkward alliance with the rebels since 2014, have mostly pulled their support resulting in a massive manpower shortage.

Since December, a government offensive in several provinces has gained momentum and liberated a number of strategic areas. The Saudi-led Arab coalition entered the Yemeni war in 2015 just months after an Al Houthi coup forced Hadi out of power.

Saudi Arabia and the US have accused Iran of illegally smuggling weapons into Yemen to sustain Al Houthi war efforts. On Thursday, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said “time for the Security Council to act” following the release of a report by UN experts concluding that Iran had violated the arms embargo on Yemen.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Thursday that it was “time for the Security Council to act” following the release of a report by UN experts concluding that Iran had violated the arms embargo on Yemen.

The report found that Tehran was sending ballistic missiles to Al Houthi militants in Yemen that were fired at Saudi Arabia.

“This report highlights what we’ve been saying for months: Iran has been illegally transferring weapons in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions,” Haley said in a statement.

The ambassador added that “the world cannot continue to allow these blatant violations to go unanswered” and that Tehran must face “consequences.”

“It’s time for the Security Council to act.”

Diplomats said the Iranian violations are likely to be addressed in a draft resolution renewing sanctions on Yemen that the council is set to adopt later this month.

It remains unclear however if Russia will back any move that punishes Iran.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia last month cast doubt over the report’s findings, which AFP first reported on in January when the document was confidentially sent to the Security Council.

While the report found that Iran had violated the 2015 embargo, the panel of UN experts said they were not able to identify the supplier.

Russia has the power to block sanctions by using its veto power it enjoys as one of the five permanent Security Council members, along with Britain, China, France and the United States.