HOUTHIS PUSHED BACK AS HODEIDAH FIGHT INTENSIFIES

Yemen forces take airport as the UN envoy talks to rebels in Sanaa to bring an end to battle for port city

United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths held emergency talks in rebel-held Sanaa yesterday, as Yemeni government forces backed by the Arab coalition seized control of the airport in the port city of Hodeidah from Houthi rebels.

“Army forces backed by the resistance and the Arab alliance liberated Hodeidah international airport from the grip of the Houthi militias, and teams continue to clear the airport and its surroundings of mines and explosive devices,” the media office of the Yemeni military tweeted.

A source with the Yemeni military said troops had surrounded the main airport building.

“We need some time to make sure there are no gunmen, mines or explosive in the building,” he told Reuters.

Mr Griffiths is expected to propose to the Houthis that they relinquish control of Hodeidah to a UN-supervised committee. The UN envoy is due to present a peace plan to the Security Council next week.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, and the UAE’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, met envoys of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council at the king- dom’s Foreign Ministry yesterday.

They discussed the latest developments in Yemen, including humanitarian efforts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“The liberation of the port and the city of Hodeidah will allow for the liberation of humanitarian efforts from the grips of the Houthi militias and from their terrorism,” Mr Al Jaber said.

“They are using the port to serve their interests and smuggling weapons provided to them by Iran, prolonging the war, impoverishment and starvation of the Yemeni people.”

He said Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have offered more than a third of the donations to support the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen this year.

“The coalition will work immediately after the liberation of the port to deliver more humanitarian aid to Yemen,” Mr Al Jaber said.

“The port will be a lifeline for Yemenis, and not a conduit for weapons of death and destruction and for the illegal activity of the Houthi militias.”

The ambassador also said in a tweet that Hodeidah port “remains open”.

Fighting between Yemeni forces loyal to the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and the Iran-backed rebels intensified yesterday as the coalition, which is being led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, continued to bomb the Iranbacked Houthis.

The coalition intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 at the request of Mr Hadi’s government. The fight for Hodeidah, which was launched on Wednesday, was

the first time since the coalition joined the war that they have tried to capture such a well-defended city.

Their aim is to box the Houthis into the capital Sanaa, cut their supply lines and force them to the negotiating table.

Hodeidah’s port handles 80 per cent of essential goods going into Yemen, which the UN says is grappling with the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. About 8.4 million people in Yemen face conditions close to famine, according to the World Health Organisation.

But the coalition says the Houthis have used the port to smuggle Iranian-supplied weapons into Yemen and to profit from illegally sold humanitarian aid.

The coalition is confident that it can capture the port without major disruption to aid supplies.