Yemen resistance forces secure liberated airport in Hodeida
UN ENVOY IN TALKS WITH AL HOUTHIS ON CEDING PORT AS UAE URGES MILITIAS TO SURRENDER ARMS
The UN envoy for Yemen arrived in the Al Houthi-held capital Sana’a yesterday to propose to militia leaders that they cede control of the Red Sea port of Hodeida to a UN-supervised committee.
The visit by Martin Griffiths follows the liberation of the international airport in Hodeida by joint Yemeni Resistance forces, with the backing of the UAE armed forces operating as part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition.
“The armed forces which are supported by the Arab coalition have freed Hodeida International Airport from the [Al] Houthi militias and the engineering teams have started to clear the airport and its surroundings from mines and bombs,” coalition media office said on Twitter yesterday.
Sadek Dawad, spokesman of the Republican Guards force loyal to the coalition, said the southern gate of Hodeida city was captured by the forces.
“The military operations to liberate the city of Hodeida will not be stopped until we secure the city and its strategic port and that won’t last too long,” he told The Associated Press.
Also yesterday, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs tweeted that the Arab coalition reiterates the need for Al Houthi militias to lay down their weapons and enter into political talks.
“The UAE and coalition appreciates the tireless determination of the UN envoy to persuade the [Al] Houthis to put down their weapons and enter into meaningful political discussions,” Anwar Gargash tweeted.
“We and all of Yemen would welcome good news out of Sana’a. We encourage the Envoy’s efforts to facilitate the safe handover of Hodeida to the legitimate Yemeni Government.
“Meanwhile the people of Hodeida urgently want to be liberated. The coalition will continue with its military and humanitarian preparations to achieve this urgent result,” he added.
Yemeni government forces, backed by the Arab Coalition, yesterday recaptured a main airport in the strategic city of Hodeida, a major win in an ongoing campaign aimed at flushing Iran-backed Al Houthi militias from the Red Sea city.
The Yemeni army said that joint forces liberated the airport from Al Houthis and that engineering teams started clearing the facility from mines and explosives left behind by fleeing rebels.
“The armed forces which are supported by the Arab coalition have freed the Al Hodeida International Airport from Al Houthi militias and the engineering teams have started to clean the airport and its surroundings from mines and bombs,” Yemen’s military said on its official Twitter account.
Yemeni media posted images from inside the airport showing some of its amenities damaged in the fight that erupted on Friday.
UN members briefed
In Riyadh, Shaikh Shakbout Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Mohammad Bin Saeed Al Jaber, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, yesterday met with the ambassadors of the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council and a number of ambassadors accredited to Saudi Arabia.
The meeting saw the Emirati and Saudi ambassadors discussing the latest developments in Yemen and victories achieved by the Yemeni Army in Hodeida.
Ongoing humanitarian efforts to help the Yemeni people and an array of issues of mutual concern were also tackled during the meeting.
Hodeida is strategically important because it has a harbour, which is a lifeline for millions of Yemenis, as most of the commercial imports and relief supplies enter through it to the country.
The takeover of the airport, which lies around 10 kilometres from the port, clears the way for the government forces to move towards the harbour and the centre of Hodeida.
Sadek Dawad, spokesman of the Republic Guards force of the Yemeni government, said government forces had fought their way into the airport.
Blow to Al Houthis
“The military operations to liberate the city of Hodeida will not be stopped until we secure the city and its strategic port and that won’t last too long,” he told The Associated Press.
The fast-paced advances dealt a decisive blow to Al Houthis, who have been in control of Hodeida and the capital Sana’a since a late 2014 coup against the internationally recognised government.
The full recapture of Hodeida will deprive the Iran-aligned militias from the only port that is still under their control and cut off their arms supply route to Sana’a from the city.
The Saudi-led Arab Coalition says Al Houthis were taking advantage of their control of Hodeida port to obtain weapons from their Iranian patrons.
The militias have repeatedly threatened to attack oil tankers using Bab Al Mandab, a major waterway between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.
On Wednesday, the Yemeni forces, backed by coalition air power, started the offensive “Golden Victory” targeting Hodeida in western Yemen. At least 250 Al Houthis have since been killed in battles around and inside the city.
Crisis meeting
The onslaught, the largest in Yemen’s three-year war, was launched after Al Houthis spurned peace offers.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s Minister of Culture and Communication Mohammad Laaraj will not take part in the meeting of Communication Ministers on the Yemen crisis in Saudi Arabia.
According to an official statement on Friday, the decision was taken due to “busy agenda”. The meeting is scheduled to be held on June 23 in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Morocco is part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen fighting to restore the legitimate government there.
The armed forces which are supported by the Arab coalition have freed the Al Hodeida International Airport from Al Houthi militias and the engineering teams have started to clean the airport and its surroundings from mines and bombs.”
Yemeni military’s statement on Twitter