Talks debacle to boost military action
COALITION WARSHIPS POUND AL HOUTHIS IN HODEIDA; GRIFFITHS STILL HOPEFUL OF TALKS
Coalition warships pound Al Houthis in Hodeida; Griffiths still hopeful of talks |
The Yemeni government has vowed to use all options including military force to rout Al Houthis after the collapse of UNbrokered talks in Geneva due to the Iran-allied militants’ intransigence last week.
The talks, which would have been the first in two years, fizzled out after Al Houthis failed to attend. UN peace envoy Martin Griffiths said he would make new efforts to set the scene for a new round
“All options are open for the government to restore the Yemeni state from the Al Houthi coup,” spokesman for the Yemeni government Rajeh Badi said in remarks published yesterday.
In late 2014, Al Houthis staged a coup against the internationally recognised government, and overran the capital Sana’a and other territory of the country.
In 2015, an Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, intervened in Yemen at the government’s request after the Iransupported militants advanced on the southern city of Aden, the temporary capital of the country after their takeover of Sana’a.
“We are fighting a sacred war to regain freedom from a despotic and backward project. We will use all means. Perhaps the military option is the most prominent of all available options,” Badi told Al Hayat newspaper.
The official said that Griffiths has not informed the Yemeni government of a date for a new round of consultations.
“Given that the UN and its envoy were unable to bring Al Houthis to Geneva on September 6, any talk of a new round of talks now becomes absurd,” Badi said.
Griffiths played down Al Houthis’ failure to go to Geneva.
Some analysts disagree. “Although the political solution is necessary, it is increasingly dependent on the military action on the ground,” said Adnan Mansour, a Yemeni analyst living in Cairo. He singled out Hodeida, controlled by Al Houthis, as a main target for military action.
Major offensive
In June, government loyalists, supported by the coalition, unleashed a major offensive to expel Al Houthis from the city. They have since gained territory there. In the past few days, the coalition-supported forces have stepped up their fight over Hodeida.
Yesterday, coalition warships targeted Al Houthis’ arms warehouses in Hodeida, a military source said.
Four explosions rocked Hodeida, resulting from the attack that destroyed warehouses on the northern outskirts of the city.