Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 15 June 2018

Saudi-led troops fight rebel forces south of Yemen's Hodeida

By AHMED AL-HAJ some six kilometers (three
Associated Press miles) from the airfield,
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The in an interview with the
Saudi-led coalition backing Saudi-owned satellite news
Yemen's exiled government channel Al Arabiya.
captured a town south of Meanwhile, Col. Aziz
the port city of Hodeida on Rashed, the spokesman
Thursday as fierce fighting for an army unit allied with
and airstrikes pounded the the Houthis, told a news
area on the second day of conference in the capital,
an offensive to capture the Sanaa, that the rebels
strategic harbor that is the foiled a naval attack by
main entry point for food in government forces backed
a country teetering on the by the Saudi-led coalition in
brink of famine. waters off Hodeida. He said
A Saudi military spokesman the rebels had countered
said the forces were "hostile naval warships" off
drawing closer to the Red the coasty of al-Olifika,
Sea port in a campaign to the south. The Saudi-
aimed at driving out led coalition launched
Iranian-aligned Shiite rebels the assault on Hodeida
known as Houthis, who on Wednesday, raising
have held Hodeida since warnings from aid agencies
2015, and breaking the civil In this Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, file photo, a Yemeni soldier allied to the country's internationally that Yemen's humanitarian
war's long stalemate. recognized government unslings his machine gun on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen. disaster could deepen and
International aid agencies Associated Press that the offensive could
and the United Nations set off prolonged street-
have warned the assault The ambassador's UAE official said the filled with food and fuel by-street battles, inflicting
could shut down the comments contradict Trump administration at berth" and another five heavy casualties.
vital aid route for some the conclusions of a U.N. has rejected requests vessels anchored nearby, it "Any closure of the port,
70 percent of Yemen's panel of experts that said for military assistance in said. even for a few days, will
food, as well as the bulk of it was unlikely the Houthis the coalition attack on "People in the governorate have a dramatic impact
humanitarian aid and fuel were using the port for Hodeida. The requests have reported heavy on the humanitarian
supplies. Around two-thirds smuggling arms. In a report were for aerial satellite airstrikes along coastal operations in the country,"
of Yemen's population of in January, the panel cited imagery, other surveillance areas and roads in districts the U.N. Humanitarian
27 million relies on aid and the fact that ships coming and reconnaissance, and south of Hodeida," the Coordinator for Yemen,
8.4 million are already at into the port face random minesweeping, said the council said. "No direct Lise Grande, told The
risk of starving. inspections, require U.N. official, who spoke on attacks have been Associated Press Thursday.
The United Arab Emirates approval and that no condition of anonymity reported within Hodeida "There is no substitute
ambassador to U.N. weapons have been seized because he was not city itself, despite the for Hodeida. Everything
agencies in Geneva since March 2017. authorized to publicly overhead presence of depends on that port,"
maintained the Saudi- The U.N. and Western discuss the matter. fighter jets." she said. The coalition's
Emirati coalition had no nations have accused Iran The U.S. has not publicly On Thursday, coalition initial battle plan appears
choice but to act. of supplying the Houthis opposed the assault but troops took the town of to involve a pincer
"Should we leave the with weapons, from assault has urged the coalition to Nakhila in Yemen's ad- movement. Some 2,000
Houthis smuggling missiles?" rifles to the ballistic missiles ensure that humanitarian Durayhimi district, some 20 troops who crossed the
Ambassador Obaid Salem they have fired deep into aid deliveries to the port kilometers (12 miles) south Red Sea from an Emirati
al-Zaabi told a news Saudi Arabia, including at continue. of Hodeida International naval base in the African
conference. "This comes the capital, Riyadh. Over The port remained open Airport, according to nation of Eritrea were
from this seaport. We 150 ballistic missiles have on Thursday, according to Yemen's government-run awaiting orders to move in
already gave the United been fired into the kingdom the Norwegian Refugee SABA news agency. from the west after Yemeni
Nations the chance to by the Houthis, according Council, which cited Col. Turki al-Malki, a Saudi government forces seize
operate from this seaport, to Saudi officials. information from the U.N. military spokesman, said Hodeida's port, Yemeni
and (the Houthis) refused." On Thursday, a senior There were "four vessels coalition forces were security officials said.q