Pro-government forces 'breach defences' at crucial Yemen port

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/14/yemen-attack-un-to-hold-urgent-talks-as-battle-rages-around-crucial-port

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Forces loyal to the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi and UAE airstrikes, claimed on Thursday to have breached the first line of defences of Houthi rebels defending the strategic port of Hodeidah.

The UAE claimed its operation – dubbed Golden Victory – had reached an area within five miles of the airport, amid reports of terrified civilians trying to flee the city.

The Hodeidah deep sea port on the Red Sea is the base from which badly needed food, water and medicine is distributed to more than 8 million Yemenis, and all sides fear the fighting may result in the destruction of the port’s infrastructure, either by Houthi mines or airstrikes directed by the UAE.

Britain has called an emergency closed-doors meeting of the UN security council to discuss the offensive, and is facing calls from Russia and some EU countries to agree a statement condemning the attack on the port.

The Russian foreign ministry said an assault on the port would be a disaster for Yemen, and would halt the peace process designed to end the three-year civil war.

The UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, on Wednesday made no call for the Saudi-UAE coalition to call off the attack, only for the coalition to adhere to its promises to protect civilians and keep humanitarian aid flowing.

More than 40 British MPs, including the chairs of three select committees, had urged the British prime minister, Theresa May, to call for the attacks to cease, and if necessary to stop the flow of material support to coalition forces. Britain is one of Saudi’s largest arms suppliers.

The UK is the “pen holder” – or lead state for drafting decisions – at the UN on Yemen, but Andrew Mitchell, the former Conservative international development secretary, accused the UK of failing to act neutrally to resolve the crisis, but instead siding with the Saudis.

He said: “Britain should move from being clear part of the Saudi-led coalition to a position of neutrality which befits its place on the UN security council as one of the five permanent members. It should call for a ceasefire, a laying down of weapons by all parties and the beginning of meaningful negotiations. That is what the UN envoy for Yemen, the British Martin Griffiths, is calling for, and we should back him.”

He added of the Hodeidah offensive: “This is a militarily lunatic attack on a city of nearly three quarters of a million of people who have nowhere to go, will be driven out to the desert, where there is no water and where they will starve.”

The Saudis and Emiratis claim the capture of the port will be a decisive blow to the Houthis, force its leaders to the negotiating table and prevent Iran extending its influence on Saudi Arabia’s borders. The Iranian-backed Houthis captured the port and the capital of Sana’a from the leadership of the UN-recognised government two years ago.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and a bloc of other countries intervened in Yemen the following year with the goal of restoring the government to power.

Faced with multiple calls from aid agencies that an attack will disrupt critical aid, the UAE briefed that the capture of the city and port may only take a week, and insisted elaborate contingency plans were in place to ensure the continued flow of aid.

The UAE has acknowledged that four of its soldiers have been killed in the fighting, and reports have circulated for 24 hours that a UAE warship off the Hodeidah coast carrying soldiers due to invade has been hit by two Houthi missiles. The ship was said to be ablaze.

The US defence secretary, Jim Mattis, has said he strongly supports Griffiths’ efforts “to bring all sides of the conflict to the negotiating table”. The US insists it is not involved militarily, but there have been reports it has been advising the coalition on targets to avoid.

In Hodeidah, people waited anxiously for the fighting to reach their neighbourhoods. Those contacted by AFP said Houthi fighters had fanned out across the city.

Coalition sources said the alliance carried out 18 airstrikes on Houthi positions on the outskirts of Hodeidah on Wednesday.

According to medical sources in the province, 22 Houthi fighters were killed by coalition raids, while three pro-government fighters were killed in a rebel ambush south of Hodeidah.

The coalition accuses the Houthis of using the port to secure Iranian arms, notably ballistic missiles the militants have increasingly fired into Saudi territory.