Clashes are raging in Hodeidah in Yemen as Houthis-linked forces collapse

ADEN (Reuters) – Yemeni troops clashed just south of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Saturday, and Iranian-backed Houthi troops moved to an area controlled by Saudi-led forces, military sources and witnesses said.

Yemeni troops with the help of the United Arab Emirates on Friday announced that they were relocating to the main port of Yemen in the west, which the UN and government said had not been identified.

The Saudi-backed Houthi-Houthi government, with Hodeidah’s capital, agreed in 2018 a United Nations-sponsored agreement to form a coalition in Hodeidah that had taken place and eliminated both sides, had been suspended since 2019.

Allied fighter jets sparked air strikes in the Al Faza area south of Hodeidah as Houthi fighters battled UAE-backed forces until midnight, two soldiers and occupants said.

Al Faza is located 15 km (9 miles) from Al-Khokha, where hundreds of Yemenis have fled after Houthi progress.

The UN mission, which oversees the Hodeidah treaty, UNMHA, urged both parties to ensure the safety of civilians, saying “it has not been informed in advance of its conduct”. The Saudi-backed UNMHA government body also said it had no information.

Highlighting the differences between the allied forces, Tihama militants along the Red Sea coast condemned the “departure for no reason”.

WORKING

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, speaking to France 24 TV on Saturday, reiterated his refusal to allow the Saudi military to withdraw, saying “there is continued support for the Yemeni government and (allied) troops”.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis ousted the government from the capital Sanaa. The dispute appears to be a prelude to the war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Houthis is said to be battling fraudulent and violent foreign policy.

Washington is forcing Riyadh to lift a blockage of a port on Houthi ports, which the group wants to end talks on.

Hodeidah is the main source of goods and services and a means of rescuing millions of starving people in what the UN calls the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis.