Expected military operations to restore Hodeidah dismay Houthi rebels

A view of the container terminal at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen, in this file photo taken on November 16, 2016. (Reuters)

JEDDAH: The Yemeni port of Hodeidah has been suspended, after it recently became the only outlet for arms smuggling and financial funding the coup militia could obtain through controlling the movement of trade in the port, Deputy Minister of Transport Nasser Sharif said.
He also confirmed that efforts are underway to complete the opening of Al-Mokha Port.
“The ministry is working on allocating alternative ports to the port of Hodeidah and land ports for the introduction of humanitarian aid through the ports controlled by the legitimate authority, including the ports of Aden, Mukalla, Mukha and Nashton,” he said.
He also pointed out that the ministry is studying legal, administrative, technical and financial procedures to transfer the presidency of the Red Sea Ports Corporation to Mukha after the government’s approval.
The port of Hodeidah, controlled by the coup militia, is the only window for the militants and the remaining outlet to obtain their sources of income after the legitimate forces and the popular resistance with the support of the Arab coalition that liberated the ports of the Mukha and Midi on the Red Sea.
The Houthis control the most populous areas, which helped them collect taxes and customs from the people living in these areas. The bulk of the revenue comes from the imposition of increased customs and taxes on goods.
The militias of Houthi and ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh are currently active in inviting the tribes in order to mobilize the largest number of people to counter what they called “plots” of the Arab alliance in the western coasts, referring to the expected battle of Hodeidah.
The Houthis also organized many events in the provinces under their control, including Hodeidah, where they gathered a number of tribes under the banner “General Mobilization” to defend the port of Hodeidah.
The spokesman for the Yemeni army, Maj. Gen. Abdo Majali, said that the rebels are living in a state of panic with the start of the Arab alliance aircraft the preliminary fire operations to liberate the province, confirming that “the military operation will be carried out by land, sea and air.”