- Gargash said that the UN, international aid groups, and the media are all reporting that Houthi militias are “purposefully and deliberately” seeking to manufacture a humanitarian crisis in Hodeidah.
- Gargash added that Houthi militias are blocking off-loading of aid at Hodeida port.
LONDON: UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said Thursday that the “full, peaceful, and unconditional withdrawal” of Houthi militia from the city of Hodeidah and its port is the only way to ensure that the situation in the city and its surroundings does not deteriorate.
Gargash added that Houthi militias are “blocking off-loading of aid at Hodeida port,” destroying water and sewage systems, and indiscriminately placing mines, IEDs, snipers and heavy weaponry in residential areas.
Most humanitarian aid to Yemen comes through Hodeidah port, but it is also a conduit for the supply of weapons and ammunition from Iran to the Houthi militias, including missiles used to target Saudi Arabia.
Gargash tweeted his comments a day after the Saudi-led coalition fully recaptured Hodeidah airport, and added that the UN, international aid groups, and the media are all reporting that Houthi militias are “purposefully and deliberately” seeking to manufacture a humanitarian crisis and worsen conditions in Hodeidah and its port.
The minister of state for foreign affairs also said that the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis would not allow the militias to “divert us from our strategic goals.”