- Four ships are docked in the port of Hodeidah to unload their cargo and five others are awaiting entry.
- The port of Hodeidah is Yemen’s main lifeline for the import of humanitarian aid.
LONDON: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi militia in Yemen said Friday that four ships are docked in the port of Hodeidah to unload their cargo and five others are awaiting entry.
Another ship has unloaded its cargo of wheat in the port of Salif, the coalition reported.
Meanwhile, Houthi militias have been holding a ship hostage in the port of Hodeidah for the last 61 days according to the coalition.
The port of Hodeidah is Yemen’s main lifeline for the import of humanitarian aid, but it is also a conduit for smuggling weapons to the Iranian-backed Houthis, including the components of missiles launched from northern Yemen and aimed at cities in Saudi Arabia.
UN envoy Martin Griffiths has been conducting shuttle diplomacy in search of a political solution that would avert an all-out military assault on the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah by the coalition.
His efforts have succeeded so far in pausing the offensive launched last month by the coalition to take the Red Sea port city.
Yemen’s Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr said his government is moving towards regaining control of the state and extending its influence over all regions, Saudi state-owned news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported on Friday.