Yemeni diplomat: Houthis targeted international maritime routes through Hodeidah port

Newly recruited Houthi militants chant slogans during a gathering in the capital Sanaa to mobilize more fighters to battlefronts to fight pro-government forces in several Yemeni cities. (File Photo: AFP/Mohammed Huwais)

• During a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bejdanov, the ambassador said that the Yemeni government is keen to end civilian suffering in Hodeidah
• Ambassador Ahmad Al-Wahishi said that the base targeted international shipping routes and humanitarian aid ships.

DUBAI: The Houthi militia turned the port of Hodeidah into a military operations platform and a focal point for smuggling weapons, Yemen’s ambassador to Moscow said on Saturday, according to Saudi state-news channel Al-Ekhbariya.
Ambassador Ahmad Al-Wahishi said that the base targeted international shipping routes and humanitarian aid ships.
During a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bejdanov, the ambassador said that the Yemeni government is keen to end civilian suffering in Hodeidah, adding that “the government and the Arab coalition are abiding international law while the militia keep planting land and sea mines.”
According to the Yemeni news agency, Al-Wahishi reiterated the Yemeni government’s support for the UN peace efforts.