Saudi envoy: Hodeidah’s liberation will replenish major lifeline for Yemenis

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed AlJabir tweeted on Wednesday that the liberation of Hodeidah will allow to Yemen’s main port to return to 2014 capacity levels.

“The liberation of Hodeidah will allow the full utilization of the capacity of its port back to the levels of 2014, it will also enable further expansion of the port’s capacity,” AlJabir tweeted.

“Hodeidah will be liberated, and the Yemeni people will gain back a major artery of life. An essential lifeline that was previously plagued by the Iranian backed Houthi militia,” he added.

The Yemeni army and resistance forces, aided by the Arab coalition, officially launched the battle to liberate the city and port of Hodeidah, west of Yemen, on Wednesday at dawn after the Houthis rejected peaceful solutions.

A military source said a large-scale ground operation supported by the Arab coalition’s aerial and naval cover began to march towards Hodeidah in more than one axis.

The Red Sea port is a lifeline for Yemenis, handling 80 percent of essential goods to the impoverished country, which the United Nations says is grappling with the world's worst humanitarian crisis

The assault is the first time since the Western-backed coalition of mostly Gulf states joined the war in 2015 that they have attempted to capture such a well-defended major city.

The aim is to box in the Houthis in Sanaa, cut their supply lines and force them to the negotiating table.

(With Reuters)