UAE envoy defends targeting of Yemen’s Hodeida port

Says Houthis frequently confiscate aid shipments, smuggle Iran-supplied arms

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of UAE to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi has said that the intervention of the Arab Coalition in Yemen and the ongoing operations around Hodeida port are in compliance with all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and based on the request of the legitimate Yemeni government.

He said that Arab Coalition operations to liberate Hodeida are aimed at allowing Yemen’s legitimate government to restore security and stability to the strategic port, alleviate the humanitarian crisis and to break the deadlock in the political process.



The ambassador said that the Houthi militias have exploited the Hodeida port to prolong the war and the suffering of the Yemeni people. He said that the Houthis use the port to smuggle Iranian supplied arms and ballistic missiles into the country to target Saudi cities, including Haram Sharif in the two Holy cities of Makkah and Madina while misusing the port’s revenue to support their ongoing militancy.

“Coalition’s aid shipments have frequently been confiscated by militias and found their way to the black market but this has not derailed the coalition commitment to alleviate the humanitarian crisis,” he said.

The ambassador explained that Houthis’ failure to accept a political solution and repeated refusal to UN envoy’s proposal to hand over the port left the Arab coalition with no option but to pursue a military solution to protect innocent Yemeni civilians and ensure a safe passage of aid shipments.

He stated that the Hodeida port remains open to shipping and the Coalition aid exceeded USS14 billion to Yemen. “Coalition will continue to work with aid agencies on the ground to ensure that once the port is liberated we will quickly increase the capacity of the port.”



The ambassador added that the Arab Coalition has notified the United Nations and other NGOs of its planned actions and ensured the safe passage of their staff from Hodeida ahead of time. “Coalition successfully implemented a similar large scale operation when it liberated Aden,” he said.

He said that the seizure of the port from the Houthi militants is aimed at “tipping the scales in favour of reaching a political solution and reigniting the momentum in the stalled UN negotiations by increasing the efficiency of the port and ensuring that disbursement of aid will no longer be controlled and abused.”