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.”
‘Full, peaceful, and unconditional withdrawal’ could spare Houthis in Hodeidah: UAE’s Gargash
‘Full, peaceful, and unconditional withdrawal’ could spare Houthis in Hodeidah: UAE’s Gargash
- 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.
UN force in Lebanon says peacekeeper wounded by Israeli fire
- UNIFIL reiterated its call to the Israeli army to “cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line”
BEIRUT, Lebanon: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said an Israeli attack near their position in the country’s south wounded a peacekeeper on Friday, reiterating a call for Israel to “cease aggressive behavior.”
It is the latest incident reported by the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon and has been working with Lebanon’s army to support a year-old truce between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
“This morning, heavy machine gunfire from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions south of the Blue Line impacted close to a UNIFIL patrol inspecting a roadblock in the village of Bastarra. The gunfire followed a grenade explosion nearby,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
The force added that “the sound of the gunfire and the explosion left one peacekeeper slightly injured with ear concussion.”
Also on Friday, UNIFIL said “another patrol carrying out a routine operational task also reported machine gunfire from the Israeli side in immediate proximity to their position” in Kfarshuba, south Lebanon.
The peacekeeping force said it had informed the Israel army of its activities in these areas.
Earlier this month, UNIFIL said Israeli forces fired on its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Last month it said Israeli soldiers shot at its troops in the south, while Israel’s military said it mistook blue helmets for “suspects” and fired warning shots.
In October, UNIFIL said one of its members was wounded by an Israeli grenade dropped near a UN position in the country’s south, the third incident of its kind in just over a month.
“Attacks on or near peacekeepers are serious violations of Security Council resolution 1701,” the peacekeeping force added, referring to the 2006 resolution that formed the basis of the November 2024 truce.
UNIFIL reiterated its call to the Israeli army to “cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line.”
Israel carries out regular attacks on Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting sites and operatives belonging to Hezbollah, which it accuses of rearming.
It has also kept troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
