Arab coalition to use ‘calibrated force’ in Yemen to drive Houthis out of Hodeidah

Coalition troops guard warehouses in Hodeidah, where the UAE has threatened to "prod" Houthis forces into compliance with a UN deal. (AFP)
Updated 31 January 2019
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Arab coalition to use ‘calibrated force’ in Yemen to drive Houthis out of Hodeidah

  • Houthis have failed to pull troops from the country’s main port under a month-old truce
  • Yemeni government factions backed by the coalition trying to restore the internationally recognized government are massed on outskirts

DUBAI: The Arab coalition is prepared to use “calibrated force” to push the Iranian-backed Houthi militia to withdraw from Yemen’s Hodeidah port city under a UN-sponsored deal, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs said on Wednesday.

The Arab coalition, which includes the UAE and Saudi Arabia, said on Wednesday it had targeted several Houthi military camps.

The Houthis have failed to pull troops from the country’s main port under a month-old truce, reviving the threat of an all-out assault on Hodeidah.
The Houthis control Hodeidah while Yemeni government factions backed by the coalition trying to restore the internationally recognized government are massed on its outskirts.
Gargash said the coalition struck 10 Houthi training camps outside Hodeidah governorate on Wednesday.
“The Coalition is prepared to use more calibrated force to prod Houthi compliance with Stockholm Agreement,” he tweeted.
“To preserve cease-fire & any hope for political process, UN and international community must press Houthis to stop violations, facilitate aid convoys, and move forward on withdrawal from Hodaida city & ports as agreed,” he added.
UN envoy Martin Griffiths has been shuttling between the parties to rescue the deal, the first major diplomatic breakthrough of the nearly four-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed Yemen to the verge of starvation.
Gargash tweeted: “Houthi militia hinder the mission of observers and are preventing relief ships from entering the port.”

The targeted camps were used by the militias as for training and arming fighters to send them to Hodaidah," coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said.


Qatar, Jordan and Egypt condemn Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza

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Qatar, Jordan and Egypt condemn Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza

  • Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of its most intense ​airstrikes since the October ceasefire was brokered

LONDON: Qatar, Jordan and Egypt on Saturday strongly condemned Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, warning that the attacks risk dangerous escalation and undermine regional and international efforts to restore stability.

Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of its most intense ​airstrikes since the October ceasefire was brokered, killing more than 30 people including three girls from one family, in attacks on houses, tents and a police station, Palestinian health officials said.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the breaches, which have resulted in fatalities and injuries, threaten the political pathway aimed at de-escalation and jeopardize efforts to create a safer environment for Palestinians in Gaza, the Qatar News Agency reported.

Doha urged Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire agreement, calling for maximum restraint from all parties to ensure the success of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.

The ministry also stressed the importance of creating conditions conducive to early recovery and reconstruction in the enclave.

Jordan echoed the condemnation, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates describing the latest incidents as a blatant breach of the ceasefire and a dangerous escalation.

Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali called for strict adherence to the agreement and its provisions, including the immediate, adequate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as moving forward with the second phase of the deal, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Majali urged the international community to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities to ensure Israel’s compliance, while warning against actions that could derail de-escalation efforts. He also reiterated Jordan’s call for a clear political horizon leading to an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Egypt, meanwhile, condemned what it described as recurrent Israeli breaches that have led to the deaths of at least 25 Palestinians.

Cairo warned that such actions risk turning the situation into a tinderbox and threaten ongoing efforts to stabilize Gaza at both the security and humanitarian levels.

In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry appealed to all parties to exercise maximum restraint, safeguard the ceasefire, and avoid measures that could undermine the political process. It stressed the need to maintain momentum toward early recovery and reconstruction, emphasizing that continued violations directly threaten prospects for lasting stability in the enclave.