Saudi-backed forces begin the “Golden Victory” operation on Hudaydah
It is being reported that Saudi and UAE troops have
started their military operation on Hudaydah, held by Houthi rebels.
The Saudi-led coalition has accused the rebels of
using Hudaydah to smuggle in Iranian weapons. Both Iran and the rebels deny
this. The coalition says victory could break the stalemate in the war and force
the Houthis to the negotiating table.
The Yemeni government said its forces and allied
Saudi-led troops launched their operation after “exhausting all peaceful and
political means”.
Coalition warplanes and warships later began
bombarding Houthi positions. An alliance of Yemeni forces supporting the
internationally recognised government is leading the ground assault.
Al Arabiya network reported "intense and
concentrated strikes near the port. “The liberation of Hudaydah port is a
turning point in our struggle to recapture Yemen from the militias that
hijacked it to serve foreign agendas, the exiled government said. The rebels
have said they will confront the coalition of aggression on all fronts.
The conflict has raged since late 2014, when the
Houthis and allied forces seized north-western parts of the country, including
the capital Sanaa, and eventually forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to
flee abroad.
Alarmed by the rise of a group they saw as an
Iranian proxy, Saudi Arabia and eight other Sunni Arab states launched a
military campaign in March 2015 to restore Mr Hadi's government.
The alliance forces were very keen not to harm civilians or target their houses in the Golden Victory operations
