Forces from an alliance of Arab states fought their way to the outskirts of the airport in Yemen’s main port city on Friday, as the Eid holiday saw a battle the United Nations fears could trigger a famine imperilling millions of lives.
Residents in the city of Hodeidah, controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, said clashes were taking place in the Manzar neighbourhood, which abuts the wall surrounding the airport. Many Manzar residents fled to the city centre.
“There have been terrifying bombing runs since the morning, when they struck Houthi positions near the airport,” said Ammar Ahmed, a fish vendor. “We live days of terror that we have never known before.”
Streets were empty despite the Eid holiday marking the end of the Ramadan fast. Residents instead hunkered at home as battles raged on the outskirts of the city and coalition warplanes pounded coastal areas to the southeast.
The coalition of Arab states has battled with little success for three years to defeat the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, the main port at Hodeidah and most of Yemen’s populated areas. The assault on Hodeidah is the alliance’s first attempt to capture such a well-defended major city.
Coalition forces led by Emirati troops have advanced to within “metres” of the airport, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television quoted Yemeni anti-Houthi military officials as saying. Warplanes also struck the main road linking Hodeidah to Sanaa to block Houthi reinforcements.
The assault is a dramatic gamble by the Arab states, who insist that they can swiftly capture the port without a major disruption to aid supplies to a country already experiencing the world’s most pressing humanitarian crisis.
Published in Daily Times, June 16th 2018.
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