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| Arabia |
| Yemen: Fighting flares near Hodeidah despite calls for peace |
| 2018-11-06 |
| [Al Jazeera] Thousands of Yemeni civilians are trapped on the southern outskirts of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah as forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition battle Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews... faceless myrmidons entrenched in the city, aid groups said. The alliance has massed thousands of Yemeni troops in recent days near the heavily defended port despite recent calls from international leaders for an end to the country's ongoing conflict, which has unleashed the world's "worst humanitarian crisis". Rebels and government officials reported intense battles on Monday near the western port city, according to AFP news agency. "All the people living between the airport and the university are trapped, the last four days have been very tough, it is beyond catastrophic levels," Isaac Ooko, Hodeidah area manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Rooters news agency. "Air strikes have been very intense and the hovering of the jets causes permanent anxiety ... Hodeidah has become a ghost city, people stay indoors and the streets are deserted." Yemeni military officials told AFP that government forces backed by the US-supported Saudi-UAE military coalition advanced on Houthi-held Hodeidah and positioned themselves around both the north and south of the city in a bid to surround it and block a major rebel supply route. |
| Posted by:Fred |