...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
's government and Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...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 legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. 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 JewsThey like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
rebels have set up joint observation posts as part of de-escalation moves in the flashpoint city of Hodeida, a move the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
welcomed on Wednesday.
The world body's envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths wrote on Twitter that the establishment of the four positions along frontlines in the key port city, and the deployment of liason officers, were positive moves.
"This step forward will enhance de-escalation in flashpoint areas and save lives," he wrote on Twitter.
The Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have been embroiled in a devastating conflict since 2014.
Last year, loyalists backed by a Saudi-led military coalition launched an offensive to retake the Red Sea port city, which serves as a crucial entry point for imports and humanitarian aid
.UN-brokered December talks between the warring parties in Sweden yielded a series of breakthroughs including a ceasefire in Hodeida, where combon the lamly ceased.
In May 2019, the UN announced that the rebels had withdrawn from Hodeida and two other nearby ports, the first practical step on the ground since the truce deal.
UN observation mission chief Abhijit Guha also welcomed the establishment of joint observation posts, "designed to facilitate direct inter-party de-escalation in flashpoint areas seen as susceptible to conflict", according to a UN statement.
A government official, who requested anonymity, told AFP the observation points had been working "smoothly".