Saudi-led Sunni Muslim alliance launches a major attack on a key port city in Yemen
Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The Sunni Muslim Saudi-led alliance of Arab states launched a major military assault against a key port city in Yemen. Humanitarian agencies are warning about a fresh catastrophe in this beleaguered nation. Therefore, Shia Houthi forces are expecting a major offensive against their military positions in the port city of Hodeidah (Hudaydah).
Lisa Grande, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, uttered, “Under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict have to do everything possible to protect civilians and ensure they have access to the assistance they need to survive. Right now, nothing is more important.”
The Saudi-led coalition attack against the port city of Hodeidah titled “Golden Victory,” is fully underway. In the early morning, Arab warplanes targeted Shia Houthi fortifications. At the same time, Yemeni and international forces were massing to launch a ground attack against Shia Houthi forces.
Reuters reports, “Western countries, particularly the United States and Britain, have quietly backed the Arab states diplomatically and sell them billions of dollars a year in arms, but have mostly avoided direct public involvement so far in the Yemen conflict. A major battle could test that support, especially if many civilians are killed or supplies disrupted.”
However, sinister abounds that America or the United Kingdom would put real pressure on Saudi Arabia and others involved in the assault. Indeed, with tensions increasing between America and Iran, and between Saudi Arabia and Iran, then a carte blanche likely exists in Riyadh based on the close ties with the political elites in London and Washington respectively. Hence, the deaths of innocent civilians will flow based on the objectives of Golden Victory – irrespective if the Saudi-led alliance emerges victorious or fails.
The BBC reports, “The conflict and a partial blockade by the coalition have also left 22 million people in need of humanitarian aid. It has created the world’s largest food emergency and led to a cholera outbreak that is thought to have killed 2,290 people.”
Of course, the same Sunni Muslim nations and Iran who lambast Israel and Myanmar respectively, are the same nations involved in several conflicts where untold numbers have been killed in Syria and Yemen. It is high time for greater pressure to emerge on all sides of the conflict because the humanitarian situation is extremely bleak. Equally, just like in Syria, too many outside nations who avoid military conflict directly in Yemen, are abusing ordinary civilians with the result being death, cholera, malnutrition, poverty, destroyed families, and other brutal realities.
The Shia Houthi position would be weakened if they lost this key port but the conflict would still rumble on. Indeed, a guerilla counter-attack would most likely emerge if the Houthis lost this port city. Therefore, it is essential that a diplomatic solution is found between all major competing sides because the crisis is too severe for all Yemeni civilians.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44463749
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