Saudis Launch New Offensive Against Yemen’s Hodeidah

While Yemen’s Houthi movement is urging everyone to accept a peace process, Saudi Arabia is looking to further step up the war, launching a new operation against the area around Hodeidah, which is supposed to be off-limits under a previously agreed-to truce.

The home of north Yemen’s last major port, Hodeidah is where materially all humanitarian aid enters north Yemen, and is how 70% of all food enters the country. The existing truce was meant to prevent harm to the port, and keep aid flowing.

This is the first major Saudi attack in Yemen since last weekend’s Houthi drone strike against Saudi oil refineries. The Saudis never acknowledged the Houthis were behind this, and rather blamed Iran.

The Houthis warned the new attacks mark a serious escalation and could pose a major threat to the existing truce. There has been no comment from other parties to the deal, though the Saudis claimed the Houthis used the area for remote-controlled boats.