Saudi-led Forces Resume Attacks on Yemeni Port of Hodeidah

As Houthis express openness to truce, Saudi warplanes pound city

Jason Ditz 

Posted onNovember 19, 2018CategoriesNewsTagsSaudi Arabia, Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s ceasefire in the vital Yemeni aid port of Hodeidah has come to an end after a brief lull in fighting. Now, Saudi warplanes are again pounding the city, and Saudi-backed forces are again carrying out offensives in the suburbs.

It had previously been assumed, though not outright said, that the ceasefire was going to last up to the peace talks, expected at some point in December. The timing is particularly bad, as it comes just a day after Yemen’s Houthis backed a ceasefire, and announced a halt toward firing missiles or using drones.

It is unclear why the new offensive was announced at this point, though it comes just a day after Saudi-backed forces carried out an offensive against northwestern Yemen, another Houthi-held area.

The new offensives aren’t a good sign for the upcoming peace talks, though they may also represent an attempt to secure some last-minute gains before coming to the negotiating table. Either way, renewed Saudi airstrikes in Hodeidah is doubtless to mean another upswing in civilian casualties.

https://news.antiwar.com/2018/11/19/saudi-led-forces-resume-attacks-on-yemeni-port-of-hodeidah/