Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the UN Abdallah Al-Moallimi told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that the military operation launched early this month to liberate the port city of Hodeidah operates in line with an unprecedented relief operation to distribute aid to all Yemenis.
At a New York news conference on the comprehensive humanitarian operations plan in Yemen, diplomats from Saudi Arabia and the UAE outlined a list of humanitarian activities and plans launched in parallel with the Hodeida offensive, dubbed Operation Golden Victory.
Moallimi said Houthis only need to hand over their arms and leave the strategic port city.
“I cannot mention any international military campaign that was accompanied by a humanitarian relief assistance compared to what is happening in the city of Hodeidah,” the Saudi diplomat said.
His colleague, Emirati UN Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh warned from the capacities of Houthis to destroy vital corridors facilitating humanitarian assistance to millions of Yemenis.
For his part, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, who held four days of talks in Sanaa with Houthis to avert a battle for Hodeidah, announced in a statement, “I am confident that we can reach an agreement to avert any escalation of violence that would have severe political and humanitarian consequences."
The envoy said he was encouraged by meetings held in recent days with Houthi officials, and he plans to hold talks with the legitimate government leaders, including Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the government.
At the battlefield, Yemeni forces intensified their efforts to comb liberated areas in Hodeidah ahead of entering the city center and the port.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Saudi-led Coalition said its forces made a strategic and qualitative advance in the province of Saada.
