UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said Friday that the campaign to retake Yemen's port city of Hodeidah means the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents will fail in imposing their will “at the barrel of a gun.”
Yemeni forces and the Saudi-led Arab Coalition began Wednesday their assault on Hodeidah to retake it from the Houthis.
“For three years, the Houthis have resisted multiple opportunities to engage in serious peace talks,” Gargash said in a series of tweets.
“If they keep Hodeidah and its revenues and its strategic location, the war will last a long time."
“This deadlock must end. It is clear that for the UN-led political process to succeed, the situation on the ground must change,” he added.
UN special envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to brief the Security Council Monday on his proposals to restart negotiations to restore peace to Yemen.
“Depriving the Houthis of their control of Hodeidah port, at the Yemeni government’s request, means that the Houthis will no longer be able to impose their will at the barrel of a gun,” Gargash said.
“They will be one Yemeni group among others, jointly negotiating to decide the future of their country. That is the goal of our operations in Hodeidah,” he added.
The United Arab Emirates, a driving force in the Arab Coalition, said four of its troops were killed on the first day of the offensive.
