Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday (Jul 21) promised a "huge" retaliation against Israel following a deadly strike on the port of Hodeida, as regional fallout widens from months of war in Gaza.

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday (Jul 21) promised a "huge" retaliation against Israel following a deadly strike on the port of Hodeida, as regional fallout widens from months of war in Gaza. The Israeli strike, the first claimed by Israel in Yemen, came a day after the first fatal attack by the Houthis in Israel. On Sunday, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen and struck targets in southern Lebanon. Residents of southern Gaza reported combat in the Rafah area. The fighting across the region comes as Washington, Israel's chief military supplier, says a deal to end more than nine months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas is near the "goal line". But Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry warned Israel's attack on Hodeida "aggravates the current tension in the region and halts the ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza." Dozens have been killed since Saturday across Gaza, the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run territory said, including in strikes on homes in the central Nuseirat and Bureij areas and near southern Khan Yunis. Residents said a major operation was underway in a district west of Rafah, where they reported heavy artillery and clashes. On Sunday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, chief of the Iran-backed group, said the strikes on Hodeida would lead to "further escalation and more attacks targeting Israel" after the deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv changed the rules of engagement and opened "a new phase" in operations. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said earlier that the rebels' "response to the Israeli aggression against our country is inevitably coming and will be huge." Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the fire left raging by the strikes on rebel-held Hodeida port "is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear." Gallant warned of further operations if the Houthis "dare to attack us" after the Houthi drone strike hit Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometres (1,119 miles) from Yemen. It appeared to be the first to pierce Israel's intricate air defences. An analyst said Houthi drones do not pose a "strategic threat" to Israel. Watch | Israel-Hamas War: Israel strike Yemen's Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah × Fuel storage tanks The Houthis control swathes of Yemen, including much of its Red Sea coast. In Hodeida, six people were killed and 83 wounded, health officials said in an updated statement carried by Houthi media. Firefighters struggled to contain the massive blaze caused by the strike. A port employee said fuel storage tanks and a power plant were still burning on Sunday. Analysts say the strike on Hodeida will likely only embolden the Houthis. Since January the rebels have already withstood repeated United States and British strikes aimed at deterring repeated Houthi attacks on shipping. Nearly a decade of war against forces backing Yemen's internationally-recognised government has also failed to weaken the rebels' hold, even though they were hit by thousands of air raids. Yemen expert Nicholas Brumfield said, however, that the Hodeida attack will have a "dire humanitarian" impact on ordinary Yemenis. On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen towards the Red Sea resort town of Eilat. The rebel spokesman said ballistic missiles were fired towards the port. In Lebanon, Iran-backed and Hamas allied Hezbollah said it fired Katyusha rockets at northern Israel after Israeli strikes hit a weapons depot and wounded six civilians. Hezbollah said Israel's strikes on its Yemeni allies marked "a new, dangerous phase". Also read | Israeli military intercepts missile fired from Yemen Netanyahu headed to Washington The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli military says are dead. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has killed at least 38,983 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The war has left most of Gaza's population displaced, much of the infrastructure, including housing, destroyed, and essential goods in short supply. Israel has started vaccinating its troops in Gaza against polio and supplying vaccines for the Palestinian population after health agencies said the virus has been found in the territory, the military said on Sunday. Many more diseases are "spreading out of control" inside Gaza, a World Health Organisation spokesman said on Friday. The war has brought Israelis to the streets, sometimes in their tens of thousands, demanding a deal to free remaining hostages. "Bring them home," demonstrator Ofira Azrieli said Saturday in Tel Aviv, appealing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is due to address US lawmakers Wednesday in Washington, where he will be under pressure to reach a ceasefire with Hamas. He will meet President Joe Biden on Tuesday, his office said.

Houthis vow of ‘major retaliation’ after Israeli strike on port of Hodeida kills 6

The United Nations said Sunday that a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-confirms-yemen-aid-port-withdrawal-underway-217879">Yemeni rebel </a>withdrawal from key <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-confirms-yemen-aid-port-withdrawal-underway-217879">Red Sea ports</a> was proceeding as planned after the government accused the insurgents of faking the pullout.

The first day of the redeployment by Huthi insurgents from the ports of Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa on Saturday "went in accordance with established plans," a UN statement said.

"All three ports were monitored simultaneously by United Nations teams as the military forces left the ports and the Coast Guard took over responsibility for security," it added.

Military equipment is expected to be removed in the coming days, while demining is also planned, the statement said.

Formal verification of the first redeployment will take place at the three ports on Tuesday, according to the UN.

Hodeida port serves as a lifeline for millions in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, which has been pushed to the brink of famine by more than four years of devastating war.

The pullback is considered a first step in implementing a hard-won truce agreement for Hodeida struck in Sweden in December between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.

Yemen's information minister dismissed the rebels' announcement, accusing them of "a policy of deception."

"What the Huthi militia did is a repeated theatrical play of handing over control of the port to its own forces (in different uniforms)," Moammer al-Eryani tweeted.

The United Nations said Sunday that a Yemeni rebel withdrawal from key Red Sea ports was proceeding as planned after the government accused the insurgents of faking the pullout.

The United Nations said Sunday that a Yemeni rebel withdrawal from key Red Sea ports was proceeding as planned after the government accused the insurgents of faking the pullout. The first day of the redeployment by Huthi insurgents from the ports of Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa on Saturday "went in accordance with established plans," a UN statement said. "All three ports were monitored simultaneously by United Nations teams as the military forces left the ports and the Coast Guard took over responsibility for security," it added. Military equipment is expected to be removed in the coming days, while demining is also planned, the statement said. Formal verification of the first redeployment will take place at the three ports on Tuesday, according to the UN. Hodeida port serves as a lifeline for millions in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, which has been pushed to the brink of famine by more than four years of devastating war. The pullback is considered a first step in implementing a hard-won truce agreement for Hodeida struck in Sweden in December between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels. Yemen's information minister dismissed the rebels' announcement, accusing them of "a policy of deception." "What the Huthi militia did is a repeated theatrical play of handing over control of the port to its own forces (in different uniforms)," Moammer al-Eryani tweeted.

United Nation says rebel pullout from Yemen ports on track

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/yemen-government-rebels-lash-out-as-peace-talks-set-to-open-181909">Yemen's government </a>would not rule out an offensive on the key port of Hodeida if rebels refuse to withdraw, sparking an immediate rebuff by the Huthi insurgents as the warring sides met for UN-brokered talks on Friday.

Nearly four years into a war that has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of mass starvation, the Saudi-backed government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Huthi rebels, linked to Riyadh's archrival Iran, are in the rural town of Rimbo, Sweden for what UN officials expect will be a week of negotiations.

Government representatives, rebel spokesmen and<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/yemens-warring-parties-to-convene-for-fragile-peace-talks-in-sweden-181832"> UN Yemen </a>envoy Martin Griffiths have all said the talks are not aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict. Both Yemeni parties have threatened to leave the talks if certain demands are not met.

Among the issues under discussion are potential humanitarian corridors, a prisoner swap, the reopening of the defunct Sanaa international airport, and Hodeida, the rebel-held city at the heart of an ongoing government offensive.

The government has held firm to its demand that the Huthis evacuate the western governorate of Hodeida, home to a Red Sea port that is the entry point for 90 per cent of food imports to impoverished Yemen, and hand the area over to security forces.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The rebels, however, refused that demand Friday, saying it was "not on the table".&nbsp;

Military option still open&nbsp;

The Sweden talks mark the first meeting between the two sides in two years. The last round of talks, in 2016, broke down after three months.

While the days leading up to the gathering saw the government and rebels agreeing on a prisoner swap deal and the evacuation of wounded insurgents, both parties have publicly traded threats and accusations in Sweden.

The two sides have not yet met face-to-face.

The government, which accuses the Huthis of arms smuggling from Iran through Hodeida and Sanaa airport, was not open to negotiations on control of the port, a member of the delegation said Friday.

"We are now in negotiations in response to calls by the international community, the UN and the UN envoy. We are still looking into means towards peace," said Agriculture Minister Othman al-Mujalli.

"But if they (the rebels) are not responsive, we have many options, including that of military decisiveness," he told reporters in response to a question on the rebel-held city. "And we are ready."

Mujalli said the UN could play a "supervisory" role, but he rejected the idea of placing management of the port in the hands of a third party.&nbsp;

The Hodeida battle, launched in June, has sparked fears for more than 150,000 civilians trapped in the city.

UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths, who has pushed for months for the Yemen talks, urged both parties to spare Hodeida, "a humanitarian pipeline to the rest of the country".&nbsp;

Sanaa airport&nbsp;

A prisoner swap has been agreed between the two sides, to be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross after the talks.

The two parties are also looking at the potential reopening of Sanaa airport, located in the rebel-held capital and largely shut down for three years, sources in both delegations said.

The Saudi-led government camp controls Yemeni airspace and maritime borders.

The government is demanding planes be searched in Aden or Sayoun, two government-held areas, en route to or from rebel-held Sanaa -- a proposal the rebels immediately rejected.

"We are keen on the opening of Sanaa airport, and we demand the opening of Sanaa airport ... but we are looking into who will supervise Sanaa airport," said Abdulaziz Jabari, a presidential advisor and member of a Yemeni government delegation at the talks.

Jabari also floated the idea that the airport could serve as a hub for domestic flights.

Huthi representative Abdulmalik al-Ajri turned down both demands.&nbsp;

"Sanaa airport is an international airport," Ajri told AFP.

Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the Yemeni government's fight against the rebels in 2015, triggering what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;

At least 10,000 people have since been killed, according to the World Health Organisation, as children are bombed on buses, recruited as child soldiers and die of hunger.&nbsp;

Other rights groups estimate the death toll could be five times higher.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yemen's government would not rule out an offensive on the key port of Hodeida if rebels refuse to withdraw, sparking an immediate rebuff by the Huthi insurgents as the warring sides met for UN-brokered talks on Friday.

Yemen's government would not rule out an offensive on the key port of Hodeida if rebels refuse to withdraw, sparking an immediate rebuff by the Huthi insurgents as the warring sides met for UN-brokered talks on Friday. Nearly four years into a war that has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of mass starvation, the Saudi-backed government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Huthi rebels, linked to Riyadh's archrival Iran, are in the rural town of Rimbo, Sweden for what UN officials expect will be a week of negotiations. Government representatives, rebel spokesmen and UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths have all said the talks are not aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict. Both Yemeni parties have threatened to leave the talks if certain demands are not met. Among the issues under discussion are potential humanitarian corridors, a prisoner swap, the reopening of the defunct Sanaa international airport, and Hodeida, the rebel-held city at the heart of an ongoing government offensive. The government has held firm to its demand that the Huthis evacuate the western governorate of Hodeida, home to a Red Sea port that is the entry point for 90 per cent of food imports to impoverished Yemen, and hand the area over to security forces. The rebels, however, refused that demand Friday, saying it was "not on the table". Military option still open The Sweden talks mark the first meeting between the two sides in two years. The last round of talks, in 2016, broke down after three months. While the days leading up to the gathering saw the government and rebels agreeing on a prisoner swap deal and the evacuation of wounded insurgents, both parties have publicly traded threats and accusations in Sweden. The two sides have not yet met face-to-face. The government, which accuses the Huthis of arms smuggling from Iran through Hodeida and Sanaa airport, was not open to negotiations on control of the port, a member of the delegation said Friday. "We are now in negotiations in response to calls by the international community, the UN and the UN envoy. We are still looking into means towards peace," said Agriculture Minister Othman al-Mujalli. "But if they (the rebels) are not responsive, we have many options, including that of military decisiveness," he told reporters in response to a question on the rebel-held city. "And we are ready." Mujalli said the UN could play a "supervisory" role, but he rejected the idea of placing management of the port in the hands of a third party. The Hodeida battle, launched in June, has sparked fears for more than 150,000 civilians trapped in the city. UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths, who has pushed for months for the Yemen talks, urged both parties to spare Hodeida, "a humanitarian pipeline to the rest of the country". Sanaa airport A prisoner swap has been agreed between the two sides, to be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross after the talks. The two parties are also looking at the potential reopening of Sanaa airport, located in the rebel-held capital and largely shut down for three years, sources in both delegations said. The Saudi-led government camp controls Yemeni airspace and maritime borders. The government is demanding planes be searched in Aden or Sayoun, two government-held areas, en route to or from rebel-held Sanaa -- a proposal the rebels immediately rejected. "We are keen on the opening of Sanaa airport, and we demand the opening of Sanaa airport ... but we are looking into who will supervise Sanaa airport," said Abdulaziz Jabari, a presidential advisor and member of a Yemeni government delegation at the talks. Jabari also floated the idea that the airport could serve as a hub for domestic flights. Huthi representative Abdulmalik al-Ajri turned down both demands. "Sanaa airport is an international airport," Ajri told AFP. Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the Yemeni government's fight against the rebels in 2015, triggering what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. At least 10,000 people have since been killed, according to the World Health Organisation, as children are bombed on buses, recruited as child soldiers and die of hunger. Other rights groups estimate the death toll could be five times higher.

Yemen government wields Hodeida military threat as rebels stand firm in talks

&nbsp;A cholera outbreak in Yemen has killed 180 people since April 27, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday, hours after the Houthi-controlled health ministry said 115 had died from the disease in the capital Sanaa.

ICRC&#39;s Dominik Stillhart told reporters in the Yemeni city of Aden there were 11,000 more suspected cholera cases across the war-torn country. Authorities on Sunday had declared a state of emergency in Sanaa over the outbreak and called for international help to avert disaster.

Hospitals are short of space and medicine is in short supply as people struggle to cope with the bacterial disease.&nbsp;

Cholera is normally contracted by consumption of water and food contaminated by human feces. It leads to&nbsp;massive dehydrating diarrhoea attacks along with vomiting&nbsp;and cramps which if not quickly healed can&nbsp;kill a person in a few days.&nbsp;

Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), defined the situation in Yemen as &quot;catastrophic&quot;.&nbsp;During a press conference held in the country&#39;s capital city of Sanaa, he told reporters,&nbsp;&quot;There are people in the gardens, and some even in their cars with the IV drip (intravenous infusions) hanging from the window. There are up to four cholera patients in one single bed.&quot;&nbsp;

The disease is spreading nationwide and Mr. Stillhart informed that since April 27&nbsp;hospitals reported more than 8,500 suspected cases, 2,300 of which in the last week alone. &nbsp;

Hygiene is fundamental in combating the epidemy and a recent garbage crisis in the capital city is not helping. Mr. Stillart reported that piles of garbage lie on Sanaa&#39;s street, contributing to make the environment more prone to any bacterial disease.&nbsp;

On top of all this Yemen is facing a severe food shortage, to the point that the United Nations repeatedly warned that 17 million Yemeni citizens are on the brink of famine and the country is suffering from one of the world&#39;s worst hunger crisis. Children are&nbsp;suffering the most; according to UNICEF there are currently &quot;462,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition &ndash; a nearly 200 per cent increase since 2014.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;What is happening today exceeds the capabilities of any healthy health system, so how can we (cope) when we are in these difficult and complicated conditions,&quot; Yemen&#39;s news agency Saba quoted the Houthi-run administration&#39;s health minister Mohammed Salem bin Hafeedh as saying.

Cholera was perhaps the last thing&nbsp;Yemen needed. The country, the poorest in the Arab world, faces its third year of a war which split the nation between the Shiite Houthi rebels, reportedly supported by Iran, and President&#39;s Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi government, strongly supported by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition. The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, Bahrein, Quatar and to a minor extent Pakistan and Somalia are all part of the coalition.&nbsp;

Recent reports say that a new faction, led by Aidaroos Al Zubaidi, has announced its intention to make the southern part of Yemen independent, where the majority of the oil resources lie, adding more chaos to an already fragmented situation. &nbsp;

Since the beginning of the Arab&#39;s spring in Yemen in 2011, Al Qaida in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) has been able to seize the opportunity and establish their control over swathes of land. And, where there is al Qaida, the US army goes. Yemen has become the most recent chapter of America&#39;s war on terror. The US have no presence on the ground and mainly conduct raids and drone attacks alongside Saudi Arabia. &nbsp;

Houthi forces are mainly in control of the northeastern part of the country &ndash; where the capital Sanaa is located &ndash; and of the crucial Red Sea port of Hodeida.

Despite being less armed and less in numbers they have been capable of inflicting continuous losses to Saudi troops. &nbsp;

This does not seem to worry Saudi&#39;s deputy crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, who said in a recent interview that his country could end the war in a few days by sending the ground force in, but they prefer to wait in order to avoid too many civilian casualties. &nbsp;

According to the UN, nearly 10,000 have already died in Yemen&#39;s war, a conflict which is once again the result of a hegemony struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran in order to establish their primacy over West Asia.&nbsp;

In the meanwhile the Saudi-led coalition is imposing a full-scale blockade against the Houthi-held areas which, given the country&#39;s location, has practically grounded its economy.&nbsp;

The country&#39;s main port of al Hodeidahis under Houthi&#39;s control and its functioning &ndash; once crucial in providing all kind of goods to 80 percent of the country &ndash; is way below normal with the immediate result of a hike in basic goods prices. &nbsp;

A possible Saudi-led military operation to retake control of the port is on the table, but it could result tremendosuly costly in terms of civilians deaths. The UN has warned of an imminent tragedy in case of fighting involving the port ant the adjacent city where 400,000 people live. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;The Houthis will do whatever they can in order to defend the al Hudaydah port,&quot; says Luca Nevola, research associate at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies. &quot;They know that the port is the only source of whatever goods they need in order to survive, without al Hodeidahthe Houthis will be in great difficulty.&quot;

Saudis have recently renewed their intention to attack the port in order to prevent smuggled weapons to reach the Houthis. The coalition stated that they will open alternative routes, through the ports they control in the south.&nbsp;

Even if the US are fighting alongside Saudi Arabia, they are not expected to take part in an eventual operation to attack the port. &nbsp;

Yemen will most likely be on the table during the discussions that US President Donald Trump will have with the Saudi government during his visit, scheduled for May 19. &nbsp;

&#39;Weapons&#39; will also play a role in Trump&#39;s visit; A senior White House official told Reuters that the two countries are rushing to close a series of arm deals worth $100 billion. &nbsp;

Despite disagreement over the&nbsp;al Hodeidah port eventual attack, it does not seem that US support for Saudi Arabia&#39;s role in Yemen&#39;s war is not in doubt. &nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

It is the second outbreak in a country where already 10,000 had died due to one of the world's most forgotten war

A cholera outbreak in Yemen has killed 180 people since April 27, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday, hours after the Houthi-controlled health ministry said 115 had died from the disease in the capital Sanaa. ICRC's Dominik Stillhart told reporters in the Yemeni city of Aden there were 11,000 more suspected cholera cases across the war-torn country. Authorities on Sunday had declared a state of emergency in Sanaa over the outbreak and called for international help to avert disaster. Hospitals are short of space and medicine is in short supply as people struggle to cope with the bacterial disease. Cholera is normally contracted by consumption of water and food contaminated by human feces. It leads to massive dehydrating diarrhoea attacks along with vomiting and cramps which if not quickly healed can kill a person in a few days. Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), defined the situation in Yemen as "catastrophic". During a press conference held in the country's capital city of Sanaa, he told reporters, "There are people in the gardens, and some even in their cars with the IV drip (intravenous infusions) hanging from the window. There are up to four cholera patients in one single bed." The disease is spreading nationwide and Mr. Stillhart informed that since April 27 hospitals reported more than 8,500 suspected cases, 2,300 of which in the last week alone. Hygiene is fundamental in combating the epidemy and a recent garbage crisis in the capital city is not helping. Mr. Stillart reported that piles of garbage lie on Sanaa's street, contributing to make the environment more prone to any bacterial disease. On top of all this Yemen is facing a severe food shortage, to the point that the United Nations repeatedly warned that 17 million Yemeni citizens are on the brink of famine and the country is suffering from one of the world's worst hunger crisis. Children are suffering the most; according to UNICEF there are currently "462,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a nearly 200 per cent increase since 2014." "What is happening today exceeds the capabilities of any healthy health system, so how can we (cope) when we are in these difficult and complicated conditions," Yemen's news agency Saba quoted the Houthi-run administration's health minister Mohammed Salem bin Hafeedh as saying. Cholera was perhaps the last thing Yemen needed. The country, the poorest in the Arab world, faces its third year of a war which split the nation between the Shiite Houthi rebels, reportedly supported by Iran, and President's Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi government, strongly supported by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition. The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, Bahrein, Quatar and to a minor extent Pakistan and Somalia are all part of the coalition. Recent reports say that a new faction, led by Aidaroos Al Zubaidi, has announced its intention to make the southern part of Yemen independent, where the majority of the oil resources lie, adding more chaos to an already fragmented situation. Since the beginning of the Arab's spring in Yemen in 2011, Al Qaida in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) has been able to seize the opportunity and establish their control over swathes of land. And, where there is al Qaida, the US army goes. Yemen has become the most recent chapter of America's war on terror. The US have no presence on the ground and mainly conduct raids and drone attacks alongside Saudi Arabia. Houthi forces are mainly in control of the northeastern part of the country – where the capital Sanaa is located – and of the crucial Red Sea port of Hodeida. Despite being less armed and less in numbers they have been capable of inflicting continuous losses to Saudi troops. This does not seem to worry Saudi's deputy crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, who said in a recent interview that his country could end the war in a few days by sending the ground force in, but they prefer to wait in order to avoid too many civilian casualties. According to the UN, nearly 10,000 have already died in Yemen's war, a conflict which is once again the result of a hegemony struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran in order to establish their primacy over West Asia. In the meanwhile the Saudi-led coalition is imposing a full-scale blockade against the Houthi-held areas which, given the country's location, has practically grounded its economy. The country's main port of al Hodeidahis under Houthi's control and its functioning – once crucial in providing all kind of goods to 80 percent of the country – is way below normal with the immediate result of a hike in basic goods prices. A possible Saudi-led military operation to retake control of the port is on the table, but it could result tremendosuly costly in terms of civilians deaths. The UN has warned of an imminent tragedy in case of fighting involving the port ant the adjacent city where 400,000 people live. "The Houthis will do whatever they can in order to defend the al Hudaydah port," says Luca Nevola, research associate at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies. "They know that the port is the only source of whatever goods they need in order to survive, without al Hodeidahthe Houthis will be in great difficulty." Saudis have recently renewed their intention to attack the port in order to prevent smuggled weapons to reach the Houthis. The coalition stated that they will open alternative routes, through the ports they control in the south. Even if the US are fighting alongside Saudi Arabia, they are not expected to take part in an eventual operation to attack the port. Yemen will most likely be on the table during the discussions that US President Donald Trump will have with the Saudi government during his visit, scheduled for May 19. 'Weapons' will also play a role in Trump's visit; A senior White House official told Reuters that the two countries are rushing to close a series of arm deals worth $100 billion. Despite disagreement over the al Hodeidah port eventual attack, it does not seem that US support for Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen's war is not in doubt. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Cholera epidemic has killed 180 in Yemen: ICRC

hodeidah-port

Hodeidah Port, News on Hodeidah Port, stories on Hodeidah Port, articles on Hodeidah Port, Hodeidah Port stories at Wion, Hodeidah Port news, Hodeidah Port latest news

hodeidah port

Houthis vow of ‘major retaliation’ after Israeli strike on port of Hodeida kills 6

United Nation says rebel pullout from Yemen ports on track

Yemen government wields Hodeida military threat as rebels stand firm in talks

Cholera epidemic has killed 180 in Yemen: ICRC