Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 13 to retake the rebel-held Red Sea port city of Hodeida, pressing towards the airport south of the city. AFP / NABIL HASSAN
Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 13 to retake the rebel-held Red Sea port city of Hodeida, pressing towards the airport south of the city. AFP / NABIL HASSAN
Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 13 to retake the rebel-held Red Sea port city of Hodeida, pressing towards the airport south of the city. AFP / NABIL HASSAN
Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 13 to retake the rebel-held Red Sea port city of Hodeida, pressing towards the airport south of the city. AFP / NABIL HASS

Decisive action is the only way to break the Houthi stranglehold


  • English
  • Arabic

For all the criticism the Arab Coalition's military operation to liberate the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah has attracted from some quarters in the West, the offensive is vital if this war-ravaged country is to stand any chance of ending its three-year conflict.

Thousands of troops, backed by Saudi and Emirati forces, have now launched what is undoubtedly the largest offensive undertaken during the course of the conflict in an effort to recapture the port on behalf of Yemen’s internationally-recognised government.

The two-pronged assault has involved columns of jeeps and armoured vehicles filled with coalition-trained Yemeni forces advancing from points 15 miles south and southeast of the port city. This has been accompanied by a second amphibious assault from the sea, with Saudi ships carrying troops trained in Eritrea across the Red Sea to land at locations to the southwest of the city.

At the same time coalition aircraft have launched operations to attack Iranian-backed Houthi positions around the city.

From the moment, though, that coalition commanders announced they were launching operation Golden Victory, the codename for the military offensive to liberate Hodeidah from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, there has been a well-orchestrated outcry claiming that the offensive will plunge the country into an even greater humanitarian crisis.

At present international aid groups claim that the war in Yemen is now the world's worst humanitarian crisis. United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres recently warned that more than 22 million people – three-quarters of the population – were in desperate need of aid and protection.

But the crucial fact that Mr Guterres and other aid organisations consistently appear to overlook in their damning assessments of the Yemen conflict, which often lay the blame at the door of the Saudi-led coalition, is the role the Houthi rebels have played in creating this humanitarian disaster, particularly through their control of Hodeidah.

Ever since the Houthis seized the port, the rebels have imposed a stranglehold over all goods entering the country, leaving them in control of the distribution of vital food and aid. The Houthis have managed to finance themselves through looting, extortion and imposing illegal taxation on commercial ships – including those carrying humanitarian aid.

And it is the Houthis’ failure to ensure an equitable distribution of this aid that has contributed significantly to the mass starvation now affecting large areas of the country. At the same time their failure to distribute medical supplies has been a significant contributory factor in the country suffering the worst cholera outbreak in history.

_______________________

Read more from Opinion:

_______________________

But rather than holding the Houthis and their Iranian backers to account for their role in bringing Yemen to its knees, the more common narrative emanating from aid workers is that this humanitarian tragedy is solely the responsibility of the Arab Coalition and their Western backers, such as Britain and the US.

The other troubling issue – one that precipitated the coalition's decision to liberate Hodeidah – is that the port is increasingly being used to import a variety of Iranian weapons, including sophisticated missiles and drones. Apart from being used in the fight against pro-government forces in Yemen, these weapons are increasingly being used to launch attacks across the Yemeni border against Saudi Arabia. Saudi security officials estimate that the Houthis have launched 150 attacks on the Kingdom with advanced ballistic missiles, while more recently there has been an upsurge in attempts by the Houthis to launch drone attacks.

The Houthis’ increasingly aggressive conduct with regard to deploying the arms shipments they receive from Iran on a regular basis also has potential implications for the rest of world.

An estimated 15 per cent of global commerce passes through the region, and the Houthis now pose a very real threat to the security of international shipping lanes, especially the area stretching from the Bab Al Mandab strait to the Red Sea approach to the Suez Canal.

This sharp escalation in the military threat posed by the Houthis and their Iranian backers has been one of the main factors behind the coalition's decision to reclaim control of Hodeidah.

Another important element has been the obstructive tactics the Houthis have adopted to thwart any hope of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis. For example, a mediation plan proposed by the coalition, whereby the port would be placed under international supervision under the auspices of the UN, and which had the backing of Yemen’s democratically-elected government, was rejected out-of-hand by the Houthis.

The prospect of Yemen being plunged into an even deeper humanitarian disaster effectively left the coalition with no alternative but to act. Contrary to the claims being made by some that the coalition action will only cause more misery, the coalition insists the best way to bring Yemen's appalling civil war to an end is to take decisive action to break the Houthis' stranglehold over vital locations such as Hodeidah.

The coalition’s strategy has been succinctly summed up by Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. “Once Hodeidah is returned to government control it will help to break the impasse that has frozen Yemen’s progress over the last three years, by finally forcing the Houthis to come to the negotiating table in good faith, so that the country can move forward.”

The aim of the coalition’s offensive, therefore, is to end Yemen’s suffering, not to prolong it, an objective that is now probably the only practical solution to resolving this dreadful conflict.

Con Coughlin is the Daily Telegraph’s defence and foreign affairs editor

Profile

Company name: Jaib

Started: January 2018

Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour

Based: Jordan

Sector: FinTech

Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018

Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes. 

The trip

From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.

ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETelr%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E65%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20and%20payments%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enearly%20%2430%20million%20so%20far%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sukuk explained

Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.

The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic

Power: 169bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Price: Dh54,500

On sale: now

MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Syria squad

Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.

ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Juvenile arthritis

Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.