Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition take position during an attack on Hodeidah, on the outskirts of the port city. Najeeb Al Mahboobi / EPA
Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition take position during an attack on Hodeidah, on the outskirts of the port city. Najeeb Al Mahboobi / EPA

Newly-deployed UAE-trained Yemeni forces key to Hodeidah victory



Members of the Tihama Brigade are returning to Yemen after receiving military training by UAE forces.

"A large number of our fighters are on their way to join their colleagues in the joint forces," Colonel Mohammed Al Himyari of the Tihama Brigade told The National.

"They have been preparing for an offensive to storm the city of Hodeidah," he said. "I can confirm that our fighters are very enthusiastic to advance and take over the city, which is our own city not the Houthis' land."

According to Col Al Himyari, the Tihama Brigade's grasp of the city's layout is key to the success of the operation.

"Our fighters are mostly coming from the city and they know all the details inside the city, they know where the Houthis have planted the mines and they know where the Houthi fighters are deployed so they can avert the advancing troops," the colonel said.

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On Friday, the Al Amalika Brigade recaptured Al Tahita directorate, south of Hodeidah, their media officer Aseel Al Sakladi told The National.

"Our forces stormed the centre of Al Tahita after a fierce battle with the Houthi militia," said Mr Al Sakladi, adding that 37 rebel fighters were killed by a coalition air strike and by members of Al Amalika.

The UAE state news agency WAM said dozens of Houthis had been captured during the battle, while those that fled had abandoned their weapons. Yemeni officials on Saturday said fighting between government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition and the rebels along the country's west coast has killed more than 165 people from both sides.

The UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths' failed attempt on Friday to persuade Houthi fighters to unconditionally withdraw from the city sparked the deployment of Al Amalika troops from Aden to the western outskirts of Hodeidah.

The UN Security Council said that "all parties" should work toward a political solution for Yemen, and repeated a call for Hodeidah to remain open.

The statements came after Mr Griffiths updated the Security Council via a video link from the region. The coalition said it had paused its campaign to retake Hodeidah in support of UN efforts as it called for rebels to make an "unconditional withdrawal" from the city.

However, the coalition and government forces are continuing their operations in other areas of Hodeidah province and rebel-held areas of Yemen. A coalition air strike on Saturday destroyed the Houthis' communications control systems in Haidan and Razeh districts of Sadaa province, the main stronghold of the rebel group.

The communications systems were very advanced and were operated by foreign experts, Ismail Al Sharafi, a journalist covering the government forces' operations in Sadaa, told The National.

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Residents of Hodeidah city say that Houthi rebels have taken to recruiting young boys from poor families in a last attempt to hold their ground.

In response, the Yemeni government welcomed a resolution by the Arab Parliament condemning the Houthi's recruitment of underage boys.

Ibtihaj Al Kamal, the social affairs and labour minister, said that so far this year Houthi rebels had recruited 2,500 children.

Mr Al Kamal praised the Arab Parliament's decision and called for the UN secretary general, the Security Council and international organisations to refer Houthi crimes to the International Criminal Court and hold rebel leaders accountable.

The recruitment of children under the age of 15 was recognised as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which entered into force in 2002.

Hodeidah port is the entry point for some 70 per cent of imports to Yemen, where eight million people face a dire humanitarian situation, and provides a lifeline for the 22 million Yemenis dependent on humanitarian aid.

Aid distribution to Hodeidah civilians by the UAE and the Emirates Red Crescent has been ongoing. According to WAM, 9,900 food baskets have been distributed throughout 13 liberated districts, with more than 69,300 people benefiting from them in June.

The UAE aid authority has developed an integrated plan to deliver relief to afflicted areas of the governorate. The ERC has provided bed nets and blankets, in addition to doctors and nurses to help support displaced families.

Meanwhile on Friday evening a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards Jazan in Saudi Arabia was intercepted by the kingdom's royal air defence, a spokesman for the Arab coalition said.

Col Turki Al Malki said the missile was fired from Amran in Yemen and was aimed at populated areas.

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Royal Birkdale Golf Course

Location: Southport, Merseyside, England

Established: 1889

Type: Private

Total holes: 18

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Sri Lanka Test squad:

Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5