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UAE: We will continue assault on Yemen until ‘unconditional withdrawal’ of Houthis

June 19, 2018 at 9:50 am

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, 19 June 2018 [WAM]

The UAE will continue its air strikes on the strategic port town of Hudaydah in Yemen until the “unconditional withdrawal” of the Houthis, the country’s foreign secretary said.

In a press conference in Dubai yesterday, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash announced that “the forces are now pressuring to help the UN envoy in his last chance to convince the Houthis to unconditionally withdraw from the city and avoid any confrontations there.”

UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, left the Yemeni capital Sana’a yesterday without progressing talks with the Houthis during his three-day visit.

The sources also said that the Houthis refused to withdraw from the port of Hudaydah and hand it over to the UN, and asked for more time to reconsider the UN envoy’s proposal.

Army: 20 Houthis killed in eastern Yemen

Last week, the UAE and an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched operation “Golden Victory” in an effort to capture the strategic Red Sea port town on Hudaydah from the Houthis.

The UN has warned that some 250,000 civilians could be killed during a battle to secure Hudaydah