Fighting continues in Yemen as US seeks ceasefire in world’s worst humanitarian crisis



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At a recent United Nations conference in support of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition backed by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, led the way with a donation of $ 430 million out of a total of $ 1, $ 67 billion raised.

Iran, which supports Houthi militias fighting the Yemeni government, according to a public UN list of donations, has offered no help.

While the Biden administration donated $ 191 million at the conference, on top of the hundreds of millions already given in US humanitarian aid to the war-torn country, a recent policy change and intense diplomacy to secure a ceasefire. -fires have so far failed.

The attacks on the Saudi-led Houthi-led coalition have only intensified in scale and ferocity.

The war began in 2014 when the Houthis besieged the capital of Yemen in an attempt to take control of the country. In 2015, the Saudis led a coalition to fight the militias. Since then, the humanitarian situation has worsened, leaving thousands of civilians dead and millions on the brink of famine.

The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi

The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi
(Credit: Saudi Arabian Mission to the United Nations)

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the UN Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi told Fox News that “Saudi Arabia ranks among the top donor countries for providing humanitarian aid at regional and international levels, in particular in Yemen “.

The ambassador noted the irony regarding Tehran’s destructive role in supporting the Houthis.

“On the other hand, Iran is playing a destructive role in the region and providing funding, arms and other support to a wide range of terrorist and rebel groups, including the Houthi militia.

In addition, Iran, through the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, is sending missiles into Saudi cities, including the recent escalation of the Iran-backed Houthi militia, attacks on oil facilities. in eastern Saudi Arabia, the drone attack on the port of Ras Tanura and the attempted missile strike. on a residential area of ​​Aramco had targeted global energy supplies. “

He warned that the attacks were not just affecting his country. “Ras Tanura is one of the largest oil transport ports in the world and the Aramco complex in Dhahran is home to workers and their families from all over the world.”

He noted that the attacks “on the Kingdom prove that these Iranian-backed militias believe only in terrorist behavior to achieve their narrow political goals. The Houthis continue to ignore and violate Security Council resolutions and the IHL”.

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The Biden administration redefined its policy last month by announcing the end of support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen.

Shortly thereafter, Secretary of State Blinken rescinded an order from the Trump administration revoking the Houthis’ foreign terrorist organization status, a move he said was based on the dire humanitarian situation in the country and fear of the impact it might have on commodities such as food and fuel.

Al-Mouallimi told Fox News he understood the reasons for the delisting, but said, “Saudi Arabia will continue to treat the Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist organization despite the US decision.”

At the State Department briefing on Friday, spokesman Ned Price rejected an Associated Press question about whether the delisting had been a mistake. Price replied that “we are not going to apologize for doing all we can to address the important humanitarian situation of the people of Yemen.”

Price said the Trump administration’s last-minute decision to add the Houthis to the terrorism list only made problems in the region worse.

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But Varsha Koduvayur, senior research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News that Biden’s policy change “has certainly helped embolden the Houthis.”

“The series of attacks intensified during the deregistration period by the Houthi administration,” said the expert from the Persian Gulf region.

“The big price for the Houthis now is the military offensive on Marib – they have little incentive to change tactics, and the receding pressure from the administration, while designed to benefit Yemen’s humanitarian situation, has certainly fueled the Houthi incentive structure. ”

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Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking proposed a ceasefire that was avoided by the Houthis, who said the plan only represented the views of the UN and the ‘Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters.

Lenderking had spent about two weeks in diplomacy in the region pushing for the ceasefire.

As the Houthi offensive continues, Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iranian expert and senior FDD researcher, warns that “Iran has unleashed a revolution in the Houthis’ long-range strike capabilities” which enables the militias to threaten Saudi oil assets and infrastructure.

Iran was able to avoid detection because of its “evolutionary proliferation model (which) involves sending components rather than complete systems.”

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Ben Taleblu said the Biden administration should monitor these developments closely.

“The increase in Houthi strikes sends a message that the rebels are confident, more material is on its way and will not be banned. Washington should prove them wrong,” he added.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report, as well as the Associated Press.

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