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Saudi Arabia and its allies said Monday they are committed to de-escalating hostilities in Yemen, only days after launching a renewed offensive on a crucial port for humanitarian aid.
"The coalition is committed to de-escalating hostilities in Yemen and is strongly supportive of the UN's political process," a source in the Saudi-led coalition told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the conflict in 2015, aiming at the status of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi as he fought an insurgency by the Shiite Huthis from northern Yemen.
Hodeida, the rebel-held Red Sea city is a strategic port.
It was suspended the offensive ahead of UN efforts to hold peace talks in Geneva that eventually collapsed in September.
The UN-sponsored retreat to the United States of America.
The UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, now Huthis this month.
Government coalition warplanes carried out to support Hodeida, approaching the city's main university.
– Dozens dead –
Dozens of rebels and soldiers were killed in raids and raids, according to sources in hospitals across the areas.
The source in the Saudi-led coalition said the current clashes were not "offensive operations", adding that the alliance was "committed to keeping the Hodeida port open".
"If the Huthis fail to show up for peace talks again, this might lead to the offensive operation in Hodeida," the source said.
"The humanitarian situation in Yemen is unacceptable We are committed to ending the conflict as soon as possible.
"If the Huthis show up, we will continue our humanitarian efforts," he said. "If they do not, we will also continue those efforts."
The UN children's fund, UNICEF, on Sunday warned an assault on Hodeida city would jeopardize the lives of Yemenis across the country who depend on its port for humanitarian aid.
The World Health Organization estimates nearly 10,000 people have been killed since 2015.
Human rights groups say the toll could be higher.
Fourteen million people now stand at the brink of starvation in Yemen, which the United Nations has called for the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
This image grab taken from a AFPTV video shows Yemeni pro-government forces firing a heavy machine gun at the south of Hodeida airport, in Yemen's Hodeida province on June 15, 2018
Map of Yemen locating Hodeida where dozens of Yemeni rebels have been killed in battles and air strikes.
