Yemeni army forces advance into a major district in Al-Hudaydah and stormed al-Rabsa district and seized a number of buildings there.
Government forces have advanced into a major district in Yemen’s port city of Al-Hudaydah, according to a Yemeni military officer on Monday.
The forces stormed al-Rabsa district and seized a number of buildings there, Army Colonel Ahmed al-Ajeili was quoted as saying by the military-run September 26 website.
“Our forces are advancing deep into Al-Hudaydah amid fierce clashes with Houthi rebels,” he said.
The military officer said the attack has caused casualties among the rebels, but without elaborating.
There was no comment from the Shia Houthi group on the claim.
Last week, Yemeni government forces launched a new military operation as a resume to the campaign which began in mid-2018 to retake the western city and its strategic two seaports from Houthis.
Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
The information minister in Yemen’s rebel government has defected to neighboring Saudi Arabia, according to a government official on Sunday.Abdul Salam Gaber had fled Sanaa and flown to Riyadh, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.Gaber is scheduled to attend a press conference to be held in the Yemeni Embassy in Riyadh on Sunday.There was no comment from the Houthi group on the defection, but the pro-Houthi Al Masirah television said Deifullah al-Shami was appointed as an information minister in the Houthi government.Gaber is the most senior rebel official to defect since the Yemeni conflict broke out in 2014 when the Shia Houthi group overran much of Yemen, including capital Sanaa.In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.Yemeni forces arrest Daesh cell in LahijUS asked to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in Yemen warSaudi-backed Yemeni forces launch new offensive to capture Hodeidah from HouthisIran blames US for crimes against humanity in Yemen
Yemeni rebel minister defects to Saudi Arabia
The United Nations on Saturday called for "immediate steps" to end the ongoing crisis in Yemen.In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that the conflicts in Al Hodeidah led to an "unconscionable toll"."The Saudi-led Coalition and pro-Hadi forces, the Houthi forces – and those who supply arms or other support to the parties to the conflict – all have the power or the influence to stop the starvation and killing of civilians, to give some reprieve to the people of Yemen," she said."Violations by one party to the conflict do not give carte blanche to the others to fight back at all costs. Even wars are regulated by law – all parties to the conflict are bound to respect international humanitarian law and human rights law as applicable," she added. According to informations by the UN Human Rights Office, at least 110 airstrikes were carried out in Al Hodeidah, Sa'ada and Sana between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6.Coalition warplanes have been hovering at low altitude in Al Hodeida city since Thursday, as Houthi forces fire anti-aircraft missiles and mortars, and violent street clashes continued, it added.At least 23 civilians were confirmed dead since Oct. 24, while around 445,000 civilians have been internally displaced in Al Hodeidah since early June, the UN Human Rights Office reported.The UN official called for the immediate end of the military escalation which she said also leads to the increase of the "catastrophic food insecurity of some 14 million people across the country".Access to food, humanitarian relief"The parties to the conflict must allow the free, regular and unimpeded passage of food and other humanitarian relief and must not take actions that would deprive civilians of their rights to food and health," Bachelet said."I call on all those with involvement or influence in the conflict to facilitate the access to humanitarian relief that the people of Yemen so desperately need," she added."I also remind States that the Geneva Conventions stipulate that all States, including those not involved in the armed conflict, have the obligation to take measures to ensure respect for the Conventions by parties to a conflict. Conditioning, limiting or refusing arms transfers is one measure," she said.According to the UN Human Rights Office, between March 26, 2015 and Nov. 8 2018 a total of 17,640 civilian casualties were reported in Yemen, which includes 6,872 dead and 10,768 injured.The majority of these casualties -- a total of 10,852 -- resulted from airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition, it added.Yemeni forces arrest Daesh cell in LahijUS asked to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in Yemen warSaudi-backed Yemeni forces launch new offensive to capture Hodeidah from HouthisIran blames US for crimes against humanity in Yemen
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Security forces have arrested a Daesh cell in Yemen’s southern Lahij province, according to the country’s interior ministry on Saturday.In a statement, the ministry said the cell had been plotting attacks against officials in the province and the coastal city of Aden.The ministry blamed the Daesh cell for a spate of attacks in Aden, the current seat of the Yemeni government.Daesh has claimed a series of attacks that struck Lahij and Aden in recent months.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.Last year, the Pentagon said Daesh has used ungoverned spaces of Yemen to plot, direct, instigate, supply and recruit for attacks against the U.S. and its allies around the world.US asked to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in Yemen war
Yemeni forces arrest Daesh cell in Lahij