Headlines
Anti-Houthi coalition takes control of Yemen's sea ports
Riyadh, March 31
Saudi Arabia, leading the
10-nation coalition undertaking a military operation against the Shia
Houthi rebels in Yemen, announced on Monday the coalition's control over
Yemen's sea ports, Xinhua reported citing Al Arabiya News.
Ahmed
Al Asiri, spokesperson of the "Decisive Storm" military operation, said
that the Saudi-led coalition carried out a maritime campaign which
succeeded in securing Yemen's sea ports, where all arriving and
departing ships were being screened.
He added that there was a
failed attempt by the Houthis to launch a ballistic missile targeting a
Saudi centre along the border.
"Houthi militia launched the
missile in Sanaa, but it fell due to technical malfunction, and the
coalition forces rushed to the area and destroyed it."
The
spokesperson said that the objective of the coalition was to destroy all
ballistic missiles of the Houthis and stop them from advancing towards
the southern port city of Aden, where Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi had been holding court since the rebels took over the
control of capital Sanaa earlier this year.
Al Asiri said that the rebel militias were storing weapons to attack Yemenis and the neighbouring countries.
Saudi
Arabia and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states launched
airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen on March 26, a move condemned by
Iran, but supported by the US, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.
Coalition
warplanes continued raiding Sanaa and other major provinces in Yemen on
Monday, as the airstrikes against the rebels entered the fifth day.
Saudi
Arabia said that the airstrikes against the Houthis would continue
until security was restored and Yemen's President Hadi, who had fled the
country, was able to rule.
Yemen has been mired in deep
political conflict since the Houthis seized power in early February,
which worsened after the president's flight to Aden.
More than a
dozen countries have closed their embassies in Sanaa in protest against
the Houthi takeover of Sanaa and for security concerns.
In the
face of the worsening security situation in Yemen, the Arab League on
Sunday called for the establishment of a voluntary, unified military
force that member states could turn to when facing challenges to their
security.