Ah, the Yemen clusterfuck continues:
The Saudi-led coalition is prepared to use "calibrated force" to push the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement to withdraw from Yemen's Hodeidah port city under a U.N.-sponsored deal, a senior United Arab Emirates official said on Wednesday.
Yemen's warring parties have failed to pull troops from the country's main port under a month-old truce, reviving the threat of an all-out assault on Hodeidah that could unleash famine.
Don't say this is a surprise:
Misguided efforts at ceasefires in Yemen just buy time for the Houthi rebels and their Iranian patrons to continue the war that prompts calls for ceasefires.
For the sake of the Yemen people who are suffering as the war drags on and Houthis divert humanitarian aid through the port of Hodeidah, we need to let Saudi Arabia's pro-government coalition win the war without imposing futile ceasefires[.]
Ceasefires that only prolong the war and the effects of war are an expression of false compassion, as I wrote.
I wouldn't commit American troops to this never-ending source of grievances that spark violence. But we should support the Saudis who have an interest in stability on their southern border and who are one of many who don't want an Iranian client state controlling the southern outlet of the vital Red Sea shipping lanes.
UPDATE: Meetings will be held:
The United Nations is trying to implement a truce and troop withdrawal accord in Hodeidah, the main entry point for most of Yemen's imports, as part of efforts to end a war that has killed tens of thousands and left millions on the brink of starvation.
The U.N. envoy for Yemen has urged the warring parties to withdraw their troops from the port quickly, and international aid agencies said conditions for thousands of starving people were deteriorating fast.
The truce in Hodeidah has largely been respected since coming into force a month ago, but skirmishes continue between the Houthi movement and their foes in a Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore the internationally-recognised government.
The truce "has largely been respected?" Are they serious? I mean, other than the ceasefire not allowing the port to be used for humanitarian aid without the Houthi rebels siphoning off aid and using shipments to cover their arms imports?
You mean a success other than that?
Lord, save us from those who see this as largely successful.
