International Flights to Two Government-Controlled Areas of Yemen Resumed

Yemen's Minister of Transport announced on Saturday that a regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia would allow international commercial flights to resume to parts of Yemen not controlled by Houthi rebels. According to Reuters on Saturday, November 20, Murad Al-Halimi, the Minister of Transport in the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, stated that Yemenia Airlines flights to the cities of Aden and Sayda would resume on Sunday. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced last Monday that it would block Yemen's land, air, and sea routes in response to a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh to prevent the 'transfer of Iranian weapons to the Houthis.' The United Nations had warned that a complete blockade of Yemen's communication routes could endanger the lives of millions in a country where at least 10,000 people have been killed during two and a half years of civil war, and residents are grappling with famine and disease. On Wednesday, the port of Aden in southern Yemen, which is under the control of the legitimate government, was reopened, but other ports in areas controlled by the Houthis remain blocked. The Arab coalition also reopened the Al-Wadiah crossing, which connects eastern Yemen to Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. However, the United Nations insisted that despite the reopening of the port of Aden and the Al-Wadiah crossing, the transfer of humanitarian aid to various parts of Yemen remains problematic. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the transfer of humanitarian aid within Yemen continues to face difficulties and that the reopening of the port of Aden is insufficient in this regard. Russell Geekie continued that the UN's request is to lift restrictions on all ports in Yemen, especially the port of Hudaydah, for the transfer of humanitarian aid and commercial imports. According to a report by AFP, Mark Lowcock, the UN's humanitarian chief, recently told the Security Council that if the blockade of Yemen's communication routes does not end, the country will witness 'the largest famine in the world in decades,' which will leave 'millions of victims.' He stated that no aid has yet been sent to the port of Aden, and the reopening of the Al-Wadiah crossing has no impact on UN operations. AFP writes that before the blockade of Yemen's communication routes, the UN used the three ports of Hudaydah, Salif, and Aden to transfer food and medical supplies needed inside Yemen, and according to officials from the organization, there is no alternative for these three entry points. The report states that the port of Hudaydah in western Yemen, located on the Red Sea, plays a key role in the transfer of UN aid, as this port, controlled by the Houthis, is the closest entry point to areas where most Yemenis reside. The Houthis are accused of using aid shipments to transfer weapons, and Iran is the main accused of transferring weapons to the Houthis; an action that could be considered a violation of Iranian arms sanctions. Tehran has never hidden its verbal support for the Yemeni rebels, specifically the group known as 'Ansar Allah,' which includes the Houthis, but denies reports of transferring or sending weapons to them.