The Security Council to Hold a Meeting on the Battle for Hodeidah

On the second day of the large-scale operation by the Arab coalition forces aimed at seizing the port of Hodeidah in western Yemen, the United Nations Security Council will convene on Thursday, June 14, at the request of Britain. According to Reuters, the Security Council meeting will be held "behind closed doors." Yemeni forces supported by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia began their military operation titled "Golden Victory" (النصر الذهبی) on Wednesday, June 13, to capture the main port of Yemen, Hodeidah. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE has long sought to seize this port, which provides food and humanitarian aid to millions in Yemen due to its access to the Red Sea. This important and strategic port is controlled by the Houthi Shiites backed by the Islamic Republic, and according to Al Jazeera news network, the battle for this port has so far claimed at least four Emirati casualties. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the Arab coalition forces continue to strike Houthi positions in this port from the air and sea. These forces have also targeted the main road from Hodeidah to Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, to prevent Houthi aid from the capital. Previously, the United Nations had warned about the attack on Hodeidah port. The UN is concerned that the attack by the coalition-supported forces led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Hodeidah could lead to a "humanitarian disaster." Approximately 600,000 people live in Hodeidah and its suburbs, and the UN states that the battle for this port could endanger the lives of 250,000 residents. In this context, Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Arab coalition, stated that the goal of the coalition forces' operation is only to seize the port and airport of Hodeidah, and these forces will not enter the city center if they succeed. More than ten thousand people have been killed in Yemen's civil war, and aid workers have warned of a "widespread humanitarian disaster," outbreaks of deadly diseases, famine, and the displacement of citizens.