U.N. special envoy warns against military operation on Yemen port

"We as the United Nations are advocating that no military operations should be undertaken in Hodeidah," he said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un-idUSKBN1722MW

WORLD NEWS | Fri Mar 31, 2017 | 2:54pm EDT

U.N. special envoy warns against military operation on Yemen port

Yara Bayoumy

The United Nations does not advocate a military operation in and around Yemen's Hodeidah port where more than 70 percent of Yemen's food imports and humanitarian aid is delivered, the U.N. special envoy to Yemen said on Friday.

Yemen has been divided by two years of civil war that pits the Iran-allied Houthi group against a Western-backed Sunni Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia that is carrying out air strikes. At least 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

The Red Sea port near the Bab al-Mandab strait is under the control of Yemen's armed Houthi movement. The Bab al-Mandab is a waterway through which nearly 4 million barrels of oil are shipped daily.

The United States is considering deepening its role in Yemen's conflict by more directly aiding the Saudi-led coalition and the proposed support could allow America to assist an eventual push on Hodeidah.http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un-idUSKBN1722MW