The siege of Hodeidah, also called Hudaydah or al-Hudaydah, (Arabic: معركة الحديدة, romanized: Ma‘rakat al-Ḥudaydah), codenamed Operation Golden Victory, was a major Saudi-led coalition assault on the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen. It was spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and was considered the largest battle since the start of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
Beginning on 13 June 2018 and aiming to dislodge Houthi forces from the port, the objective of the assault was to recapture the city of Hodeidah and end the alleged supply of funds, weapons, and ballistic missiles to the Houthis through Hodeidah port. The Houthis countered by saying that they were defending Yemen from an American backed invasion.
As the port plays the crucial role of delivering over 80 percent of food and aid to Yemen, several humanitarian agencies warned of catastrophic humanitarian consequences. The United Nations warned that the battle could threaten the lives of 300,000 children in the populated area and prevent food delivery to millions or more. The UN has made various attempts and efforts to take over the control of Hodeidah port from Houthis and move it under its jurisdiction. The Houthis has said they are not against UN role and agreed to grant the UN "a role of supervision" on the condition the coalition withdraw from the offensive but said they won't withdraw from the city. Amid international pressure, the coalition promised the strategy of not entering any populated areas of Hodeidah, but work to isolate the Houthis by cutting their supply lines. Multiple reports indicate that the battle has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
A UN-backed ceasefire agreement between the Hadi-led government and the Houthis was officially declared in December 2018 in Sweden with terms of troop withdrawal of both warring parties from Hodeidah. The deal was never fully implemented, with Hadi-led forces accusing the Houthis of repeated ceasefire violations, and Houthi forces refusing to withdraw in 2019.
Pro-government forces eventually withdrew from the city in 2021, ceding control of Hodeidah to the Houthis.
Background
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces had previously proposed a naval attack on Hodeidah in 2016 to deprive the Houthis of getting resources from the port, however the United States advised against it as the operation was deemed to be too risky at that time. In the intervening two years, the UAE trained thousands of Yemeni soldiers, positioning them at bases in Eritrea and along Tihamah as part of the offensive on Hodeidah Governorate. According to the UAE, the dislodging of Houthis from Al Hudaydah will deprive the Houthis of their financial strength and force them to the negotiation table as well as stop the diverting of humanitarian aid to the Houthis and ensure it reached all Yemeni territories. The UAE gave the UN a deadline to negotiate with the Houthis to withdraw from the port city peacefully by midnight 12 June 2018 to avoid a military confrontation.
Geographical location
Hodeidah, is a port city in Yemen located in Hodeidah governorate in the western coastline of Yemen. The city is located on the Tihāmah coastal plain which borders the Red Sea. Hodeidah is the largest city by population in Hodeidah Governorate. Due to its location, Hudaydah port is one of the important and strategic ports in Yemen.
Humanitarian situation
The Yemeni Civil war is an ongoing conflict that began in 2015, closely followed by a Saudi Arabian-led military intervention. The war and blockade by the coalition has led to what the United Nations describes as the "world's worst humanitarian disaster". The port city of Hodeidah has played a crucial role in delivering imported food into the country. This role has been disrupted several times over the course of the war.
During the 2015 Yemeni Civil War, the Houthi-controlled city's port was bombed by the Saudi-led coalition on 18 August. The port's four cranes were destroyed and several warehouses were damaged. The coalition asserted that the port was housing a hostile naval base, but humanitarian aid organizations stated the coalition's naval blockade was preventing relief from reaching those in need.
In early November 2017, in response to a Houthi missile landing in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi authorities closed the port along with all other routes into Yemen. On 23 November 2017, the authorities allowed the port to reopen for aid deliveries, along with the Sanaa International Airport. According to World Health Organization, Hudaida governorate has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the country.
UN attempt at political solution
Prior to the beginning of the battle, three-quarters of humanitarian and commercial cargo entering Yemen arrived via the port of Hodeidah. Due to the risk of a humanitarian crisis if the port is besieged, the United Nations attempted to secure an agreement to manage the port under its jurisdiction and negotiated with the Houthis to take control of the port. The Houthis claiming that they have been cooperating with the international relief efforts to deliver aid to the Yemeni people. The coalition claims that Houthis use the port to raise war economy funds through taxation and smuggling weapons into Yemen, an allegation denied by the Houthis. A week before the start of the battle, the United Nations warned up to 250,000 of the city's 600,000 residents could be in danger. Martin Griffiths, UN peace envoy warned that the assault on Hodeidah would undermine the peace process. UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, stated on 11 June that she was "extremely concerned" about reports of a military plan by Arab coalition to capture Hudaida. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, also said that he believed "intense negotiations" by UN representative can prevent start of a war.
Criticism by Houthis
In a tweet on 15 June, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Yemeni Supreme Revolutionary Committee criticized UN envoy Martin Griffith for failing to negotiate a peace deal, saying: "the role played by the former UN envoy did not exceed the profession of postman, and his initiative was rejected by the US-Saudi aggression in agreement with the mercenaries who refuse to accept the choice of a consensual person for the presidency."
Muhammad Abdel Salam, the Houthi spokesman also stated: "Despite the UN envoy's visit to Sanaa more than once and meeting with Houthi officials for a comprehensive political solution, he has not done anything yet, which appears as a cover for the continuation of aggression."
Prelude
In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said the battle will harm 300,000 children who currently live in and around the city. "There are 11 million children in need of humanitarian aid and the attack will lead to choke off this lifeline and have devastating consequences", the statement said. The United Arab Emirates initially stated that it would not attack the port without the support of the United States and the United Kingdom. The United States Government initially expressed concerns about the risks of a battle, though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis subsequently offered qualified support.
According to Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, the Houthis were warned to evacuate the city within 48 hour and the deadline for Houthi forces to withdraw from Hodeidah expired on the morning of 13 June. The Houthis say that they took power through a popular revolt and are defending Yemen from invasion.
Care International's acting country director, Jolien Veldwijk, warned from Sanaa of an even worse human catastrophe. "People are already exhausted, starving, and have no means to cope with any further escalation of war." Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Yemeni Supreme Revolutionary Committee, called on all international organizations to take a serious stance on the aggression and the unprecedented threat it poses to the vital port of Hodeidah, reiterating its continued full cooperation with the international relief efforts to deliver aid to all the Yemeni people.
Western support
United States and other western powers have been criticized by human rights group for supporting Arab coalition airstrikes that have resulted in death of many civilians.
France agreed to use minesweepers to clear explosive and sea mines which were placed by the Houthis around Hodeidah Port in anticipation of the attack, hence paving a way for the assault. France also sent special forces.
Houthis have routinely accused Israel of being involved in the war against Yemen. On 2 June, Houthi spokesman, Muhammad Abd al-Salam said they have documented participation of Israeli planes in the war. He stated that the reason Israel does not acknowledge its role is that it does not want cause trouble for the Arab coalition.
Battle timeline
First phase
June: Initial advances
The coalition intended the battle to be short to avoid causing civilian casualties. The aim was to cut off Houthis supplies and force them to come to the negotiation table. Coalition forces have established a forward operating base at the nearby town of al-Khoka, south of Al Hudaydah.
According to Yemeni officials, approximately 2,000 Emirati troops assaulted Hodeidah, departing from a UAE naval base in Eritrea. A worker for CARE reported hearing at least 30 airstrikes on the first day of fighting as the city population was caught in a panic. On the first day of the battle, Emirati and coalition forces reportedly moved to capture Hodeida International Airport, approaching within a few miles.
On the first day of fighting, 250 Houthi combatants were also reported killed.
Almasirah and Houthi spokesman Loai al-Shami claimed that Houthi forces hit a coalition ship with two missiles, though this remains unconfirmed. The Armed Forces of the UAE has reported that four Emirati soldiers died as of 13 June.
In an official statement the Houthi-allied Yemeni Marine and Coastal Defense Command expressed its high readiness to counter the offensive on the port, warning of more attacks on the invading naval forces. It also added that there is no concern for civilian ships to reach for Hodeidah so long as they stayed committed to international maritime law. It also stressed the Yemeni naval forces' national and religious responsibility in defending Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Forces loyal to the internationally recognized Yemeni government claimed on 14 June that they could breach the first line of defence by Houthis defending the city. Medical sources reported that thirty Houthi militants were killed near Hodeida airport along with another nine pro-Hadi soldiers. According to Emirati Ambassador to the United Nations Obeid Salem Al Zaabi, coalition forces reached just 2 km from the city airport.
Two Houthi commanders were reported to have been killed in the ensuing battle, and the coalition claims to have discovered "hundreds" of land mines planted by the Houthis to halt the advance of Pro-Hadi and coalition soldiers in Hodeidah.
The United Arab Emirates issued 10 ships and 3 flights carrying food and aid bound to Hodeidah.
Yemeni army officials claimed that dozens of its members have been killed mostly by Houthi landmines and roadside bombs planted around the city and disguised as rocks.
Houthi official media, Almasirah, claimed death and injury of more than 40 coalition soldiers close to the seashore after being hit by a Houthi Tochka missile which was launched after intelligence gathering by a reconnaissance aircraft.
The coalition claimed it was close to capturing Hodeidah airport from Houthi control amid clashes outside the airport. The coalition reportedly seized the airport on 16 June and engineers were placed to remove landmines placed around the airport.
Houthis media denied that the airport was under coalition control and claimed that the coalition forces in the seashore were surrounded from three sides blocking reinforcements from reaching them by land.
Almasirah, a Houthi media outlet, claimed killing over 40 pro Hadi soldiers by Houthi snipers over the last two days in various fronts.
According to The National, captured Houthi POW have indicated that Houthi forced intended to blow up Hodeida International Airport terminals if coalition forces continued their assault to capture it and has planted thousand landmines across the area. Commander of the coalition forces, Tareq Saleh, has indicated that many of captured Houthis were forced to fight in Hodeidah, many of whom were coerced into fighting with threats made against their family members if they refused.
Houthis claimed to have fired a missile at the Saudi Aramco oil facilities in 'Asir in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Multiple news agencies reported that the coalition captured large areas of Hodeidah airport. However Almasirah, pro-Houthi news agency, wrote that numerous attempts by the coalition to take over the airport failed despite mobilization of all the coalition soldiers. Almasirah also reported destruction of all buildings inside the Hodeidah airport as a result of coalition's heavy aerial bombings and claimed several "heroic" victories by the pro-Houthi army, citing their advance preparations and intelligence work before the start of the war for their success and citing the destruction of 20 coalition armored vehicles and capture of another 10.
Almasirah also reported death of 6 Yemeni civilians including 4 women as a result of coalition on aerial bombings on Hodeidah. A claim that was denied by coalition Colonel Turki Al-Malki citing that there were no civilian casualties on the coalition advance on the airport. The coalition accused pro-Houthi militants of breaking international law and placing tanks inside residential areas of Hodeidah.
Almasirah reported a public statement by a pro-Houthi organization called Southern National Front to Resist the Invasion which protested against recruitment of young southern Yemenis by the UAE to fight against the Houthis, calling on the southern tribes to prevent their children from being sent to fight the Houthis.