Izuchukwu Okosi
By Kayode Shokpekan
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHOUTHIS in Yemen have accused Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen of diverting a fuel vessel heading for the Yemeni port of Hodeidah to a Saudi port instead.
According to information released by Al-Masirah TV, on Wdenesday, the Emirati cargo vessel was seized on Monday in the Red sea.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis has been trying to blockade Yemeni sea ports that the Houthis control, including Hodeidah.
Reacting to the accusation Saudi state TV reported the coalition as saying it destroyed workshops and warehouses for drones.
Saudi Arabian Air defenses intercepted and destroyed five drones launched by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement towards the kingdom on Monday, while the seized ship is being held in the Houthi-held port of Salif, north of Hodeidah, and some 60km (37 miles) from the border with Saudi Arabia.
The coalition said the vessel was in international waters when it was seized, and was carrying “medical field equipment” meant for the construction of a hospital on the Yemeni archipelago of Socotra.
The Houthis, have however claimed that the boat was in Yemeni waters “without authorisation” and carrying military materials.
Hodeidah has been a lifeline entry point for aid supplies to Yemen’s largely rebel-held north, including Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s war in 2015 to support the internationally recognised government against the Houthis.
The UAE is a member of the Saudi-led coalition and has not publicly reacted to the incident, the first of its kind in more than two years.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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