Houthis Reportedly Begin Pullout from Key Port City in Yemen

Iranian-sponsored Shi’ite Houthi rebels have reportedly started withdrawing forces from a major port in the city of Hodeidah, in accordance with a long-stalled United Nations-brokered agreement to end the four-year civil war in Yemen. Houthi representatives described their “unilateral step” as a show of commitment to implementing the pact, and called on the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Sunni countries fighting the rebels to take “similar steps.” However, a minister in the internationally recognized Yemeni government immediately downplayed the Houthi pullout as a “show” meant to “misinform the [global] community.” Some Western officials nevertheless praised the move as a step in the right direction, one that would facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid to about 15 million civilians on the brink of starvation. Hodeidah, through which approximately 80 percent of goods entering Yemen pass, became a major battleground last year when the coalition twice tried to lay siege to the city in order to cut off the Houthis’ main supply line. Riyadh accuses the rebels of using Hodeidah’s ports to smuggle Iranian weapons, including ballistic missiles that have targeted Saudi cities. The UN has yet to comment on the Houthi redeployment, which analysts consider a “trust-building” measure to pave the way for wider political negotiations to end the conflict.