US envoy to Yemen: Houthi attacks obstruct peace

US envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking met the Saudi ambassadors to the US and Yemen to discuss recent Houthi offences in the Gulf country's Marib governate.

They discussed ways the US could strengthen its support for the kingdom in its defence against Houthi attacks.

The talks on Tuesday in Washington DC came after a series of attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen that resulted in significant civilian casualties in the past week.

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Princess Reema Al Saud, Saudi ambassador to the US, and Mohamed Al Jaber, Saudi ambassador to Yemen, with other Saudi government representatives, sat down with Mr Lenderking and other officials from the US departments of state and defence.

Mr Lenderking said discussions covered “how the brutal Houthi offence on Marib is obstructing peace" and how economic instability is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

Sustainable solutions to the issue, fuel imports from Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, and the resumption of commercial flights to Yemen were also discussed.

Security personnel inspect the site of a car bomb explosion outside Aden International Airport, in Aden, southern Yemen. Reuters

At least five civilians – including a child – were killed in the blast, with 40 injured, officials said. Some unconfirmed reports putting the death toll at 12. AFP

The device went off in a car parked at an intersection near the main gate of Aden International Airport. AFP

The bomb also destroyed nearby vehicles. AFP

A crowd gathers at the scene of the explosion outside Aden International airport. Reuters

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels displaced the internationally recognised government in parts of the country. Reuters

Yemen's Houthi rebels have carried out a series of bloody attacks in recent weeks, including a Sunday night rocket strike on a mosque and religious school in Marib that killed 29 civilians, including women and children.

The UAE on Monday condemned the Houthi militias’ attempts to target civilians and civilian sites in the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait with an explosive-laden drone, which was intercepted and destroyed by the coalition forces.

The UAE's foreign ministry urged the international community to take a stance to stop acts that target critical infrastructure and threaten the security and stability of the kingdom.

The UN said about 10,000 people were displaced in September by fighting in Marib, the internationally recognised government's last northern stronghold. It is calling for a humanitarian corridor for aid.

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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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