The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthi rebels on Friday pledged to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers in the country after the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had withdrawn dozens of staff members over security fears.
The coalition said it was concerned by the ICRC's announcement on Thursday that it had taken 71 foreign workers out of Yemen to ensure their safety.
"The coalition has and will always uphold the highest standards to protect civilians, and provide necessary protection for UN-affiliated organisations as well as INGOs working in humanitarian aid and relief tracks," coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al Malki said, in a statement reported by Saudi Press Agency.
The coalition condemned the Iran-backed rebels for threats against civilians and international relief workers, and warned that it would hold them accountable for any deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation in areas under their control.
Col Al Malki said the coalition was working with international NGO partners to create conditions for them to work safely and freely in Yemen and was fully prepared to assist the ICRC to ensure the continuation of its operations in the country.
The ICRC said its decision to move some staff from Yemen to Djibouti came after its activities were "blocked, threatened and directly targeted in recent weeks" and "a vigorous attempt to instrumentalise our organisation as a pawn in the conflict".
"While the Yemen delegation has received numerous threats in the past, we cannot now accept additional risk less than two months after a gunman killed a staff member," the organisation said, referring to the killing of a Lebanese employee in Yemen's southern city of Taez in April.
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A Red Cross spokeswoman said those withdrawn represented more than half of the ICRC's international staff in Yemen, but the organisation still had 452 workers in the country, including Yemeni citizens.
The decision comes at a crucial time in the three-year-old war. Government forces backed by the coalition, which intervened in the conflict at the government's request in March 2015, are poised to retake the key port city of Hodeidah from the rebels. However, there are fears that a battle for the city would create further civilian suffering and affect the flow of much-needed humanitarian supplies into the country, most of which passes through the Red Sea port.
"A military attack or siege on Hodeidah will impact hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians," the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, said on Friday.
"In a prolonged worst case, we fear that as many as 250,000 people may lose everything — even their lives."
The UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, is preparing to unveil a peace plan later this month that is expected to seek a halt to all fighting before discussions on a long-term political solution.
The United Nations has said it had no plans to evacuate aid staff. "We can confirm that UN international and national staff remain in place in Yemen, including in all five active field hubs (Aden, Hodeidah, Ibb, Saada and Sanaa)," said Jens Laerke of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
