Sore Loser Loses Again:

Saudis Strike Hodeida Regardless of Ceasefire Agreement

Rasa - The major last minute deal in the Yemen talks in Sweden, a ceasefire in and around Hodeida, is under threat, with locals reporting Saudi airstrikes in the same area.

News ID: 442163

Date: 18 December 2018 - 11:34

RNA - The agreement is intended to get all combatants from both sides out of the city in 21 days. There is still plenty of time to accomplish that. The presence of UN monitors will hopefully reduce violence in the area. The problem, however, is the Saudis. They think they can get away with carrying out a few more airstrikes in Hodeida. They also think they won’t be held to account. Far from it:

A- After the war, the Saudi-led coalition members should be and must be held to account. True, the United Nations has three priorities in Yemen: a broader ceasefire, tackling famine and propping up the economy so that families can buy food and fuel. But the world body also needs to ensure those who turned Yemen into a failed state for the worst possible reasons won’t escape justice. The warmongers are striking Hodeida because they don’t want to end the conflict or live in a reality-based universe. They will - when they are booked in the Criminal Court of Justice in The Hague.

B- The worst sectarian agitator in the Middle East is still desperate to highlight the sectarian aspects of the war, including Iran’s involvement, but this is overblown. The illegal war is far less about Iran and more about power and political hegemony: The US hegemony of the world and the regional hegemony of Saudi Arabia - its key client dictatorship.

C- American and British governments are by no means blameless. They are suspected of being complicit in Saudi war crimes. They encouraged Saudi Arabia’s relentless aerial campaign on the pretext of containing Iran and because they are so financially and militarily linked to the war. Saudi terror proxies like ISIL and AQAP also helped to fight the only armed force that has ever fought them off. The whole idea was to impose an external solution on Yemenis. It proved futile.

D- There is a genuine interest on the part of Ansarullah resistance movement and other Yemeni forces to end the conflict. Yet the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia, as well as their proxy forces – including ISIL and AQAP – have other things in mind. This is while there is a rich history of negotiated settlements in Yemen and it has a culture that prioritizes and respects de-escalation.

E- The Saudi-led coalition has blockaded Yemen from the air, sea and land. And they still demand Iran stop supporting the resistance group of Ansarullah! The warmongers offer no real evidence that such support exists. Instead, they present the war as sectarian in nature to ensure the support of Sunni Arab allies. Now that there is no evidence for Iran's involvement and a ceasefire is in place, the illegal blockade must be lifted.

F- The costly war was doomed from day one. It went terribly wrong. Under international law, destroying a nation to reinstall a puppet ruler is not an acceptable resolution to an internal dispute. By striking Hodeida again, the Saudis show they don’t mean well in this destroy and rule offensive. They have shown state terrorism thrives in their foreign policy, reflecting an ethos of violence that has flourished over the past decade. They owe this behavior to their American masters.

G- The massive bombing of civilian infrastructure with American-made bombs and missiles failed to intimidate or destroy the resistance group of Ansarullah or pacify just about 26 million Yemenis. The December 13 ceasefire agreement means sooner or later the warmongers will be forced to walk away in humiliation too, if the Saudi-led coalition and their western sponsors do not turn over the table.

At any rate, there is no legal basis for the new Saudi escalation in Hodeida, and this dirty policy has to stop. Under the fundamental rule of international law, Saudi Arabia and its partners have no right to attack Hodeida. They have no authorization from the UN Security Council and they are not acting in genuine self-defense. They offer no explanation for why their new aggression comports with international law. They have no right whatsoever to strike the strategic port city. The UN Security Council needs to intervene and use the leverage it has to save the new ceasefire agreement. This kind of aggression has gone against the UN Charter for a long time.

Source: Fars News Agency

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