Foreign Secretary: Saudi-led Forces Must Protect Civilians In Yemen

The Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which is around 300km from Hodeida has been hit by airstrikes in recent weeks. (Picture: Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed/PA).

The Foreign Secretary has said Saudi-led forces who have started an assault on a Yemen port city must "prioritise" the protection of civilians.

Saudi-led forces began an offensive on Wednesday on the city of Hodeidah, which is the main entry point for food and medical aid into the war-ravaged country, which is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis.

The Saudi-led coalition have been supporting the Yemen government against Houthi rebels who are backed by Iran. 

The UN Security Council will meet later - by request of Britain - for urgent talks on the humanitarian catastrophe that's unfolding there.

Boris Johnson said it's vital to maintain the flow of food, fuel and medical supplies into Yemen.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornbury called on the Government to condemn the attack by UK allies, saying it was being carried out with "callous disregard for the humanitarian consequences".

Mr Johnson called for countries to "throw their weight behind" efforts for a political solution to the civil war. He said:

"We are in regular contact with the coalition about the need to ensure that any military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including on the protection of civilians, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows through the port.

"The coalition have assured us that they are incorporating humanitarian concerns into their operational plans.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry also said a Labour government would pull all UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Between May 2010 and early 2016, Britain made a total of £5.6 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

In 2017, the High Court ruled the sale of arms sales to Saudi Arabia from the UK were lawful after seeing secret documents, amid campaigns from activists against the sales.

Members of the Royal Air Force are currently deployed to Saudi Arabia, giving support to Royal Saudi Air Force aircrew. Twenty-six British military personnel were on secondment in the country last year.

Earlier this year, it was announced a deal for Saudi Arabia to buy 48 Typhoon fighter jets from the UK moved closer. 

Reports from Yemen suggest airstrikes and artillery has started in Hodeidah and leaflets have been dropped telling residents to stay at home.

Before the assault, Save The Children warned an assault would: 

"unleash shocking brutality on 170,000 children that call the city home and sever a vital supply line for millions more across Yemen".

Mrs Thornbury said:

"For three years, the UK Government has made constant excuses for the Saudi-led coalition, explaining that the bombing of weddings, funerals and food markets have all just been unfortunate mistakes.

"But the assault on Hodeidah cannot be dismissed as a mistake; it is a calculated act of brutality against Yemen's civilian population, and if the UK Government will not both condemn it and act through the United Nations to stop it, it will not just stand accused of cowardice but complicity."

Before the war, over 70% of Yemen's food and fuel imports came through Hodeida, accounting for over 40% of the nation's customs income.

The UN says 600,000 people live in and around Hodeida, and "as many as 250,000 people may lose everything - even their lives" in the assault.