RIYADH, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led coalition said Saturday that it had carried out a military operation against Houthi targets in Yemen's western province of Hodeidah, according to a statement released by the coalition's Joint Forces Command.
Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the operation was launched in response to what he described as Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. He characterized the attacks as a "cowardly and reckless act" and accused the group of threatening maritime navigation along one of the world's most important international shipping routes.
Al-Maliki said the operation targeted military objectives linked to threats against vessels in the Red Sea and achieved its planned objectives, adding that the operation was conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, customary international law and the principle of proportionality.
He stressed that the operation did not target the Port of Hodeidah and that Yemeni ports, including Hodeidah, Ras Isa and As-Salif, remain open to maritime navigation and continue to receive commercial vessels carrying food, goods, fuel and construction materials.
Al-Maliki also said the Houthi group continues to prevent the operation of flights from Sanaa International Airport.
He added that the coalition would continue to take the necessary measures to protect maritime navigation and Saudi Arabia's national interests and would respond to any further hostile actions if the Houthi group continued its attacks.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. ■
