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First Flight From Sanaa

1st commercial flight in years takes off from Yemen’s Houthi-held capital…reports Asian Lite News

The first commercial flight in six years took off on Monday from Sanaa, Yemen’s capital under the control of the Houthi rebels, as an essential part of the ongoing truce between the Yemeni warring sides.

A Yemen Airways flight, carrying 151 passengers, took off from the Sanaa International Airport bound for Jordan’s capital Amman, airport officials said, adding another flight is scheduled to arrive in Sanaa from Amman later in the day.

Earlier, the Yemeni national carrier’s plane had arrived in Sanaa from the southern port city of Aden to pick up the passengers. Water cannons sprayed Sanaa airport’s runway when it landed, giving the plane a ceremonial “water salute.”

Many of the passengers are patients who seek urgent medical treatment in Jordan as the crumbling health system in Sanaa is unable to treat them, according to the airport officials.

The flight to Jordan was originally scheduled in April but later postponed because of passport issues. The internationally-recognized Yemeni government allowed passengers with Houthi-issued travel documents to board the flight on Monday, according to pro-government media reports.

The airport officials said several other flights from and to Sanaa have also been scheduled for the next two weeks.

In a written statement, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg welcomes the successful operation of the flight, expressing his gratitude for Jordan’s support.

“I would like to congratulate all Yemenis on this important and long-awaited step. I hope this gives some relief to the Yemenis who need to seek medical treatment abroad, pursue education and business opportunities, or reunite with loved ones,” Grundberg said.

ALSO READ: UN envoy presses Yemen’s warring sides to uphold ceasefire

On Aug. 9, 2016, the Saudi-led coalition imposed restrictions on Yemen’s airspace, resulting in the closure of the Sanaa airport. After that, only planes of the United Nations and other international organizations are allowed to enter the Sanaa airport which used to be the largest hub in the country for international travel.

The UN-brokered two-month truce between the government and the Houthi rebels went into effect on April 2. It includes allowing two commercial flights a week to and from the Houthi-held Sanaa airport, the entry of 18 fuel ships into the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah, and lifting the siege of the government-held Taiz city.

The warring sides have largely held the truce, but they have yet to reach a final agreement on lifting the siege of Taiz city.

The truce marks the first breakthrough in years to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.

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1st commercial flight from Sanaa delayed indefinitely

The first commercial flight scheduled to depart the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in Yemen’s capital in over six years has been delayed indefinitely amid accusations between the country’s warring sides…reports Asian Lite News

A flight of the flag carrier Yemenia Airways was scheduled to take off on Sunday morning, to transport passengers in need of medical treatment to Jordan’s capital Amman, as part of an essential step in the ongoing two-month truce, reports Xinhua news agency.

Just hours before the flight, the airline said it had not received permits and had to postpone the flight indefinitely, expressing “deep regret to the travellers”.

Raaid Jabal, deputy of the Houthi-controlled aviation authority in Sanaa, blamed the Yemen government for refusing to issue permits for the flight.

“This is considered a violation of the truce that was announced by the UN envoy for Yemen,” Jabal was quoted by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV as saying.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani said in a tweet that the internationally-recognised government refused to greenlight the flight because some of the passengers do not possess “passports issued by the legitimate government”.

The government agreed to allow 104 passengers to board the plane, while the Houthi militia insisted on adding another 60 passengers with “unreliable passports”, said the Mnister, urging the UN to exert pressure on the rebels to “expedite the flight”.

The Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport has been closed to commercial flights since August 2016.

The group captured the ground area of the airport, and the Saudi-led coalition controlled the airspace over the Houthi-held city and its airport.

Only UN aid planes have been allowed to land and take off from the airport.

Also on Sunday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expressed his concern over the postponement of the flight.

ALSO READ: Iran’s IRGC seized ship smuggling 250k L of fuel

“I urge the parties to work constructively with me and my office to find a solution that allows the flights to resume as planned,” Grundberg said in a tweet.

Yemen’s warring sides agreed to implement from April 2 a UN-brokered ceasefire that was meant to last two months.

The truce includes the halt of all ground, aerial and naval military offensive operations; allowing the entry of 18 fuel ships into the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah and two commercial flights a week to and from the Sanaa airport; as well as lifting the siege to allow humanitarian aid access to the government-held Taiz city.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.

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Arab News World

Omani delegation arrives in Yemen to mediate peace process

A delegation from Oman arrived in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Friday to convince the Houthi militia to engage in a peace process with the government of the war-torn nation…reports Asian Lite News

“The Omani delegation would meet with the top leaders of the (Houthi) group amid efforts to lift the blockade and end the war,” the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported without providing further details.

Yemen’s warring sides agreed to implement from April 2 a UN-brokered ceasefire that was meant to last two months, reports Xinhua news agency.

The truce includes the halt of all ground, aerial and naval military offensive operations across Yemen and its borders.

Oman, which borders both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, has been actively engaged in brokering the ceasefire.

ALSO READ: UN warns against attempts to exploit truce in Yemen

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg also hailed Oman’s “crucial role in supporting the negotiations”.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation, according to the UN.

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Arab News News

Yemen ready to reopen Sanaa International Airport

Yemen’s internationally-recognised government declared its readiness to reopen the Sanaa International Airport controlled by the Houthi militia…reports Asian Lite News

Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak said that his government is ready to deal positively with the proposals suggesting the release of prisoners, reopening of the airport, and release of oil ships at the port of Hodeidah, reports Xinhua news agency.

In light of the constructive atmosphere created by the Yemeni negotiations in Riyadh, the government firmly support any initiative to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of people, he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“I received clear instructions from President Hadi to take all necessary actions to facilitate all arrangements for the release of all prisoners, the opening of Sanaa airport, the releasing of oil ships via Hodeidah, and the opening of roads in the besieged Taiz to alleviate the suffering caused by the Houthis,” he noted.

ALSO READ: Two-month ceasefire in Yemen starts with Ramadan

The government’s declaration comes as the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced a two-month ceasefire agreement, which is scheduled to come into force on Saturday evening.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened on March 26, 2015, to support the Yemeni government.

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Arab News News Saudi Arabia

At least 8 people killed in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes

At least eight people were killed and three others injured after airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led coalition attacked a building of Houthi-controlled insurance authority in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV has reported…reports Asian Lite News

The coalition airstrikes conducted early Saturday morning, which came a day after the Houthi militia launched drone and missile attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, damaged guards’ quarters in the building courtyard, Xinhua news agency reported.

The coalition also launched airstrikes against the al-Hafa military camp in eastern Sanaa and fuel tanks of the Yemeni national oil company in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah in western Yemen, according to al-Masirah TV.

The coalition “carried out airstrikes against the sources of Houthi threats in Sanaa and Hodeidah,” Al-Arabiya TV, which is owned by Saudi Arabia, quoted a coalition statement as saying, without specifying names of the targets.

On Friday, the Houthi militia claimed responsibility for cross-border attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the third such attack against Saudi oil facilities in less than a week.

According to Al-Arabiya TV, the Houthi attack caused fires in the Aramco oil facility in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah, as well as some damage in facilities in other Saudi cities. No casualties were reported.

ALSO READ: Houthi launch drone attacks against Saudi Aramco oil facilities

In a statement issued on Friday, the Houthi militia vowed to launch more attacks against important targets in Saudi Arabia to break the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade on the Yemeni ports controlled by the Houthi militia.

The escalation came after the Houthi militia lost several strategic districts in the oil-rich provinces of Marib and Shabwa in central Yemen in the past two months, after deadly battles against the coalition-backed Yemeni government forces.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.