Aden (South24)

The Yemeni crisis file witnessed intense diplomatic movements over the past days coinciding with the heavy bombing of the Saudi-led Coalition airplanes on Houthi military sites in Sanaa and Saada.

Two days after the visit of a US delegation headed by the US envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking, to Aden, the ambassadors of the Five Permanent Members of Security Council to Yemen called on "the Yemeni parties to engage in genuine dialogue in order to reach comprehensive political solution to end the crisis in Yemen."

According to a statement issued by a joint meeting, the ambassadors of the Five Permanent Members met on Wednesday with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Yemen Mohammad Al Jaber and they discussed support for the current efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy and the need for a political solution under the auspices of the United Nations, as well as support for the legitimate government.

According to the statement, they condemned the Houthi's cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia. They stressed the need for de-escalation including an immediate halt to the escalation in Marib.

The Saudi ambassador had visited Washington last week and met with American diplomatic parties. During the meetings, the situation in Yemen was discussed.

Hours after the statement of the Permanent Members was issued, the Saudi-led Coalition announced that it had carried out airstrikes on military targets in the capital, Sanaa and Saada.

The Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki stated that the targets included sites for ballistic missiles, drones, and weapons storage.

For his part, the Houthi military spokesman said that they carried out an operation targeting camps in Dhahran Al-Janoub, Saudi Arabia's Asir region, Marib and western Taiz.

The military spokesman for the Houthis stated that 3 ballistic missiles targeted the camp of the First Regiment in Dhahran Al-Janoub in Asir region, and that dead and wounded resulted from the attack.

On the other hand, the Coalition spokesman denied, on Wednesday, according to Reuters, the withdrawal of the Coalition forces from South Yemen. "The Coalition forces are redeploying in line with their strategy to support the Yemeni forces, but they are not withdrawing," he said.

Yemeni security sources told Reuters that the Saudi army withdrew from a large military base in the Buriqa district in the Southern port city of Aden and transferred troops, equipment and heavy artillery.

The sources added that some forces and equipment were loaded on board warships in the port of Aden, while others were airlifted from the city's airport. Eyewitnesses said that long conveys of the Kingdom's army were seen on Tuesday heading from the Buriqa military base to the port of Aden.

High-ranking sources had informed "South24" earlier that Saudi Arabia had suddenly withdrawn its forces from Ataq Airport in Shabwa governorate, and some of its forces from the Shahin, Hat and Nishtun areas in Al-Mahra Governorate, to the east.

Eyewitnesses said that they saw heavy vehicles and military equipment being transported on large trucks towards the international road linking Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

On the West Coast, local media sources said, yesterday night, that the joint forces withdrew from the areas surrounding the city of Hodeidah towards the city of Khokha. However, an official source with the Giants Forces told "South24" that they did not know this, but he did not deny or confirm the news.

On Wednesday, the UN envoy met with the head of the Political Bureau for the National Resistance, Tariq Saleh, in Mocha, Taiz. They discussed efforts to stop the war, and the challenges facing the international community in sponsoring and replicating the Stockholm Agreement in Marib, according to a tweet Saleh shared on his account.

The new drawdown of Saudi forces follows intense diplomatic efforts by the United States and the United Nations to end a seven-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands and left millions at risk of starvation.

The US special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking visited Riyadh this week as Washington pressured Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade of Houthi-controlled ports, a condition the Iran-backed group has set to start ceasefire talks.

However, Riyadh, according to the agency, first wants US weapons to assist the Kingdom strengthen its defense systems in the wake of Houthi attacks on its territory with drones and ballistic missiles.

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said last week that the US State Department had approved the first major arms deal to Saudi Arabia under President Biden, with the sale of 280 air-to-air missiles worth up to $650 million.

It is believed that the recent intensive moves bear the signs of a deal to stop the war in Yemen, at least during which an end to the intervention of the Saudi-led Coalition will be announced or reduce its presence, open Sanaa airport and lift restrictions on the port of Hodeidah, in return for commitments from the Houthis to stop their air attacks on Saudi territory, Although previous rounds of negotiations, during the seven years of the war, failed to achieve tangible progress. 

South24 Center for News and Studies (Reuters, agencies)

Photo: The ambassadors of the Five Permanent Members and the Saudi ambassador, in Riyadh, November 10, 2021 (Twitter)