Battle of Al Hudaydah
The siege of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: معركة الحديدة, translit. Ma‘rakat al-Hudaydah), codenamed Operation Golden Victory, was a major Saudi-led coalition assault on the port city of Al Hudaydah in Yemen. It was spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and has been considered as the largest battle since the start of Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
| Battle of Al Hudaydah | |||||||||
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| Part of the Yemeni Civil War , the Al Hudaydah offensive , and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen | |||||||||
Hadi Government's advance in 2018 of the al Hudaydah offensive Hadi Government control Houthi control | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
Sudan Southern Resistance Saudi Arabia Supported by: France United States Alleged Support: Israel (by the Houthis) |
Supreme Political Council Alleged Support:Iran | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Tareq Saleh | Abdul-Malik al-Houthi | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Yemen
Southern Resistance
United Arab Emirates
Sudan
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| Strength | |||||||||
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c. 25,000 c. 1,500 troops | 1,000–10,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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28 Yemeni soldiers killed (per medical sources, airport battle, by 21 June) 4 Emirati soldiers killed 90+ killed (per Houthis, 15 & 28 June) 22 killed (per Coalition & medical sources, 9–13 Sep.) 126 killed (17 Sudanese, per medical sources, 1–12 Nov.) |
156 killed (per medical sources, airport battle, by 21 June) 250 killed (per Coalition, 13 June) 148 killed (per medical sources, 9–16 Sep.) 70 killed (per Coalition, 17 Oct.) 479 killed (per medical sources, 1–12 Nov.) | ||||||||
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348 combatants killed (per medical sources, by 21 June) 170 combatants killed (per medical sources, 9–16 Sep.) 600 combatants killed (per medical sources, 1–12 Nov.) 616 civilians killed (1 Aug.–15 Oct., 1–12 Nov.) | |||||||||
Location within Yemen | |||||||||
Beginning on 13 June 2018 and aiming to dislodge Houthi forces from the port, the objective of the assault was to recapture the city of Al Hudaydah and end the alleged supply of funds, weapons, and ballistic missiles to the Houthis through Al Hudaydah port. The Houthis counter by saying that they are defending Yemen from a US backed invasion.
As the port plays the crucial role of delivering over 80 percent of food and aid to Yemen, several humanitarian agencies warned of catastrophic humanitarian consequences. The United Nations warned that the battle could threaten the lives of 300,000 children in the populated area and prevent food delivery to millions or more. The UN has made various attempts and efforts to take over the control of Al Hudaydah port from Houthis and move it under its jurisdiction. The Houthis has said they are not against UN role and agreed to grant the UN "a role of supervision" on the condition the coalition withdraw from the offensive but said they won't withdraw from the city. Amid international pressure, the coalition promised the strategy of not entering any populated areas of Hudaydah, but work to isolate the Houthis by cutting their supply lines. Multiple reports indicate that the battle has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
A UN-backed ceasefire agreement between the Hadi-led government and the Houthis was officially declared in December 2018 in Sweden with terms of troop withdrawal of both warring parties from Al Hudaydah. The deal was never fully implemented, with Hadi-led forces accusing the Houthis of repeated ceasefire violations, and Houthi forces refusing to withdraw in 2019.
Pro-government forces eventually withdrew from the city in 2021, ceding control of Al Hudaydah to the Houthis.