Riyadh, Ramadan 29, 1439, Jun 14, 2018, SPA -- In response to the request of the Yemeni legitimate government, and in support of the Yemeni army's efforts, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen launched a military and humanitarian operation to liberate the port of Hodeidah in western Yemen, to ensure access of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, by liberating the port and securing international waterways, as the operation comes within The framework of operation (Restoration of Hope), in accordance with the reasons that led to the military intervention by the Coalition in Yemen, which are represented in the request of the legitimate government and relevant United Nations resolutions for the year 2015, in particular resolution No. 2216. The liberation of the port of Hodeidah is an important tool to bring the peace process back on track, and to get out of the stopped negotiations, as a result of Al-Houthi's intransigence, where the port represents a major artery for the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Yemen, as well as their seizing of port revenues, which has lengthen the conflict in Yemen, as Iran worked to provide Houthi militias with heavy artillery, especially ballistic missiles, which led to their repeated rejection of all political initiatives and solutions put forward by various international and regional parties to reach a political solution that satisfy all Yemeni parties, and in accordance with international resolutions and the outcomes of the National Dialogue and the Gulf Initiative. The military operation comes after several requests made by the Yemeni government and by the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen to the United Nations take and supervise the port of Hodeidah and to remove the militias from the port, after they used it in smuggling weapons, seizing aid and selling it on the black market, as, the Operation aims to stop the smuggling of weapons and ensuring the security of maritime traffic after the militias used the port to target the international maritime traffic more than once. The operation will also facilitate the entry of aid, which will improve the living conditions of the Yemeni people and alleviate their suffering due to the current crisis. --SPA 23:18 LOCAL TIME 20:18 GMT 0014 www.spa.gov.sa/w704045