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Critics say operation to take port could spell more catastrophe for Yemen

As the Trump administration considers providing support for a UAE/Saudi operation to take a Yemeni port, some UN, former US officials warn it could tip Yemen into famine.
A man walks on the rubble of houses at the site of a Saudi-led air strike in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Yemen September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RTSOWXB

WASHINGTON — Some UN and US humanitarian officials have expressed alarm as the Trump administration considers whether to provide increased US logistical and intelligence support for an Emirati/Saudi coalition military operation to take the Red Sea port of Hodeidah from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The proposed operation comes two years into a grinding civil war in Yemen that has killed 10,000 people and led to a stalemate, and as aid groups warn the impoverished nation of 27 million people could be on the brink of famine.

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