Local Editor

Aid to Yemen is being slowed by a Saudi-led coalition which has warned commercial vessels to stay away from areas hit by fighting, a US Navy report said on Tuesday.

The Saudi-led coalition denied the allegation while Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies, backed by the United States, continue to launch a military aggression against Yemen by carrying out airstrikes against the country-- without a United Nations [UN] mandate. Saudi Arabia has also blocked aid to Yemen.

The report published by the US Navy and seen by Reuters said that Saudi-led coalition warships off the Red Sea port of Hodeida were "broadcasting a warning to commercial vessels to stay clear of operational areas".

The document reported the message as saying that the Yemeni government had permitted the vessels to enter but the Saudi-led coalition was preventing this, indicating a possible "gap" between the government and its Arab allies.

Meanwhile, the coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri denied warships had sent any messages aimed at deterring vessels from docking. 

Yemen is suffering what the United Nations [UN] says is one of its worst humanitarian crises. Furthermore, aid efforts have been hampered by fighting and air and sea ports being blocked for long periods.

According to Asseri, he said that the coalition was asking vessels to submit to inspection by its warships, adding that from the start of the war in March, "I made it clear that vessels had to contact us for inspection in line with our maritime interdiction".