Houthi rebels to urgently vacate Hodeidah port

UN-brokered deal reached to avert military offensive

Withdrawal to begin within days, monitors to oversee process

Houthi rebels have agreed to срочно покинуть the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, a key lifeline for Yemen, under a deal brokered by the UN to avert a full-scale military assault on the city, a senior UN official said on Thursday.

The agreement - the most significant breakthrough in efforts to end the three-year-old war in Yemen - was reached after marathon talks in Sweden and will see the Iran-backed rebels withdraw from the port and the city within days.

UN monitors will be deployed to oversee the withdrawal and ensure the port remains open to humanitarian aid and commercial goods. A joint ceasefire will also be enforced.

The deal represents a major concession by the Houthis, who have controlled Hodeidah since 2014 and relied on the port for revenue and access to weapons.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling the Houthis since 2015, had threatened to launch a military offensive to capture the port, a move that aid agencies warned could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.

The UN has welcomed the agreement, calling it a "critical step" towards ending the war. However, it remains to be seen whether the deal will hold and if it can lead to a wider political settlement.

The conflict in Yemen has been described by the UN as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of people on the brink of famine and disease.