France's Macron presses Saudi king to lift Yemen blockade

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a "complete lifting" of a blockade on Yemen in a telephone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman on 24 December, an Elysee source said on Wednesday.

"The president expressed his strong concerns about the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and called on the Saudi king to lift completely the blockade to allow humanitarian aid and commercial goods to enter Yemen," the source said.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said a week ago that it would keep the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port – vital for aid – open for a month despite another missile attack against Riyadh, but it has kept up air raids. (Reuters)

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