This is the BBC news. Hello, I'm Jonathan Izard.The United Nations says the Houthi group in Yemen is planning to withdraw its forces from three key portsin the first major step since a ceasefire was agreed in December.The UN General overseeing the deal Michael Lollesgaard said the Houthi intended to redeploy their forces over four daysfrom Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa, starting on Saturday.Lise Grande is the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen. The port of Hudaydah is the lifeline for all of northern Yemen.Twenty million Yemenese depend upon the supplies that come through that single port.If redeployment happens and we sincerely hope that it does, it will ensure that the port is safe and secureand that families all across the country who need food in order to survive, who need medicines in order to survive,they will know that those commodities will reach them.But the Yemeni information minister has said that the Houthi's unilateral withdrawal was unacceptablebecause it did not allow for joint monitoring and verification.The United States has said it's ready to defend its forces and interests in the Gulf as tensions with Iran escalate.The Pentagon says it's sending reinforcements to the region, but is not seeking conflict with the Iranians. Steve Jackson reports.The USS Arlington, which carries amphibious vehicles and aircraft, had already been scheduled to go to the Middle East,but its deployment is being brought forward. It will join a strike group headed by an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln,
