Saudi Airstrikes Kill 48 Yemeni Civilians In 24 Hours

Authored by Leith Fadel of Al-Masdar News,

At least 48 Yemeni civilians have been killed by the Saudi Coalition in the last 24 hours, the Saba News Agency reported. "A total of 48 civilians, including women and children, were killed and wounded in 51 airstrikes launched by US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition using internationally banned weapons on several Yemeni provinces over the past few hours, military and security officials told Saba on Sunday," the news agency reported.

The Saudi airstrikes were primarily concentrated on the northern part of the country, where the Houthis currently control several provinces. In addition to northern Yemen, the Saudi airstrikes were also targeted the western part of the country, including the Hodeidah Port that was finally reopened after being blockaded for several weeks.

The death toll from airstrikes included the deaths four civilians reportedly attending a demonstration inside the Yemeni capital - the attack followed a large number of air raids conducted above Sana’a. According to Saba News Agency, the Saudi Coalition airstrikes not only killed four civilians, but also wounded dozens of others, including many women and children. The report added that the airstrikes were conducted during a solidarity vigil that was held in support of Palestine.

Image via Al-Masdar News

The Yemeni War has been ongoing for nearly three years now and much of the country still remains embroiled in a civil war that has yet find a political solution. With the assassination of former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in early December, the Yemeni war has entered a new stage with his loyalists now fighting alongside the UAE-backed Southern Resistance forces.

As a result of this alliance, the Southern Resistance forces have been able to recapture several areas from the Houthis, including much of the territory just north of the Mocha Port. While the Houthis have recaptured some sites near the Mocha Port, they are still far away from this historical city.

Yemen situation map as of 12/22/17. Green=Houthis (or Ansar Allah); Red=Saudi coalition/forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi; Black=AQ, ISIS. Map source: ISW News

Meanwhile over the weekend, the Saudi-backed Yemeni Army and Hadi loyalists continued their offensive in the eastern part of the Sanaa Governorate, capturing several sites from the Houthi forces near the Marib axis. According to the Yemeni Army’s official media wing, their 7th Division attacked the Dahshush, Jabal al-Tafaha, Tabat al-Qanaseen and Jabal al-Mashna areas of eastern Sanaa on Saturday.

The Yemeni Army was able to capture these sites after a fierce battle with the Houthi forces. The Saudi-backed forces allege that they killed at least 28 Houthi fighters during the advance; however, no official verification has been made available to corroborate the claim.

Yemen Rebels Claim They Fired Missile At Abu Dhabi Nuclear Plant

Two days after Israel reportedly destroyed an alleged Iranian airbase in the city of al-Qiswa near Damascus in Syria, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed they fired a cruise missile toward the $20 bilion Barakh nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi in the UAE (which is still under construction) which "successfully hit its target", the group’s television service said on its website Sunday, however without providing evidence.

The launch was in retaliation for the closing of sea and air ports, it said without offering evidence or providing further details. The statement quoted a Houthi leader who warned against continuing the blockade, “affirming Yemenis’ right to take sensitive steps.”

“The missile force announces the launching of a winged cruise missile … toward the al-Barakah nuclear reactor in Abu Dhabi,” the website said. It gave no further details. The claim comes as the United Arab Emirates, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition, celebrates its National Day.

The Barakah nuclear power plant being built in Abu Dhabi’s western desert.

According to Reuters, the 4 nuclear reactors at the plant are scheduled for completion between 2018 and 2020, when they will start operation.

In September, the UAE’s energy minister said the country’s first nuclear reactor will “definitely” be operational next year with the operating company getting a license in 2018. However, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation announced in May that the plant had received the fuel assemblies for its unit 1 reactor. The fuel assemblies, the ENEC said in a statement, were being “securely stored” at the plant.

 

It was unclear if the assemblies were still being stored there.

The Yemen rebels’ claim about striking a target in Abu Dhabi comes amid heavy fighting in Yemen’s capital, Sana, between the Shiite Houthi rebels and some of their former allies, who are led by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Mr. Saleh, who stepped down in 2011 after a mass uprising against his 33 years in office, but he formed an alliance with the Houthis. Since then, fractures have emerged between the former leader and the rebels, exacerbating the crisis.

 

In a televised speech on Saturday, Mr. Saleh blamed the Houthis’ “idiocy” for the war in Yemen and declared that he was ready to turn a “new page” in ties with the coalition if it stopped the attacks on his country.

 

“I call upon the brothers in neighboring states and the alliance to stop their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food aid and the saving of the wounded and we will turn a new page by virtue of our neighborliness,” Mr. Saleh said.

It is the second time this year the Houthis have said they have fired missiles toward the UAE. A few months ago they said they had “successfully” test-fired a missile toward the country. However on Twitter, the state agency WAM denied the Houthi rebels had launched a missile toward the United Arab Emirates.

#????_??? | ??????? ???????? ???? ????? ????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? #????????.

— ????? ????? ???????? (@wamnews) December 3, 2017

In a subsequent Tweet, WAM said, “U.A.E. possesses an air defense system capable of dealing with any threat of any kind and the project of Barakah reactor is immune.”

On Sunday, an Iranian analyst, Hamidreza Taraghi, who has close ties to Iran’s leaders, denied any the country had links to the missile attack claimed by the Yemen rebels. Quoted by the NYT, he said that “we have nothing to do with this,” adding that “the Houthis are very capable of hitting targets without our assistance.” But Iran’s regional rival, Saudi Arabia, and its allies insist that Iran has provided the Houthis with such weaponry and say that the rebels are taking commands from Tehran.

The nuclear power plant, in Abu Dhabi’s far western desert, is being built by the Korea Electric Power Corporation near the border with Saudi Arabia and is scheduled to begin operating next year, the United Arab Emirates energy minister has said, according to The Associated Press.

Why Is The Trump Administration Rewarding Saudi War Crimes With More Weapons?

Authored by Kristine Beckerle op-ed via The Hill,

Last October the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed a funeral hall in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing and wounding hundreds of people.

“The scene was catastrophic,” one survivor told me.  “Beyond what I can explain to you or describe ... There were burned bodies and dead bodies all over the hall.”

Soon after that unlawful bombing, the Obama administration suspended the sale of nearly $400 million in weapons to Saudi Arabia.

It was a recognition, a long time in coming, that the coalition’s military campaign in Yemen had devastated the country, killed thousands of civilians, and brought it to the brink of famine.

After the funeral bombing, unlawful airstrikes continued, but the decision to suspend arms sales sent an important message to the Saudis. President Donald Trump, in his first trip abroad as president, is going to send an alternative, deeply troublesome message.

While in Riyadh this weekend, Trump reportedly plans to announce more than $100 billion in arms deals to Saudi Arabia – nearly as much as Barack Obama authorized during his eight years in office.

The deals  include Raytheon bombs, Lockheed Martin missile defense systems and BAE combat vehicles, and some  of the weapons whose sales had been suspended.

The scars of unlawful airstrikes can be found across Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition has carried out scores of attacks that hit homes, schools, markets, and hospitals since March 2015, when it began its military campaign against the Houthi armed group and forces loyal to the former longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh. 

Human Rights Watch has documented 81 apparently unlawful coalition attacks over the last two years, many possible war crimes. In almost two dozen of these cases, including the attack on the funeral hall, we were able to identify the US weapons that were used. 

According to the United Nations, at least 4,773 civilians have been killed and 8,272 wounded since this conflict began, the majority by coalition airstrikes. The war has driven Yemen, already the poorest nation in the Middle East, toward humanitarian catastrophe. 

Both the coalition and Houthi-Saleh forces have blocked or restricted critical relief supplies from reaching civilians. Seven million people face starvation, and cholera ravages parts of the country.

Trump should be urging the Saudis to shift course by abiding by the laws of war and holding those responsible for past abuses to account. Instead he will effectively be telling them to continue as before and not to worry – the flow of US weapons will not stop.

Trump will also be putting Americans at risk. Continued U.S. arms sales to a country that has repeatedly violated the laws of war exposes US officials to legal liability for aiding and abetting coalition war crimes.

Some lawmakers in the U.S. are pushing back, introducing a bill intended to limit US arms transfers to Saudi Arabia. It would require the White House to certify that Saudi Arabia is taking all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties in Yemen, and stipulate that the White House must brief Congress on whether Saudi Arabia has used US weapons in previous unlawful attacks in Yemen. Other lawmakers have pledged to try to prevent future US arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: “If we condition too heavily that others must adopt [our] value[s]… it really creates obstacles to our ability to advance, our national security interests, our economic interests.” The Trump administration needs to recognize instead that protecting civilians in armed conflict is part and parcel of enhancing US national security.

The U.S. cannot quietly hope that the coalition will take the blame for past and future atrocities like the funeral hall bombing. Yemeni civilians suffering from unlawful airstrikes know the US supports the coalition and that U.S. weapons have been used against them. This is the national security problem the administration should be paying more attention to.

If the Trump administration won’t try to curtail war crimes by Saudi Arabia and the rest of the coalition, Congress should step in and make clear – by using its own power to stop weapons sales – that the lives of Yemeni civilian can no longer be disregarded.

UN Reports Death Toll In US-Sponsored Yemen War Reaches 10,000

Submitted by MiddleEastEye.net via TheAntiMedia.org,

A UN envoy held talks with Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Hadi on Monday as the United Nations said the death toll from the war had reached 10,000.

The envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, was in Aden for the meeting that focused on a return to a ceasefire and to political talks to end the nearly two-year war.

The talks came as fighting in the southern Shabwa area on Monday reportedly killed 34 people and wounded 16 others during clashes between Houthi fighters and pro-government forces.

The United Nations said the civilian death toll in fighting since a Saudi-led force intervened in March 2015 had reached 10,000, up from the previous figure of 7,000.

The Saudi-led coalition has been blamed for most of the civilian casualties. The devastation has also drawn attention to the role of western powers who have continued to provide Riyadh with weapons, logistical support and intelligence. The Houthis have also been accused of human rights violations.

The higher toll “underscores the need to resolve the situation in Yemen without any further delay”, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq in New York. “There is a huge humanitarian cost.”

Jamie McGoldrick, humanitarian coordinator of the UN Development Programme, said the latest death toll is based on lists of victims gathered by hospitals and the true figure could be higher.

McGoldrick said up to 10 million Yemenis were also in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed is hoping to revive peace prospects in Yemen after Hadi rejected his proposed roadmap. He is due to report to the UN Security Council later this month.

The roadmap provides for a new unity government in Yemen and a rebel withdrawal from the capital and other cities.

“A peace agreement, including a well-articulated security plan and the formation of an inclusive government, is the only way to end the war that has fuelled the development of terrorism in Yemen and the region,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

“I asked the president to act swiftly and engage constructively with the UN’s proposal for the sake of the country’s future.”

“The current political stalemate is causing death and destruction every day. The only way to stop this is through the renewal of the cessation of hostilities followed by consultations to develop a comprehensive agreement.”

Under the proposal, Hadi’s powers would be dramatically diminished in favour of a new vice president who would oversee the formation of the interim government that will lead a transition to elections.

Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who control the capital, Sanaa, have faced a military campaign by the Saudi-led coalition to restore President Hadi as the recognised government.

The campaign has been unable to dislodge the Houthis from the capital and their strongholds in the north of the country and has been criticized for causing widespread civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure.

Human Rights Watch Releases Disturbing Report on US-Backed War in Yemen

January 16, 2017   |   Darius Shahtahmasebi

(ANTIMEDIA) — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released its 2017 World Report on the current conflict in Yemen, and the latest update paints a very disturbing picture of the U.S.- and U.K.- backed war of aggression the Saudis are currently waging. The report makes clear the depth of U.S. and U.K. support for the current war in Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, as well as the potential legal ramifications of this support — something the rights group has previously warned about.

Between the eruption of the Saudi-led bombardment in March 2015 and October of last year, the report explains, the U.N. documented the deaths of at least 4,125 civilians. A majority of those deaths were caused by the coalition. Further, the U.N. recently came forward stating over 10,000 civilians have been killed in the war to date, with 40,000 others wounded. This is a “low estimate,”  and the U.N. figure does not include deaths recorded by hospitals and health centers.

The report confirms that the coalition has used internationally banned cluster munitions and deployed countless air strikes that have indiscriminately or disproportionately killed and wounded thousands of civilians.

Most surprising is that although HRW receives a large amount of funding from Saudi Arabia, the HRW report has not bought into the official Saudi-U.S. narrative that Iran is behind the current war in Yemen. Instead, the report fails to so much as even mention Iran. The opening statement reads:

“The Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s aerial and ground campaign against Houthi forces and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh continued in 2016.”

In doing so, HRW has pinpointed the current cause of the conflict besieging Yemen: former president Saleh still retains the loyalty of the armed forces, who fight alongside the Houthi rebels. In essence, the Saudis are attempting to bomb the will of the people into accepting a leader they already ousted.

The HRW report continues:

“Human Rights Watch has documented 58 apparently unlawful coalition airstrikes since the start of the campaign, which have killed nearly 800 civilians and hit homes, markets, hospitals, schools, civilian businesses, and mosques. Some attacks may amount to war crimes. These include airstrikes on a crowded market in northern Yemen on March 15 that killed 97 civilians, including 25 children, and another on a crowded funeral in Sanaa on October that killed over 100 civilians and wounded hundreds more.” [emphasis added]

As Anti-Media previously reported, the U.S.-backed coalition is intentionally starving Yemen’s inhabitants. The HRW report confirms Saudi Arabia’s intentions to destroy the basic livelihood of Yemen’s civilian population:

“Repeated coalition airstrikes on factories and other civilian economic structures raise serious concerns that the coalition deliberately sought to inflict damage to Yemen’s limited production capacity. Human Rights Watch investigated 18 apparently unlawful strikes, some of which used US or UK-supplied weapons, on 14 civilian economic sites. The strikes killed 130 civilians and wounded 173 more. Following the attacks, many of the factories ended production and hundreds of workers lost their livelihoods.”

The report also outlines the use of cluster bombs, indiscriminate attacks, deliberate Saudi air raids on health facilities and avenues for humanitarian access, the Houthis’ use of children in the war, and the key international actors in the conflict (remember, Iran is not even mentioned), to name a few.

Generally speaking, the war in Yemen receives very little media coverage in Western nations. As such, it has hardly been recognized as an issue in the much-anticipated transition from an Obama presidency to a Trump presidency. Under peace prize-winning President Obama, the U.S. made over $115 billion in arms sales to the Saudi regime. It remains unclear what will happen to this war under a bomb-loving Trump administration.

One thing is clear, however. The war in Yemen would be over tomorrow if the U.S. withdrew its support for the brutal Saudi-led campaign.

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