Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 438 - Yemen War Mosaic 438

Yemen Press Reader 438: 28. Juli 2018: Hodeidah: UN-Vermittlung wohl gescheitert, Wiederaufnahme des Angriffs droht, Houthi-Angriff auf Schiffe wird politisch ausgeschlachtet ...

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

... Überlebende des saudischen Luftangriffs auf Hochzeit am 23. April – In Dunkelheit: Gefangene – Al Kaida und IS im Jemen – Jemen in US-Medien – Südafrikas Waffenverkäufe an Saudis und Emirate – und mehr

July 28, 2018: Hodeidah: UN mediations seems to have failed, prosecution of assault is looming, Houthi attack against ships gets politically exploited – Survivers of the Saudi coalition April 23 wedding air raid – In darkness: detainees – Al Qaeda and IS in Yemen – Yemen in US media coverage – South Africa’s arms sales tot he Saudis and Emirates – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Klassifizierung / Classification

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German

cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English

cp1c Am wichtigsten: Hodeidah: Angriff auf Schiffe / Most important: Hodeidah: Attack on ships

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

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*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:

Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke

Neue Artikel / New articles

(* B H)

Jemen: „Größte humanitäre Katastrophe weltweit“

Wer auch immer sich zu dem inzwischen mehr als vier Jahre tobenden Stellvertreterkrieg im Jemen und seinen Folgen für die Bevölkerung äußert, tut das mit dramatischen Worten. Henrietta Fore, Chefin des UN-Kinderhilfswerks Unicef, beklagt die mindestens 2200 Kinder, die in dem Konflikt bereits getötet wurden. „Es gibt keine Rechtfertigung für dieses Blutbad.“ Deutschlands Entwicklungshilfeminister Gerd Müller (CSU) spricht in einem „Welt“-Interview davon, im Jemen kämpften „über zehn Millionen Kriegsflüchtlinge ums nackte Überleben“. Und das UN-Flüchtlingshilfswerk UNHCR? Es nennt die Lage schlicht „die größte humanitäre Katastrophe weltweit“.

http://www.wz.de/home/politik/jemen-groesste-humanitaere-katastrophe-weltweit-1.2731202?page=all

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(** B H K)

US allies have killed thousands of Yemenis from the air. After 22 died at a wedding, one village asks, 'Why us?'

The ground where the wedding tent once stood was covered with children's slippers, broken musical instruments, pieces of festive clothing and other detritus of destroyed lives. Teeth, still attached to the jawbone, lay near some tattered decorations.

"There is even some flesh left," said Elan Yahya, the bride's father, pointing at blackened shards hanging from a tree branch.

A month after the airstrike in Raqah, the destruction on the ground remained eerily preserved. The lives of the survivors, however, had been forever altered.

"We lost our minds that day," said Amna Yahya, the groom's mother. "I still can't comprehend what happened. Why us?"

In the hours following the airstrike in Raqah, local media published photos, provided by the Houthis, showing the bomb was a GBU-12 Paveway II precision-guided bomb, manufactured by Raytheon, the Massachusetts-based defense contractor.

The civil war that emerged from the political chaos that followed the 2011 Arab Spring revolts hardly touched the villagers, mostly farmers and herders. Many supported former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in 2012. But even after the Houthis swept into Sanaa and pushed out the internationally recognized government, the conflict never came to their area, villagers said.

They said they would often see and hear war planes and unmanned drones fly above their huts, but they never felt threatened. They had nothing to do, they said, with the Shiite Houthis or Iran.

"There are no Houthis here," said Yahya Ahmed, a villager whose nephew was killed in the airstrike. "Did you see any checkpoints in our area?"

"We refused to join the Houthis," said Mohammed Yahya, the groom's uncle. "One side says, 'God is Great.' The other side says, 'God is Great.' We don't know who is right."

The wedding of Yahya Jaffer and his bride, Fatma, began auspiciously enough. They were both 20 years old, both from the al-Musabi tribe. Like their parents and grandparents, they were marrying within their community. They are cousins.

The families had spent much of their savings on the wedding. A large white tent was erected in front of their home. More than 150 guests drank soft drinks and water and feasted on lamb and other delicacies. A group of local folkloric dancers and musicians entertained, according to the recollections of villagers present at the event.

Many villagers said they heard two planes circling above their homes throughout that day, as well as just before the attack.

"An hour later, one of them hit us," Amna Yahya said.

It was shortly after 10 p.m. By then, most parents and the elderly had left the wedding. The youth clapped to the rhythm of drums and lutes. Some sang, others chanted, as the dancers skipped and leaped in celebration. Then, a thunderous sound.

"I saw a flash of red, and I lost consciousness," Jaffer recalled. "When I woke up, I heard people screaming in pain. People had lost arms and legs. There was blood everywhere."

Those who could searched through the rubble for survivors, pulling them to safety. Others struggled to find the dead: Most were coated by ash or torn into pieces.

The only way Aitan Suwaed said he recognized his 17-year-old son, Hamdi, was "from his clothes, the parts that weren't burnt."

The 22 fatalities included 12 of the dancers, four musicians and six villagers, including one who played the lute. Most of the children killed were in the dance troupe.

The dancers all belonged to the Muhamasheen, Yemen's most marginalized ethnic group. Performing at weddings was among the few jobs they could find.

The living, too, are in bad shape.

Some of Raqah's residents have lost their hearing. Children have lost limbs, while others carry shrapnel from the missile inside their bodies. The nearest hospital is in the provincial capital, and most villagers cannot afford the three-hour journey.

Other women and children in the village report having nightmares where they relive the bombing. One woman was in such shock that she feared leaving her bed. Whenever she needed to go to the bathroom, her relatives carried her. Other villagers said they now sleep outside their houses at night out of concern their homes would be targeted by airstrikes.

"What happened to us, happened to everyone in the village," said Amna Yahya. "Everyone is full of fear."

Many are also filled with anger, not just at the Saudi-led coalition, but at the United States. "If it wasn't for the American aircraft, Saudi Arabia would never strike Yemen," said Mohammed Yahya, the groom's uncle. "America gives them weapons, and the Saudis hit us." – By SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/us-allies-have-killed-thousands-of-yemenis-from-the-air-after-22-died-at-a-wedding-one-village-asks-why-us/2018/07/25/3c3e4801-164e-42ae-ac08-bec09044e52a_story.html = https://www.stripes.com/news/us-allies-have-killed-thousands-of-yemenis-from-the-air-after-22-died-at-a-wedding-one-village-asks-why-us-1.539548

and

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The Aftermath of a Saudi Coalition Wedding Massacre in Yemen

The attack on this wedding party is just one of the thousands of strikes that have hit civilian targets over the last three years. There is no possible justification for what the Saudi coalition did to this village. It was a wanton slaughter of innocent people that showed the coalition’s complete disregard for civilian lives. There have been many similar attacks on other weddings, funerals, schools, markets, and homes, and they have all been similarly outrageous and indefensible. The Saudis and their allies have been able to carry out all these attacks with impunity because none of their Western patrons will ever hold them accountable for what they have done.

Providing the coalition with weapons and refueling gives their forces the means to carry out more of these massacres. The U.S. continues to provide weapons and refueling despite the coalition’s many documented war crimes, and our officials then have the gall to claim that U.S. support for the war is reducing the number of civilian casualties. There are simply too many examples of deliberate attacks on civilians like this one that prove that claim wrong. As long as U.S. support for the war on Yemen continues, there will be more of these senseless killings of innocent civilians, and the U.S. will be complicit in causing their deaths.

The Yemenis on the receiving end of these attacks know very well that the U.S. is responsible for enabling the war being waged against them

The official position that the U.S. is not a party to a war that our government helps make possible is an absurd lie, and the people that have survived U.S.-backed coalition attacks can see right through it. The U.S. should have never been involved in this war, and it is imperative that Congress halt our involvement in this despicable war at once – by Daniel Larison

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-aftermath-of-a-saudi-coalition-wedding-massacre-in-yemen/

(** B P)

Mwatana releases “In Darkness” Documentary on Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance in Yemen

The Documentary highlights the civilian victims of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance by the parties to the conflict.

In this statement, issued in conjunction with the release of the documentary, Mwatana would like to note that the documentary highlights the suffering of arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared persons and the tragedies inflicted on their families by the parties to the conflict in Yemen to strengthen their hold in the areas under their control.

“The issues of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, and the damage they inflict, are among the heaviest human rights issues in Yemen,” said Radiya Al-Mutawakil, the chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights.

“In Darkness” documents five stories in which civilians have been subjected to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance by the parties to the conflict in Yemen: two incidents in Sana’a by Ansar Allah (the Houthi group), two other incidents of detaining two brothers in Marib Governorate by forces loyal to President Abdurbo Mansour Hadi and one incident in the city of Aden.

On Sunday morning, September 25, 2015, gunmen in civilian outfits belonging to Ansar Allah (the Houthi group) raided Al-Fateh school in Shamlan area in the capital city of Sana’a and arrested Mr. Khaled Al-Nahari (38 years old), the school headmaster. Khaled Al-Nahari was taken on a minibus to an unknown location, and his family was kept in the dark with regard to his whereabouts for four and a half months. Only after this long period was Khaled allowed to call his family, and a month later, his family was allowed to visit him.

Khaled’s brother told Mwatana that he had seen burns on his brother’s arms, and that he had noticed that his brother suffered pain in his back. He added: “The bill of his indictment contained 26 charges including the following: planting microchips, explosions at Al-Daylami airbase, Sana’a Airport and the Ministry of Defense during the past years. He was even accused him of being involved in the bombing of the Grand Hall, which was bombed by the Saudi-Emirati-led Coalition airstrikes on October 8, 2016, although he was in detention at the time.”

On June 9, 2015, activist and journalist Harith Saleh Hamid (27 years old) abruptly disappeared in Sana’a. Harith’s family said he was writing articles on the current situation and exposing all the conflicting parties in Yemen. Harith’s family searched for him in all police stations, which denied his presence. His sister confirms that the authorities in Sana’a allowed them to visit him later, but by then her father had suffered a stroke due to his grief.

The documentary also tells of the story of the detention of two brothers in Marib Governorate, which is run by pro-Hadi forces. Khaled Ali Jahaf (30 years old) was detained in August 2016.

Khaled’s brother said that his brother owned a cargo truck and that he was followed and forced to stop by a military vehicle as he entered into the Yemeni side of the port coming from Saudi Arabia. Khaled was arrested and detained in Marib, and when his brother Abdul-Ghani Ali Jahaf (35 years old) went to search for him, he was detained too.

Their third brother who spoke to Mwatana added: Khaled’s son (14 years old) suffered from a psychological disorder, while his wife suffered a stroke due to the severity of the ordeal of her husband and son. The result is two bereaved families without a breadwinner for more than 16 months.”

Abdul-Ghani was released on March 8, 2018, while his brother Khaled remains “in darkness”.

The documentary also tells the story of the detention of Mohammed Saleh Fadl Manssar in the city of Aden. Mohammed was arrested and taken to an unknown location by seven people on July 15, 2016.

In a faint voice, Mohammad’s mother narrates the difficulties she encountered while searching for her forcibly disappeared son in all places of detention to no avail. “I knocked all doors and asked about him everywhere. He is a piece of my heart and I was trying to know where he was and that he was alright.” said the grieving mother.

Radiya Al-Mutawakil adds: “The parties to the conflict in Yemen must cease engaging in such grave violations and must know that sooner or later they shall be held accountable for their dark history of disrespect of human rights.”

The human rights documentary “In Darkness” presents hundreds of examples of sufferings at the hands of the different parties to the conflict whose behavior is identical when it comes to the disrespect of human rights and violations of the rules of Yemeni law. In almost four years of war, Mwatana for Human Rights has documented hundreds of incidents of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of civilians in all areas of Yemen run by the various parties to the conflict.

Mwatana for Human Rights reaffirms its call upon Ansar Allah (the Houthis), pro-Hadi forces and groups, and groups loyal to the Saudi-UAE-led Coalition to immediately release all arbitrarily detained persons and to reveal the fate of those who have been forcibly disappeared.

http://mwatana.org/en/mwatana-releases-in-darkness-documentary-on-arbitrary-detention-and-enforced-disappearance-in-yemen/

Film: In Darkness

New Documentary by Mwatana on arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearance by all conflict parties in Yemen

https://www.facebook.com/mwatanaen/videos/1694982947267772/

(** B T)

How is jihadi militancy in Yemen evolving?

Summary

Regional conflict and internal chaos have allowed militant jihadi groups to rise and flourish in Yemen. This paper analyzes two of the most prominent such groups, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State in Yemen (ISY), by scrutinizing the factors that led to their respective ascents and examining the challenges and pressures that have caused their respective declines.

By comparing and contrasting their operations, respective styles of leadership, and varying levels of community integration, this paper charts the path of jihadi militancy in Yemen and assesses its future in Yemeni politics and society.

Key Points

The two core goals of AQAP are expelling infidels from Muslim lands and introducing an Islamic regime that would rule by Islamic law. While these goals have remained constant, circumstances and experience have refined AQAP’s approaches to engaging local populations in the pursuit of these goals.

The main challenges and pressures facing AQAP, some of which are shared by ISY, include increasingly frequent counterterrorism strikes, dwindling public support, weak leadership, poor communications, and decentralization and/or fragmentation.

ISY’s challenges are similar to those of AQAP, but its initial position in Yemen was weaker. Unlike AQAP, ISY never held territory and found it hard to integrate itself into Yemeni society.

The decentralization of Yemen’s jihadists should not be mistaken for a lessening of their long-term threat. However, current jihadi decentralization does provide a small window of opportunity to capitalize on the jihadists’ disarray. Above all, ending the current war is imperative – by Elisabeth Kendall

http://www.mei.edu/content/contemporary-jihadi-militancy-yemen-how-threat-evolving and in full: https://www.mei.edu/sites/default/files/publications/MEI%20Policy%20Paper_Kendall_7.pdf

(** B K P)

Why We Know So Little About the U.S.-Backed War in Yemen

What the U.N. calls the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” is an unhappy confluence of American media taboos

Yemen is a catastrophe on a scale similar to Syria, but coverage in the United States has been sporadic at best. PBS News Hour did a thorough three-part series, but MSNBC, for instance, has barely mentioned the crisis in a year, during a period when it has done 455 segments on Stormy Daniels (this according to media reporter Adam Johnson).

The reason for inattention is obvious: The United States bears real responsibility for the crisis. A quote from a Yemeni doctor found in PBS reporter Jane Ferguson’s piece sums it up:

“The missiles that kill us, American-made. The planes that kill us, American-made. The tanks … American-made. You are saying to me, where is America? America is the whole thing.”

Leaving aside the complex question of who is right and who is wrong in this multipolar war (which also includes Al-Qaeda/ISIL forces), there is no question that masses of innocent civilians have wrongly become targets. Hospitals, schools, mosques and other non-military locations have been destroyed indiscriminately.

For one thing, the victims are poor nonwhite people from a distant third-world country. Also, our involvement is bipartisan in nature, which takes the usual-suspect cable channels out of the round-the-clock-bleating game (our policies in the region date back to the Obama presidency, and have continued under Trump).

Thirdly, covering the story in detail would require digging into our unsavory relationship with the Saudi government, which has an atrocious human rights record.

Another dark angle: The United States has been conducting drone missions in Yemen for some time. Rolling Stone documented our country’s erroneous killing of anti-terrorist imam Salem bin ali Jaber in a piece earlier this month.

But we have not yet supplied any of the anti-Houthi coalition partners with drones. The reason, ostensibly, is that the United States only sells drones to countries that will “use these systems in accordance with international law.” So we can sell Saudi Arabia F-15s, but not drones – at least not yet.

But this may soon change. The Chinese have been supplying both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with drones, which reportedly have been used in this campaign.

The Trump administration, perhaps freaked out about the loss of market share, is said to be pushing for the relaxation of rules that will allow sales of our unmanned assassination technology to actors like Saudi Arabia.

Selling drone technology to repressive third-world governments is the logical next step in America’s human rights slide. Allowing vicious client states to fill their skies with drones will sharply increase state-sanctioned violence around the world, in addition to emboldening regimes to launch wars in neighboring countries.

Yemen could become a poster child for this development.

In the end, Yemen is a classic example of what Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman described as the “worthy and unworthy victims” problem in their iconic examination of American media, “Manufacturing Consent.” The obvious-sounding theory holds that violence committed by Americans or by their client states will be covered a lot less than identical acts committed by adversary states.

Yemen features the wrong kinds of victims, lacks a useful partisan angle and, frankly, is nobody’s idea of clickbait in the Trump age. Until it becomes a political football for some influential person or party, this disaster will probably stay near the back of the line – by Matt Taibbi

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/yemen-war-united-states-704187/

(** B K P)

South Africa's deadly involvement in the Saudi war on Yemen

South Africa is helping Saudi Arabia develop its own arms manufacturing capacity and is selling it and the UAE weapons to fight in Yemen

As South African President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded visits this month to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, securing $10bn worth of investment from each country, questions arise as to what price tag is attached to these investments.

South Africa's arms exports to both Gulf countries have grown since the begining of the war in Yemen, making it potentially complicit in war crimes committed by the two countries in Yemen since 2015.

According to the South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) annual reports, in 2016 and 2017, South Africa supplied arms, ammunition and armoured vehicles, as well as surveillance and military technology to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, amounting to more than three billion rands (almost $228m) whilst the two countries were deeply embroiled in a conflict of devastating humanitarian consequences. Clear evidence of South African military equipment being used in Yemen by the coalition emerged as early as 2015 when footage was broadcast by Al Masirah news channel, a pro-Houthi outlet, depicting a Seeker II drone that was shot down. The images of the crashed drone clearly indicated a plate worded: "Made in South Africa Carl Zeiss Optronics Pty Ltd".

Clear evidence of South African military equipment being used in Yemen by the coalition emerged as early as 2015 when footage was broadcast by Al Masirah news channel, a pro-Houthi outlet, depicting a Seeker II drone that was shot down. The images of the crashed drone clearly indicated a plate worded: "Made in South Africa Carl Zeiss Optronics Pty Ltd".

Despite glaring concerns from a human rights perspective, arms supplying countries including South Africa continue to export weapons to the Saudi-led coalition.

South Africa's National Conventional Arms Control Act No 41 of 2002 states that the NCACC must "avoid transfers of conventional arms to governments that systematically violate or suppress human rights and fundamental freedoms;" and "avoid transfers of conventional weapons that are likely to contribute to the escalation of regional military conflicts, endanger peace by introducing destabilising military capabilities into a region or otherwise contribute to regional instability”.

South Africa is signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty, which it ratified in 2014. As such it has committed to the conditions of the treaty, which stipulate among other things that the state parties assess the potential that the conventional arms could be used to commit serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

South Africa has continued to authorise the sale of conventional weapons that have been used by the UAE and Saudi Arabia in Yemen, despite allegations of serious violations of international law by members of the Saudi-led coalition.

In 2016 when the Obama administration declined Saudi Arabia’s request for the supply of Predator drones, the kingdom turned to South Africa's Denel Dynamics to assist Riyadh in the development of its own armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme.

Denel adapted the Seeker-400 with a range of 160 miles and an endurance of 16 hours to carry the Makopa air-to-ground missile and the Impi laser-guided missile, which has a multipurpose warhead suited for assassination missions.

By May 2017, the kingdom unveiled its own combat drone, Saqr 1, which resembled Denel’s design. Saqr 1 is equipped with a satellite data link that enables long-range missiles and infrared opticals that allow for night-targeting.

In June 2016, former president Jacob Zuma travelled to Saudi Arabia to inaugurate the Al-Kharj (Military Industries Corporation) facility in Riyadh, together with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is largely seen as the architect of the war in Yemen.

The $240m projectiles factory was built in collaboration with South Africa's Rheinmetall Denel Munitions and is expected to produce a minimum of 300 artillery shells or 600 mortar projectiles per day, as well as aircraft bombs ranging from 500lb-2000lb.

In 2018, notorious South African arms dealer, Ivor Ichikowitz, announced that his Paramount Group is in talks with Saudi Arabia with a view to transferring technology and establishing production plants.

As proxy wars are played out between Iran and the Saudi-led coalition in Syria and Yemen at the expense of innocent civilians, South Africa is joining the list of major arms suppliers that are fuelling these devastating conflicts – by zeenat Adam

http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/south-africa-complicit-war-yemen-1495899269

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(** B H K)

A siege of Hodeidah could have devastating consequences, warns Save the Children’s global CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt after returning from Yemen

Yemen could be on the brink of a deadly new cholera epidemic that could affect thousands of people in the coming weeks unless urgent action is taken, Save the Children is warning.

The charity is becoming increasingly concerned that Hodeidah City could be besieged as the Saudi- and Emirati-led Coalition makes advances in northern Yemen and continues to consolidate gains around the south of the city. This could potentially cut off Hodeidah City, its port and its people from the rest of the country.

Conditions are ideal for cholera to spread rapidly in the hot summer months, with almost 3,000 suspected casesreported in the first week of July across the country – the highest number seen since the start of the year.

Hodeidah – the latest flashpoint in a three-year conflict – could become ground zero for a new outbreak of the highly contagious disease. Should the port city become besieged it would be devastating for an estimated 350,000 people who have not yet fled. Many of them are likely to be extremely vulnerable children, elderly, or those who either can’t afford to or are physically unable to leave.

Clean drinking water in Hodeidah was already scarce, but supplies have been further ravaged since the offensive by the Saudi- and Emirati-led Coalition to capture the province began in June. Fighting by all parties has badly damaged water and sewerage pipes. Shelling and bombing have also hit water treatment plants and pipes.

In the al-Mighlaf district of Hodeidah the number of new cholera cases increased by more than 110 percent between mid-May and mid-June. The district lies just north of Hodeidah port, through which 80 percent of all of Yemen’s supplies enter.

Even a small uptick in cases in Hodeidah poses a grave risk to other parts of Yemen. More than 245,000 people have already fled the governorate to neighbouring areas, with some escaping to makeshift camps that have no sanitation and no running water – conditions that could lead to a cholera outbreak.

Save the Children International’s CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt has recently returned from Yemen, where she saw first-hand the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in the country.

“Cholera could spread like wildfire in Yemen, potentially infecting thousands of children and completely overwhelming an already crippled health system. Many hospitals have been reduced to rubble, and those that are still standing are barely functioning. Doctors have not been paid, pharmacies are understocked, and power cuts happen constantly.” said Thorning-Schmidt.

“So many parents I met were struggling to keep their children alive after three years of war. Food and aid have been used as weapons of war and children are paying the price. They are severely malnourished and don’t have access to basic supplies like food, clean drinking water and medicine. This leaves them extremely vulnerable to diseases like cholera, which many are too weak to fight off. If people are forced to flee fighting on top of this, many children just won’t stand a chance.”

Undernourished children are far more likely to contract cholera. The disease causes violent vomiting and diarrhoea and is especially deadly for children under five years and those whose immune systems have been badly compromised by malnutrition.

Hodeidah was a hotspot of last year's cholera outbreak, with nearly 164,000 suspected cases out of more than one million reported nationwide. More than 2,300 people, many of them children, died in that epidemic, which started in April 2017.

Dr Mariam Aldogani, a Save the Children doctor in Hodeidah, said: “We’re terrified of another outbreak as the number of cholera cases is increasing day-by-day. Just six weeks ago we were going to close many of our cholera treatment centres but owing to the surge of cases we have to keep them open. Current conditions mean that it could be difficult to keep the number of cases under control. Water chlorination isn’t a durable solution, the summer heat is relentless, there’s rubbish lining the streets and the health system is bursting at the seams.”

A Save the Children health worker in Hodeidah, said: “The number of suspected cholera cases in the health facility where I work has increased significantly over the past two months. Some of the people who arrive at the health centre suffering from suspected cholera are from the same family which isn’t a good sign. It means cholera is spreading quickly through families and communities and we urgently need to confront it and help vulnerable people who don’t even have enough money to pay for the bus fare to hospital.”

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/siege-hodeidah-could-have-devastating-consequences-warns-save-children-s-global-ceo

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/siege-hodeidah-could-have-devastating-consequences-warns-save-children-s-global-ceo

and film: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-44965770/yemen-crisis-worst-place-to-be-a-child-on-earth

(A H)

From July, 6:

Yemen: Cholera Suspected Cases (From 27 April - 6 July 2018)

https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-6-july-2018

Yemen : Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April - 6 July 2018)

https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-6-july-2018

cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English

Siehe / Look at cp1a

(* A K P)

UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has failed to persuade Houthis to hand over port city of Hodeidah & come back to negotiations. He left Sanaa Friday after 2 days of talks with Houthis. Now locals say Saudi/UAE-led coalition has resumed Hodeidah offensive with heavy air raids

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1022952068208836609

(A K pS)

Coalition Sends More Reinforcements to Clear All Pockets of Al-Houthi Militias in Al-Tuhita

https://en.smanews.org/7337-2

(A K pH)

We would like to express our deepest condolences to the Bonyan Development Foundation and the family of the young humanitarian martyr Amir Mahmoud Ali Al-Qadmi, who was killed while performing his volunteer work in the city of #Hodeidah (photo9

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1845307532188935

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1845591255493896 (text in image)

(A K pH)

Saudi Cluster Bombs Kill And Injured Four Civilians in Yemen’s Hodeida

Today , a civilian is killed and three others injured after an un-detonated cluster bomb went off in Zubaid (photos)

http://www.newnewss.net/saudi-cluster-bombs-kill-and-injured-four-civilians-in-yemens-hodeida/

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1864061100556542

(A K pH)

Aggression Targets Plastic Factory in Hodeidah

The US-Saudi Areal Aggression launched Friday morning two strikes on al-Awadi plastic bags factory, in Kilo 16 area in Alhali district of Hodeidah governorate.

The correspondent said that the Aggression launched 6 raids on Zaidiah district and 3 raids on Zabid district (photo)

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1870&cat_id=1

more photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1863947693901216

and

(A K pH)

The Areal Aggression Targets Al-Hudaydah Radio and Town Water Project

The US-Saudi Areal Aggression attacked Al-Hudaydah and the wells of the city's water project.

Almasirah correspondent said that several strikes targeted the wells of the water project and caused significant damage to the drinking water station, causing a partial interruption in the flow of water to the city of Al-Hudaydah.

He added that the areal aggression lunched another strike on the building of Al-Hudaydah radio station and more strikes on the fishing grounds in the city, causing great damage.

In addition, the enemy jets targeted a citizen farm in the district of Bagel, causing heavy damage to property.

A civilian was killed and three others were injured by a cluster bomb that was dropped by the aggression in Zabid Directorate.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1871&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

A few days ago, we received preliminary pictures of the effects of the aggression on the building of the National Center for Health Laboratories in the province of Hodeidah.

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1863703660592286

and

(* A H K)

Yemen: IRC-supported health facility damaged overnight as the Saudi-led Coalition launches airstrikes in Hodeidah city

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply concerned that an airstrike in Hodeidah damaged an IRC-supported ministry of health facility. The damage forced the suspension of operations and disrupted the provision of essential health services for an already vulnerable population.

The IRC pays salaries to midwives working in the facility who provide healthcare to pregnant and lactating women and deliver new babies, and provides the facility with critical drugs, medical equipment and access to clean water. Without essential services such as these the population of Hodeidah face the risk of a humanitarian disaster.

“Not only is urban warfare putting thousands of lives at risk, forcing critical markets and shops to close, and limiting humanitarian access, but fighting in Hodeidah city would impact operations of the port and could trigger famine,” said Mc Manus. “More than eight million Yemenis are already on the brink of starvation, and the country relies on Hodeidah port for 80 percent of food and fuel imports and yet in July we know that imports of food into Hodeidah met less than half of the food requirements for that month. It is clear that even minor disruptions of port operations will be devastating.”

“Even if the port remains open, few ships will likely be willing to dock so long as there is an active conflict in the vicinity of the port. Should the battle conclude relatively rapidly, damage to the port could still delay its return to playing its central role as Yemen’s commercial and humanitarian lifeline. Already having one health facility damaged demonstrates the grave humanitarian impact fighting in the city will have.”

https://www.rescue.org/press-release/yemen-irc-supported-health-facility-damaged-overnight-saudi-led-coalition-launches

(** A K pS)

Yemeni Resistance Forces deploy significant reinforcements to liberate Zabid, Yemen

Yemen’s National Resistance Forces are massing around Zabid, Hodeidah, for liberating the historical city from the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

With high-tech military equipment and advanced combat gear, the forces will move tactically to liberate the city without inflicting civilian causalities. These civilians are being used as human shields by the Houthi rebels.

A world heritage city and the second largest and most important district of Hodeidah governorate, Zabid is considered a key point for the Yemeni forces to advance deeper into the districts located east of Hodeidah.

The Yemeni Resistance Forces have also sent thousands of trained fighters to participate in the operation, in addition to securing liberated areas in the governorate and controlling the rest of the Red Sea Coast.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302700967

My comment: Hodeidah being to difficult in the moment, the assault turns against Zabid, which lies SE to Hodeida ca. 25 km from the coast. – Zabid, a UNESCO World heritage site, is going to be endangered, and just the assaulters are to blame for this. It’s odd to blame the Houthi side for using the city and its inhabitants as “human shields”.

(* B K P)

Stalemate in Yemen: Why has the battle for Hodeidah ground to a halt?

A wish for reinforcements, Houthis' defences and even a diplomatic push to avoid bloodshed are behind the freeze on the Red Sea coast

On 1 July, Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, said in one of a series of tweets that the offensive was being paused to allow terms of surrender to be negotiated.

But both fighters on the ground and analysts believe that there are other reasons behind the pause.

The Houthis are well prepared

One problem, according to a pro-government fighter who spoke to Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity, is the number of landmines that the Houthis have laid on the city’s outskirts.

The soldier said the fighting had come to a halt at the airport, an early battleground in the conflict and a key target for attacking forces. There had been no further instructions to advance, he said, because the Houthis have already dug in, ready for battle.

"The Houthis heavily planted landmines and their snipers are spread everywhere," he said. "Moreover, huge reinforcements have been arriving for the Houthis in Hodeidah, including their elite fighters."

Diplomatic push

Creating a new army

The attack on Hodeidah is not the first in Yemen’s three-year war to have come to a halt. Several earlier offensives stopped short of their targets, including the operation to break the siege on Taiz city, and the attacks on Nihm, Marib, Hajjah and elsewhere. All are still deadlocked.

According to Mustafa, the pauses are due to the government’s attempts to establish a new army.

He said that the new army, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, is becoming stronger than before, with better arms and a more sophisticated approach to fighting.

"There is an inverse relationship between forces on the ground. Every day the pro-government forces are becoming stronger and the Houthi militia are becoming weaker. Despite the Houthi arsenal and the reinforcements from Iran, we see collapses among the Houthi militia."

Underestimating the Houthis

But some experts disagree with the reasoning of pro-government supporters and backers.

Independent Yemeni academics and analysts are wary of speaking out about the war, amid fears they will be targeted by either – or both – sides. Instead they stay to keep silent to save themselves.

Ayman is a professor of politics at a Yemeni university - it's not his real name and he would only talk to Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity.

He was more cautious about the progress of the pro-government army, and said that while it was still learning and developing, this was not reason enough to cause the fighting to halt, given the backing afforded by the Saudi-led coalition.

"The real reason is that the pro-Hadi forces face equivalent Houthi forces on the ground and it is not as easy to recapture Hodeidah city as they say in media,” Ayman said.

"There is a balance in the forces on the ground. That is why the pro-Hadi forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, could not recapture many cities around the country."

"The coalition does not want to admit that the Houthis have equivalent forces on the ground. The Houthis are stronger on the ground, but the Saudi-led coalition use the air strikes and battleships to stop the advance of the Houthis and to support the pro-Hadi fighters."

Ayman also dismissed the idea that the government had paused simply to allow the UN the chance to broker a peace deal.

“The UN envoy to Yemen has not reached a peaceful solution and the pro-Hadi officials have accused him of being biased towards the Houthis."

“If the pro-Hadi forces could recapture Hodeidah, then they would not wait for the UN envoy to reach a peaceful solution."

Houthis steadfast

For their part, the Houthis seem determined not to surrender the city they have now held for three years, despite the military hardware ranged against them.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-war-why-has-the-battle-for-hodeidah-ground-to-a-halt-port-houthi-uae-saudi-government-2080927083

(* B H K)

Film: Bürgerkrieg Jemen: Kampf um Hodeida

https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-430349.html

Mein Kommentar: Die Einmischung der Saudis und Irans gleichrangig zu nennen, so in der Anmoderierung, grenzt schon an Fake news.

Film: Jemen: Kämpfe um Hafenstadt dauern an

http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-430535.html

und längerer Film „Schwerpunkt“:

SCHWERPUNKT: Krieg im Jemen: Kämpfe um Hafenstadt Hudaida dauern an

http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-430515.html

(A K pS)

Al-Houthis Bombard Al-Manzar with Katyusha and Mortar Shells and Target the Only Health Care Center in the Village

Al-Houthi Iranian militias continued the bombard of citizens of Al-Manzar village with Katyusha and Mortar Shells on purpose. The militias also targeted the only health care center in the village causing severe damages to its building and equipment.

https://en.smanews.org/al-houthis-bombard-al-manzar-with-katyusha-and-mortar-shells-and-target-the-only-health-care-center-in-the-village

(A K pH)

Nine Saudi-led air attacks hit Hodeidah

The US-Saudi-led aggression coalition warplanes on Friday waged nine strikes on Hodeidah province, an official told Saba.
The strikes hit Zabid, al-Zaidaih districts and provincial capital city.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503169.htm

My comment: Zabid in an UNESCO cultural heritage site.

(* A K pH)

6 fishermen killed in Saudi-led air strike in Hodediah

Six fisher men were killed and 22 others wounded in a Saudi-led air strike on three boats in Hodeidah province, an official told Saba on Friday.
The strike with war boats of coalition militiamen hit the boats in al-Hawk district and al-Tair Island, killing the six and injuring 22 others.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503168.htm

film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ZjhGz2QQ8

(* A H K)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Al Hudaydah Update Situation Report No. 9 - Reporting Period: 14 - 24 July 2018

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

As of 24 July, a total number of 47,230 displaced households from Al Hudaydah Governorate have been registered of which 34,250 have been assisted.

Some 300 displaced families from Al Hudaydah are living in public schools in Sana’a City, Dhamar City and Amran City.

Al Hudaydah and Saleef sea ports are operational.

Situation Overview

The situation in Al Hudaydah City remains relatively unchanged from the previous week; following the pause in military operations announced by the United Arab Emirates, a relative calm continues to hold as military operations around the airport remain static with no major developments or gains by either of the parties to the conflict. However, field reports indicate that sand and concrete barriers continue to be erected on roads within the city. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is considering relocating its migrant response center after the main road leading to it was completely blocked. The center currently hosts some 40 vulnerable displaced families and serves as a distribution point for RRM supplies to IDPs hosted in the city.

During the reporting period some returns to Al Hudaydah City were observed. However, such returns are generally limited to heads of households coming back to the City to look after their property and businesses after having left their families in the areas of displacement, including in other governorates.
Displacement continued to be reported from At Tuhayat and Ad Durayhimi districts where armed clashes and airstrikes intensified during the reporting period. Multiple airstrikes were also reported in in the districts of Al Hawak, Al Hali, As Salif, Bajil, Al Garrahi, Zabid, Kamaran Island, and Al Hajjaylah. Also, during the reporting period, ground fighting continued in parts of Bayt Al Faqiah District.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-al-hudaydah-update-situation-report-no-9-reporting-period-14-24-july-2018

(* A H K)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen UNHCR Update, 1- 15 July 2018

The protection of civilians continues to be threatened in Al Hudaydah by indiscriminate attacks, as fighting has spilled over into urban areas. According to the latest UN Refugee Agency-led (UNHCR) Civilian Impact Monitoring Project (CIMP) report, the number of civilian impact incidents in Al Hudaydah rose by 78 per cent (16 incidents) from 5-11 July, as the fighting entered more populated areas. Some 88 per cent of these incidents were recorded in the At Tuhayat and Zabid districts of the governorate, which resulted in 59 civilian casualties, double than that of the previous week. The incident with the largest potential protection implication occurred in At Tuhayat, where the main water tanks supplying the city were reportedly damaged, affecting as many as 14,424 households. The CIMP report also indicated that 50 per cent of the incidents were caused by airstrikes, followed by shelling.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-update-1-15-july-2018

cp1c Am wichtigsten: Hodeidah: Angriff auf Schiffe / Most important: Hodeidah: Attack on ships

Erste Berichte / First reports: YPR 437, cp17.

(* A K)

Öltransporte am Jemen vorbei ins Rote Meer gestoppt

Saudi-Arabien hat alle Fahrten von Öltankern durch die Meerenge zwischen Jemen und Dschibuti ins Rote Meer vorerst gestoppt.

Grund sind Angriffe jemenitischer Rebellen. Wie saudische Medien berichteten, waren gestern zwei mit Rohöl beladene Supertanker der Gesellschaft Bahri von Huthi-Rebellen angegriffen worden. Ein Schiff sei leicht beschädigt worden, es habe aber weder Verletzte noch Umweltverschmutzung gegeben. Öl-Minister al-Falih erklärte den Angaben zufolge, die Transporte durch das Rote Meer würden erst wieder aufgenommen, wenn sich die Lage geklärt habe.

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/saudi-arabien-oeltransporte-am-jemen-vorbei-ins-rote-meer.2932.de.html?drn:news_id=907423

(* A K P)

Suddenly, Saudi aggression media announced that wasn't single oil tanker but 2 oil tankers were targeted. Below you'll read the contradictory news published by #Saudi Press Agency yesterday & the latest update! Saudi regime, didn't dare mention the names of the tankers yet! (images)

https://twitter.com/B4Zaman/status/1022243302538727424

(* A K P)

Curbing Houthi Attacks on Civilian Ships in the Bab al-Mandab

On July 25, Houthi rebels attacked a civilian oil tanker in the Red Sea west of Yemen’s Hodeida port. The vessel—a Saudi-flagged, double-hulled very large crude carrier (VLCC) named Arsan—had left Ras Tanura terminal on July 16 carrying about two million barrels of oil for Egypt. Since the attack, Saudi Arabia has suspended its movement of oil tankers through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and such disruptions of global energy flows will continue until Houthi forces leave the coastal province of Hodeida.

ATTACK DETAILS AND RESPONSE

The Arsan was struck at the stern above the waterline, with imagery analysis showing an impact hole two to three meters wide and minor scorching damage on the outer hull. The most likely cause was a large unguided rocket fired from a fast-attack craft following behind the tanker. Less likely, it could have been a sea-skimming antiship missile such as Yemen’s C-801 or Iranian-origin C-802, or perhaps a large, explosive-laden aerial drone. The warhead may have detonated inside the vessel’s large aft ballast tank, with some signs of smoke damage around a door on the deck above. Afterward, the ship was escorted under its own power at reduced speed to the Saudi port of Jizan, accompanied by the Saudi frigate HMS Al-Dammam, which (contrary to some reports) was not damaged in the attack.

Iranian political officials have yet to react to the Arsan attack, but Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, blamed Saudi Arabia for the current “unsafe” situation in the Red Sea. For their part, the Houthis acknowledged responsibility for the Arsan attack, and also falsely claimed that they struck the Saudi frigate Al-Dammam and the main airport in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

SECURING THE RED SEA COAST

Houthi forces will be able to threaten international shipping for as long as they control any part of Yemen’s Red Sea shoreline. In June, major military advances by the internationally recognized Yemeni government and its Gulf coalition allies liberated 100 kilometers of coastline, but another 200 kilometers remain under Houthi control between Hodeida and Midi. Even if the Houthis agree to hand Hodeida’s port or main city area over to the government in a UN-brokered deal, they would still have the ability to strike international shipping and import Iranian weapons through beach landing points and the major port of Salif. Likewise, if they retain control over inland parts of Hodeida province, they could still launch guided drones against shipping.

These threats underline the need to distance Houthi forces from all areas of the Red Sea coast in order to make the Bab al-Mandab and its vital approaches safe for maritime traffic. Yemen’s UAE-backed coastal campaign is now readying for a new phase of offensive operations

IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. POLICY

Warn the Houthis against further antishipping attacks

Prepare to strike if attacks continue, since U.S. warnings tend to have little impact on the Houthis unless backed by force

Direct more intelligence gathering against the Iranian “mothership” Saviz, a cargo vessel moored off the Red Sea archipelago of Dahlak. The Iranian military is likely using the Saviz to provide targeting data for Houthi antishipping attacks.

Speed up the UN negotiations – by Michael Knights, Farzin Nadimi

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/curbing-houthi-attacks-on-civilian-ships-in-the-bab-al-mandab

My comment: This would be new and more detailed information I did not see anywhere else. Anyway, if it’s really true we do not know. – This author clearly sides with the Saudi coalition. Anyway, he (and others) actually put things upside down: It’s the Saudi coalition who had changed the Red Sea into a war zone. – And the authors even claim more US interference here. – Well, do not be astonished and look what a think lobby tank this “Washington Institute actually is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Institute_for_Near_East_Policy

(B P)

Houthi attack in strategic shipping lane could undermine oil markets

The Houthi attack has been interpreted by the Saudis as an indication that Iran may make good on its promise to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia will try to capitalize on the threat of further disruptions to justify the continuation of its military campaign against the Houthis in Hodeida. Riyadh will also take advantage of the recent escalation in tensions between American and Iranian leaders to reify the rhetoric around Tehran’s destabilizing activity in the region.

It is too early to predict whether there will be further trade disruptions in the strait, as Saudi Arabia is the only country to suspend its shipments so far. It seems likely that the Houthis will continue to threaten strategic transit points. Their alleged drone attack on Abu Dhabi’s international airport yesterday is an exemplar of the Iran-backed militia’s strategy of targeting key logistical and navigational assets. Further escalation of the conflict may have global and domestic repercussions for the U.S.

http://www.mei.edu/content/article/houthi-attack-strategic-shipping-lane-could-undermine-oil-markets

My comment: A typical US mainstram view with bad Houthis and bad Iranians.

Comment. 1. Yemeni forces have not attacked oil tankers but warships
2. The Hodeidah Offensive was never halted (check our newsfeed)
3. We ask you to make the connection between the new 'Saudi scare' blaming the Houthis for potential lack of oil, hence, the need to harshen the Hodeidah Offensive.
4. The Coalition wants to secure the Port of Hodeidah and is using all the means to justify a further bloodshed and Yemen's juiciest slice of territory

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1845251982194490

(A K P)

The Yemeni government is preparing to lodge a complaint against al-Houthi in the Security Council because of the targeting of international navigation

The foreign minister said Yemen was preparing to lodge a complaint against the al-Houthi armed group on its targeting of commercial vessels in the Red Sea, from within Yemeni territory.

Khaled al-Yamani said in remarks quoted by the Middle East newspaper that Yemen's delegate to the United Nations would, in coordination with the Kuwaiti mission, be the only Arab representative on the Security Council to lodge a direct complaint to the Security Council about the targeting of commercial ships by the coup d'état, which threatens the security and safety International navigation.

"We will call on the Council to move swiftly to stop these international violations and flagrant violations of international navigation law," he said.

The Yemeni government, through its foreign minister, Yamani, the international community and the Security Council, "took full responsibility for all crimes committed in the southern Red Sea corridors by the al-Houthi coup d'état", adding "we cannot talk about peace to any party before full and unconditional exit from the putschists of the West Coast. "

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100519

My comment: The affair is used for gaining political profit: To lower the international doubts on a military assault against Hodeidah.

(* A B K P)

Saudi Oil Shipment Halt: A Potential Watershed in the Yemen War

The halt following a Saudi assertion that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had attacked two Saudi oil tankers traversing the waterway drives home the threat the conflict poses to a chokepoint in international trade and the flow of Gulf oil to world markets. The Houthis said they had attacked a Saudi warship rather than oil tankers.

An estimated 4.8 million barrels of oil are shipped daily through Bab al-Mandeb that connects the Red Sea with the Arabian Sea off the coast of Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea.

The halt of oil shipments could provoke an escalation of the conflict with external powers intervening in a bid to assist Saudi Arabia and the UAE in defeating the Houthis and dealing a blow to Iran’s regional presence.

By the same token, the halt potentially offers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates an opportunity to focus international attention on resolving a civil war aggravated and turned into a regional conflict by the two Gulf states’ military intervention in March 2015.

The possibility of the halt to oil shipments propelling efforts to end the war is enhanced by the fact that the Saudi move has ramifications that go beyond energy security.

The UAE’s strong military and commercial presence in the region is one reason why Chinese President Xi Jinping recent stopped in the Emirates for three days on his way to a tour of Africa.

China likely would favor capitalizing on the Saudi halt to propel peace efforts while the Trump administration more probably will lean towards military intervention that confronts Iran.

Said scholar and author Ellen R. Wald: "The Red Sea is a very important shipping lane. If there is a major disruption of European powers, Egypt and the United States would all have reason to intervene. They have significant interests in protecting the freedom of the seas through the passageway. An international intervention against the Houthis may be just what Saudi Arabia wants."

https://www.indrastra.com/2018/07/Saudi-Oil-Shipment-Halt-Potential-Watershed-Yemen-War-004-07-2018-0047.html#axzz5MMeMwLuJ = http://www.eurasiareview.com/27072018-saudi-oil-shipment-halt-a-potential-watershed-in-the-yemen-war-analysis/

(* A B K P)

Saudi eyes international intervention in Yemen: analysts

Saudi Arabia's halt to oil shipments through a strategic waterway after Yemeni rebel attacks could provoke an international intervention in Yemen's "forgotten" war, analysts say.

The escalation of tensions in the strategic region could encourage outside powers to intervene, said Ellen Wald, author of the book "Saudi Inc".

"The Red Sea is a very important shipping lane. If there is a major disruption, European powers, Egypt and the United States would all have reason to intervene," she wrote in Forbes magazine.

"An international intervention against the Huthis may be just what Saudi Arabia wants."

The incident, however, draws the attention of the international community to the dangers of spillover from Yemen's festering three-year conflict.

The main impact of the incident appears to be military, Harami said.

"It could be a reason for increased naval presence for many countries, mainly the United States and Russia, thus resulting in an escalation of tensions," he said.

The suspension comes as Saudi Arabia is seeking to ramp up oil production under pressure from the United States, and at a time of raised US-Iran tensions.

James Dorsey, an expert on Middle East affairs, said the attacks on oil tankers would draw international attention to Yemen.

"A spike in oil prices... may be short-lived, but the impact on Yemen´s forgotten war is likely to put the devastating conflict on the front burner," he said.

"The halt of oil shipments could provoke an escalation of the conflict with external powers intervening in a bid to assist Saudi Arabia."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5996193/Saudi-eyes-international-intervention-Yemen-analysts.html

My comment: How an international escalation of the war could make shipping more save? This would be nonsense. On the contrary, it would be necessary to calm down the war.

Comment: 'International intervention'? I find this rather amusing. There are at least 19 countries, including the military of the US and the UK, who have been waging war on Yemen since 26 March 2015.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1022539222501273600

Comment: What are three years of U.S./Saudi/UAE airstrikes and troops on the ground if not an international intervention?

https://twitter.com/MoonofA/status/1022534826665160704

(* A K)

Saudi Arabia suspends oil exports through Red Sea lane after Houthi attack

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was “temporarily halting” all oil shipments through the strategic Red Sea shipping lane of Bab al-Mandeb after an attack on two big oil tankers by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement sent by his ministry that the Houthis had attacked two Saudi Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning, one of which sustained minimal damage.

“Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through Bab al-Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab al-Mandeb is safe,” the statement said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/saudi-arabia-suspends-oil-exports-through-red-sea-lane-after-houthi-attack-idUSKBN1KF0XN

and

(* A K pS)

A statement by Saudi Aramco on today’s attack on two Bahri Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) transporting the company’s crude oil

As confirmed a short while ago by the Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, H.E. Khalid Al-Falih, two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), each with a two million barrels capacity, operated by the Saudi National Shipping Company, Bahri, and transporting Saudi Aramco crude oil were attacked by terrorist Houthi militia this morning in the Red Sea. One of the ships sustained minimal damage. No injuries nor oil spill have been reported.

In the interest of the safety of ships and their crews and to avoid the risk of oil spill, Saudi Aramco has temporarily halted all oil shipments through Bab El-Mandeb with immediate effect. The Company is carefully assessing the situation and will take further action as prudence demands.

http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/news-media/news/Bahri-Ship.html

and

(A K P)

Kuwait may follow Saudi Arabia in halting exports over terror attack

KUWAIT is considering following Saudi Arabia’s lead by halting oil exports along the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea after an attack on two tankers by militia forces of the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/995077/Oil-price-crisis-kuwait-saudi-arabia-oil-exports-red-sea-route-houthis-houthi-movement

and

(* A K pH)

Naval Force Issues Important Statement, Reveals Weapon Used Targeting Saudi Navel Battleship

The Naval and Coastal Defense Forces command center said in a statement, on Wednesday morning, that the Saudi battleship, Dammam, was targeted by a missile while it was carrying out aggressive missions. In their statement, they confirmed that the missile had hit the Saudi battleship directly causing great damage.
"We declare that this operation is not the first and will not be the last," the statement said. "We reaffirm that those, who threaten international peace and security and expose the Red Sea security to great risks, are the US-Saudi aggression forces and their crimes and siege against the Yemeni people amid with international complicity and a suspicious silence by the so-called international community," it added.
The statement added, "in response to the arrogance of the US-Saudi aggression and the continuation of its blockade, we in the Naval and Coastal Defense will spare no effort to continue securing the people and the sovereignty of the country. Stop the aggression, lift the siege and withdraw battles away from the territorial sea of Yemen, otherwise it will be a precious hunt."

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1833&cat_id=1

Remark: Earlier reporting in YPR 437, cp17.

And

(* A K P)

Arabia Claims Yemen's Attack Hit Tankers, Yemeni Officials Say Attack Targeted Warship

World's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, temporarily suspended all oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after it claimed that the last night attack by the Yemeni troops targeted crude-carrying vessels, while Yemen's senior officials reiterate that they aimed warships.

Following the attack, Yemen's army underlined that it had destroyed a second Warship, but hours later Saudi officials claimed that a Saudi oil tanker came under attack off the Western coast on Wednesday, announcing that they are temporarily halting oil exports through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970504000108

(A P)

UAE calls Houthi attack on oil shipments totally irresponsible

An attack on Wednesday by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on two oil tankers in the Red Sea was totally irresponsible, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said.

“This is a totally irresponsible act,” he told an audience in London on Thursday. “The effect of it actually is much wider than the region.”

He added: “I think this is another example of why the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni government in Sanaa should end.”

n attack on Wednesday by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on two oil tankers in the Red Sea was totally irresponsible, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said.

“This is a totally irresponsible act,” he told an audience in London on Thursday. “The effect of it actually is much wider than the region.”

He added: “I think this is another example of why the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni government in Sanaa should end.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-emirates/uae-calls-houthi-attack-on-oil-shipments-totally-irresponsible-idUSL5N1UM5UW?rpc=401&

and

(A P)

Al condemns Houthi attack on Saudi oil tankers

Secretary General of the Arab League Dr. Ahmed Abdulghait condemned the attack on two oil tankers, affiliated to the Saudi National Company for Maritime Transportation, by the Iran-backed Houthi militias of Yemen.

Mahmoud Afifi, official spokesman of the Arab League, said today the Houthis targeting the maritime navigation in the Red Sea constitutes a threat to the international trade traffic and doubles the security risks in this strategic zone.

He said the matter requires an unified position to denounce such serious behavior

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1790775

and

(A P)

Egypt says attack by Houthis on Saudi oil tankers is a 'flagrant violation'

Egypt condemned on Thursday an attack on two Saudi oil tankers carried out by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

"The attack constitutes a flagrant violation of international laws and norms, which stipulates freedom of navigation on international waterways, aside from having a negative impact on freedom of movement for international trade," reads a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The statement reiterated Egypt's call for the international community to "work on the restoration of Yemeni legitimacy based on the international guidelines set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2216

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/308572/-.aspx

(A P)

Yemeni government condemns attack on two Saudi oil tankers

The Yemeni government has strongly condemned Houthis' attack on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
In a statement carried by the Yemeni news agency, the government said the incident is a terrorist act targeting harming the vital interests of Yemen and the freedom of international navigation.
The statement called on the world community to immediately come up to support the government's military efforts to purge the western coast from the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen and mount pressure on them to withdraw from the city of Al-Hodeida, confirming that the continuation of the militia control on Al-Hodeida and its strategic port would pose the international navigation to terror attacks.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1790798

(A P)

Turkey condemns attack on Saudi warship off Yemen coast

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkey-condemns-attack-on-saudi-warship-off-yemen-coast/1215141

My comment: And the Saudi mouthpieces and allies condemn this attack, while it still is unclear what type of ship actually had been hit. Anyway, all these were quiet when the Saudi coalition bombed northern Yemen to ruins, and when Hodeidah was assaulted. – The Houthi side states they targeted a war ship.

And

(* B E P)

Factbox: Risks to Middle East oil and gas shipping routes

Any move to block the Bab al-Mandeb, the narrow waterway between the coasts of Yemen and Africa at the southern end of the Red Sea, would virtually halt oil shipments through Egypt’s Suez Canal or the SUMED crude pipeline that link the Red Sea and Mediterranean.

The SUMED pipeline, with capacity for 2.34 million bpd, runs roughly parallel to the Suez Canal and can be used by oil tankers that cannot navigate the canal waterway.

An estimated 4.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and refined petroleum products flowed through the strait in 2016 to Europe, the United States and Asia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Reuters data shows Saudi crude exports through Bab al-Mandeb, which is about 18 miles (29 km) wide at its narrowest point between Djibouti’s coast and the Yemeni mainland, are estimated to be 500,000-700,000 bpd.

Closing the strait, which has a shipping channel just two miles (3.2 km) wide, would force oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers around the southern tip of Africa, extending the distance for a vessel traveling between Saudi Arabia and the United States by 2,700 miles (4,300 km).

This would add weeks to the journey time and extra costs, although Saudi Arabia could export its crude along that route on non-Saudi vessels.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-oil-factbox/factbox-risks-to-middle-east-oil-and-gas-shipping-routes-idUSKBN1KG2IA

(A P)

Unter Bezugnahme auf das Rote Meer kritisierte der Kommandeur der iranischen Eliteeinheit al-Quds, Qassem Soleimani, in einer Rede am Mittwoch die Unterstützung der USA für Saudi-Arabien im Jemen-Krieg. Teheran gilt als wichtigster Alliierter der schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen. Der iranische Generalmajor warnte den US-Präsidenten Trump:

Das Rote Meer, das sicher war, ist mit der US-amerikanischen Präsenz nicht mehr sicher. US-Präsident Donald Trump sollte wissen, dass wir eine Nation des Märtyrertums sind und dass wir ihn erwarten.

Soleimanis Kommentar ist eine Reaktion auf die Drohung Washingtons, die iranischen Öllieferungen weltweit zu sanktionieren oder zu blockieren.

https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/73570-iran-unsicherheit-rotes-meer-saudi-stoppen-oel-jemen/

(A P)

Iran's Quds force chief says Red Sea no longer secure with U.S. presence: TV

Iran’s Quds force chief Qassem Soleimani said on Thursday that the Red Sea was not secure with the presence of American troops in the area, Iran’s Arabic-language Al Alam television reported.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-trump/irans-quds-force-chief-says-red-sea-no-longer-secure-with-u-s-presence-tv-idUSKBN1KG11I

and his speech https://www.facebook.com/Classy.Yemeni/posts/1344610745669103

My comment: There would be a simple method to solve all these problems: The whole Red Sea is declared a warship-free Peace Zone, all war ships keep out and all military activity is strictly forbidden.

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive map of Yemen war

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* B H K P)

Q&A: Yemen’s Humanitarian Catastrophe Demands Action

Recently, Open Society’s Soheila Comninos spoke to the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights’ Radhya al-Mutawakel about what has made this conflict so destructive.

M: Death surrounds us. I don’t know anyone who has not been touched by this conflict.

The Yemeni people face almost unprecedented human suffering. One in three Yemenis is on the brink of famine. We faced the worst cholera outbreak in modern history. Yemen now is, according to UN experts, the worst humanitarian disaster in the world. It is a human-made disaster, created by warring parties who have committed violation after violation.

And it is all so senseless, so preventable. We live in a land torn to shreds by a war largely fueled by outside forces.

Currently, the port city of Hodeidah is under assault by the Saudi-led coalition, which backs the government. We are very concerned, not just for the city’s 600,000 residents, but also because about 75 percent of Yemen’s aid—and almost all of its commercial food shipments—go through the port.

Our on-the-ground investigations show this war is especially brutal in the indiscriminate way that civilians have been attacked. International law is quite clear: Warring parties must take measures to avoid civilian loss of life as they engage in their campaigns. None of them have.

In fact, the Saudi-led coalition has bombed targets such as schools, residential areas, and markets indiscriminately. Thousands have been killed and injured. Many of them are women and children.

The Houthis, meanwhile, similarly target civilians. They shell major cities indiscriminately, including Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.

Both parties have also used starvation as a war tactic and denied access to critically needed humanitarian aid. All the combatants are involved in other serious violations—such as child recruitment, detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances.

We need some form of accountability. We are hopeful that the group of experts established by the Human Rights Council last year will help. The mandate of this group should be extended and strengthened. This is a proposal the United States and its allies must support.

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/qa-yemen-s-humanitarian-catastrophe-demands-action

(* B K P)

Fouad AlGhaffari: Aggression Against Yemen An Old Crime By UK-Saudi Imperial System

Q: What do you think about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by the Saudi war and the blockade on the country?

A: Obviously the UN references have reflected this directly as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today! This crisis has not started yesterday, nor has it been made as a result of a natural disaster or lack of resources, but it is an old crime by UK-Saudi imperial system that aims to ensure the destruction of any means of development in Yemen. They announced this War just one week after Oman and Iran announced in March 2015 an idea to extend a maritime and land road to Yemen, as we have explained in our recent report issued on 6 June 2018 titled “The Happy Miracle of reconstruction of Yemen and extending its development to the New Silk Road.”

If this war and blockage continues, and if the humanitarian crisis is not shifted to a development process, then this will result in a severe poverty and more Saudi terrorism spreading in Yemen and threatening the region especially the passage of the New Silk Road from Yemen to the whole world, Asia, Africa and Europe!

Q: What are the Saudis’ objectives in their war on Yemen?

A: Receiving instructions and orders from the UK government, the Saudi have controlled the destiny of Yemen for ages, leaving the country with no development processes alive. So when the revolution took place in September 2014 to reorganize the promises and commitments of the National Dialogue, the second thing to see was the Saudis announcing their war on Yemen from Washington on 26 March 2015. Why is that? To make sure that the Yemeni well of freedom is buried by massive killings and destruction of all available infrastructures.

The new free decision of revolution, human resources, national resources and the geopolitical positioning of Yemen, raised the Saudi agenda to destroy everything and then send humanitarian aids to surround any free doors that can lift the Yemeni thinking and living to an upgraded level.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970503001171

My comment: A clear pro-Houthi viewpoint.

(B K P)

Film: Yemen's airstrike gives UAE taste of collusion with Saudis: Pundit

Yemen’s recent drone strike against Abu Dhabi International Airport is giving a flavor of attacks that the Saudi-led coalition has been conducting on Yemen, said a commentator.

“The Yemeni people are now giving [the UAE] a taste of the attacks they themselves suffered," Scott Bennett, a former US army psychological warfare officer, told Press TV on Friday, referring to the damage that the Saudi-led attacks have caused on Yemen's infrastructure.

“The Yemenis are now able to unleash [retaliatory attacks] in form of drone weaponry, which are fantastic weapons for guerrilla warfare,” Bennett said.

According to the analyst, this is “a payback” for the inhumane acts of the UAE and Saudi Arabia which have caused civilian death and destruction in Yemen since March 2015.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/27/569372/Yemen-Abu-Dhabi-Airport-Attack

(* B K P)

Reportage aus dem Jemen: Stellvertreterkrieg zwischen Saudi-Arabien und dem Iran

https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-430533.html

Mein Kommentar: Genau das ist der Jemenkrieg eben nicht: ein “Stellvertreterkrieg zwischen Saudi-Arabien und dem Iran.”

(* B K P)

Trump Has Made Iran Public Enemy No.1. How Far Will He Go?

For several years, Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been using German front companies to buy advanced printing machinery, watermarked paper and specialty inks in violation of European export controls. The IRGC had then printed counterfeit Yemeni bank notes potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars and used them to help fund its proxy war against the beleaguered pro-U.S. government in the capital of Sana’a. German companies, the Americans said, were being used as a cover by the Iranians to finance the world’s worst humanitarian conflict.

The evidence, uncovered by U.S. illicit-finance investigators, was meant to sway the Germans, but not just in hopes of countering Iran’s moves on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The larger mission, according to other Treasury documents later used in a presentation and reviewed by TIME, was to convince Berlin that Tehran cannot be trusted and that the Germans should join the Trump Administration in imposing economy-crippling sanctions on Iran. Weeks later, American officials presented their hosts with one last set of documents: detailed blueprints on how the Trump Administration was preparing to unleash financial warfare on the Iranian economy – by W. J. Hennigan.

http://www.time.com/5349521/donald-trump-iran-sanctions/

My comment: The article is quite long and quite biased.

(* A H K)

UN aid agencies announced they are suspending all sea operations to #Yemen "due to unforeseen circumstances." Yesterday al #Houthi forces struck a #Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea and today claimed to hit the #UAE's Abu Dhabi airport. Possible upcoming escalation around #Hudaydah (image)

https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1022531623659745280

(B P)

Fuad Rajeh: US & some of its Western & Gulf allies are attacking, destabilising and starving in our countries. China, Russia, India & Brazil are not. Who said US-like democracy is an international obligation & why?!! $6 trillion spent on overseas wars, while 40mn people are living in poverty

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1022675403557810176

Striking Abu Dhabi airport & attacking oil tankers in Red Sea not victory. But both things expose failure of Saudi-led coalition & how its intervention has become disastrous, not only for humanitarian situation in Yemen, but also security & economic interests of Saudis & Emiratis

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1022632206890672129

(* B K P)

The U.S. Enables Deliberate Saudi Attacks on Civilian Targets in Yemen

UNICEF reports on the latest Saudi coalition attack on a water system in Saada. This is the third time that the same site has been bombed:

The Saudi coalition deliberately attacks civilian targets in Yemen. Just as they struck the MSF-run cholera treatment center once and then blew it up again after it had been rebuilt, they have repeatedly attacked this vital infrastructure needed to provide clean drinking water to Yemeni civilians in Saada. This is the second time the coalition has struck this site this year. I wrote about the previous attack back in April.

The coalition is repeatedly striking at the medical facilities and infrastructure needed to prevent the spread of cholera in a country suffering from the worst modern cholera epidemic on record. There have already been well over a million cases, and the deteriorating conditions in the country could cause that number spike upwards. The coalition obviously carries out these attacks on purpose, and they keep doing it because they are never held accountable for their crimes. The Saudis and their allies use both starvation and disease as weapons against the civilian population of Yemen in a policy of cruel collective punishment. The U.S. continues to provide unstinting support to the coalition campaign and makes attacks like this possible. Congress needs to cut off all U.S. support for the war on Yemen now, and every day that U.S. involvement continues our government is complicit in crimes like the one committed against these civilians in Saada.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-u-s-enables-deliberate-saudi-attacks-on-civilian-targets-in-yemen/

(* A K)

Saudis fangen Flugzeug des Roten Kreuzes über Jemen ab und zwingen es zur Landung

Ein Flugzeug des Roten Kreuzes, das von Sanaa nach Dschibuti fliegen sollte, wurde laut der Saudi-geführten Koalition dazu gezwungen, in Saudi-Arabien zu landen. Das Flugzeug sei über ein Gebiet geflogen, in dem die Koalition militärisch operiere, hieß es.

Vier Passagiere waren an Bord des Flugzeugs, das am Dienstag von der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa nach Dschibuti, einer kleinen afrikanischen Nation auf der anderen Seite des Golfs von Jemen, abflog. Der Pilot der Maschine, die zu keiner Konfliktpartei gehört, musste jedoch nach Norden abdrehen und in der saudi-arabischen Stadt Dschaizan landen, statt weiter auf seinem Kurs zu bleiben. Der Forderung des Kurswechsels verliehen Abfangjäger der Saudi-geführten Koalition Nachdruck. Die Saudis griffen ein, nachdem das Flugzeug seinen Kurs geändert hatte und sich einem Gebiet näherte, in dem saudische Truppen operierten, erklärte der Sprecher der Koalition, Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, den Reportern.

https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/73513-saudis-fangen-flugzeug-roten-kreuzes/

Remark: English reporting in YPR 437.

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(A K P)

Arab Coalition accuses Al-Houthi of disrupting access of 3 ships to the port of Hodeidah

The Arab coalition on Thursday accused the al-Houthi group of "deliberately disrupting" the entry of three ships into the port of Hodeidah (western Yemen), according to a Saudi news report.

"The militia at the port of Hodeidah is deliberately disrupting the unloading of the Omniyah and Amity, and the two, which have been carrying wheat for 12 days," the official Saudi news Channel quoted the Coalition forces spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, as saying.

"The al-Houthi militia is deliberately disrupting the entry of CARPE DIEM II, which has been carrying gasoline for 32 days."

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100514

My comment: Saudi propaganda deflecting from the Saudi coalition’s Yemen blockade.

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

(* B H)

Video: Cancer patients in Yemen struggle to survive

The World Health Organization says thousands of terminally ill cancer patients in Yemen are struggling to get basic palliative care and medicines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzd2PzZV_RI&t=3s = https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1023032796015517696

and older films on cancer patients in Yemen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW8qwtgQBhs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAVrBbqNPOo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoZ4xF35rM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ0W_RIuNvU

(* B H)

Perhaps war is not trendy, elegant, interesting. As we were once told: You are all boring.
But the events have taken -however impossible to imagine- an even worse turn in the past 24 hours. #Hodeidah is a 'must take' for the Coalition while, on the ground, '#Yemen's cities are running out of clean water, lack of access to fresh water in Hodeidah is notorious for being the biggest cause of malnutrition, mortality in rural areas'
If bombs will not kill those stuck in the Coastal villages and Hodeidah itself, #cholera, diseases, thirst will.

Photos from Alduraihimi village.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1845669745486047

(* B H)

‘I could see the consequences of violence everywhere’: Irish doctor on working amid conflict in Yemen

In Yemen, more than three years of war have left millions of people without enough income to meet their basic needs. The deterioration of living conditions, collapse of services, trade and livelihoods are having tangible and devastating effects on the population. Niamh O’Brien is an Irish doctor who has recently returned from Al Houban, where she worked in a mother and child hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

I have just returned to Ireland having spent three and a half months in Yemen; working as a doctor for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) near Taiz city.

In my short time there, I could see the consequences of violence everywhere, particularly in my patients and in the day to day lives of my Yemeni colleagues.

Three years of conflict, blockades on essential goods and strikes on hospitals have caused the Yemeni health system to essentially collapse.

The government hasn’t paid nurses or doctors for up to two years and now there are largely only private hospitals where treatment isn’t free. Many people simply cannot afford to pay for their healthcare as the prices of basic goods have risen drastically.

I worked in a huge mother and child hospital in Al-Houban, just 5km away from the frontlines.

Because MSF provided the only free mother and child healthcare in the area people would travel up to seven hours to get to us. We had capacity for baby neonatal, paediatric and nutrition beds and also ran a trauma centre, antenatal clinic and a maternity emergency ward.

The health needs are so great that we were often overwhelmed, filled beyond capacity and sometimes had to stop taking new admissions.

My colleagues were around 420 Yemeni staff and between five and eight international staff. It was great to work with so many highly qualified and dedicated local professionals.

They were at an exceptionally high level, we had many Yemeni supervisors running their own departments, and their commitment was inspiring; many lived far away from their families, and went weeks without being able to see them.

Working and talking with so many local colleagues gave me an impression of how the conflict affects people’s day to day lives.

Once, one of the emergency doctors in my team had just completed a night shift and went home to discover his house had been shelled. Thankfully, he didn’t have a huge amount of damage but had to replace a lot of his windows. He didn’t make a big deal out of it and still came back to work with a smile.

Another one of my doctors was six months pregnant and had been away on holidays. As she was travelling back the fighting on the frontline shifted so she had to take a seven-hour diversion. She still made it into work the next day.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/--858093.html

Comment: An outstanding testimony and a tribute to local doctors and nurses described: 'at an exceptionally high level', running their own departments, whose 'commitment was inspiring; many lived far away from their families, and went weeks without being able to see them'

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1844601855592836

(B H)

@SMEPSYEMEN now in #Saada beginning efforts to help farmers improve incomes and production. We found wide use and advance understanding of greehouse tech so we have a great platform from which to build on. (photo)

https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/1022536577644417024

(B H)

The lush area around Saada is called the fruit basket of #Yemen. And yet nowadays it has some of the highest #malnutrition rates in the world. Fighting has destroyed markets, roads, farming equipment and displaced farmers from their land (photo)

https://twitter.com/WFP/status/1022391565740855296

My comment: Be honest: It’s 95 % Saudi coalition air raids, not “fighting”.

(* B H)

Humanitarians help to keep millions of people alive in Yemen

The UN’s humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, thanks donors for their support for life-saving humanitarian aid operations in Yemen, while asserting that only a political solution can end the suffering.

Given the massive scale of the crisis, the UN and partners are now running the world’s biggest humanitarian operation in Yemen. Every day, brave humanitarians across the country assist people directly impacted by the conflict and other communities in need, often working in rapidly changing and dangerous environments. The humanitarian response has ramped up dramatically in the last year and is reaching all 22 of Yemen’s governorates.

In May, we provided emergency food assistance to 7.5 million people — more than twice the number of people we were reaching just over a year ago. We also provided water, sanitation and hygiene services that benefited 6.3 million people — a 60 per cent increase since January. The number of people receiving health services has risen by 50 per cent during the same period.

Humanitarians have also been there to provide emergency relief to people fleeing violence in Hudaydah, where escalating conflict since June has forced more than 300,000 people from their homes and raised fears of catastrophe if fighting moves into densely populated Hudaydah city. Three quarters of the people recently displaced by violence in Hudaydah have received basic relief packages containing food, hygiene supplies and other essential goods.

Among the factors that have helped to expand aid operations is our investment in partnerships with organizations that allow us to reach more people in more places. This year, we are working with 169 partners who are the engine of the response. The large majority of them are Yemeni organizations. Our assistance goes out from hubs in Aden, Hudaydah, Ibb, Sa’ada and Sana’a, which allows planning and coordination to take place as close as possible to the people who need help. A sixth hub in Mukalla will open soon.

To deliver at the scale required, humanitarians must also have access across the country, including in areas controlled by different groups, so that aid can be delivered safely and quickly.

We have also reached more people thanks to the leadership of the Humanitarian Country Team inside Yemen.

Finally, none of this life-saving work would be possible without generous and flexible donor support. The UN-coordinated Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) for 2018 has received more than 60 per cent of the $2.96 billion requirements.

A large part of this funding came early in the year through a $930 million contribution to the UN from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in support of the YHRP. This funding was unearmarked, meaning UN agencies are using it where it is needed most, based solely on humanitarian need and in line with the YHRP strategy. The United States, Kuwait, the United Kingdom and Germany are among our other generous donors this year – by Mark Lowcock, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

https://medium.com/@UNOCHA/humanitarians-help-to-keep-millions-of-people-alive-in-yemen-7d28e5161ab5

My comment: The humanitarian work is remarkable. Lauding the Saudis and the UAE and also the United States, Kuwait, the United Kingdom as benevolent donors is unacceptable.

Comment: Your generous donors, sir, are the ones who are bombing Yemen into the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1022545188168847367

(A H)

WHO thanks Kuwait for generous support to the people of Yemen

WHO welcomes the generous support of the State of Kuwait through a US$ 59 million contribution to help the people of Yemen obtain greater medical assistance, particularly the most vulnerable — women, children, the injured and people with special needs.

“Kuwait funding will provide urgent health assistance to more than 16.4 million people, including chronically ill people, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, severely malnourished children, injured patients and internally displaced people,” said WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-thanks-kuwait-generous-support-people-yemen-enar

My comment: Kuwait is a member of the Saudi coalition and supports bombing Yemen.

(B H)

Photos: Jemen: Leben in Ruinen

Die militärischen Aggressionen Saudi-Arabiens und der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate haben das arme arabische Land Jemen mit einem schweren Nahrungsmittel- und Medikamentenmangel konfrontiert.

http://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i42574-jemen_leben_in_ruinen

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(B H)

UNICEF Djibouti Humanitarian Situation Report, June 2018

An estimated 4,500 refugee and migrant children were enrolled in the Read, Write and Count (RWC) second-chance education.

Djibouti is a country of 992,637 population with 27,431 refugees (UNHCR database June 2018).

The impact of drought is aggravated by additional pressures on already overstretched basic social services by asylum seekers (from Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and recently Yemen) and migrants mostly coming from Ethiopia, Somalia and transiting through Djibouti to the Gulf countries via Yemen. The prolonged drought contributes to high prevalence of acute malnutrition, diarrheal diseases and other infectious diseases.

https://reliefweb.int/report/djibouti/unicef-djibouti-humanitarian-situation-report-june-2018

(B H)

Somalia: Refugees, asylum-seekers and returnees at 30 June 2018

11,491 from Yemen

https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-refugees-asylum-seekers-and-returnees-30-june-2018

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(A K P)

This is the Yemen deputy minister of foreign affairs, giving a piece of advice to the Saudis and Emiratis who invade and occupy Yemen now and for about 4 years! (text in image9

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1022502705821048832

(A K P)

President praises efforts of military manufacturing units

President Mahdi al-Mashat praised on Thursday the efforts and achievements made by the defense ministry's military manufacturing units in deterring the Saudi-led coalition.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503163.htm

(A P)

Saudi-paid collaborator arrested in Bayda

The arrested was accused of collecting information for the coalition fighter jet

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503062.htm

(A P)

Yemeni parliament withdraws medical specialties bill

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503065.htm

My comment: Yemeni parliament at Sanaa is still working, but does it still hit the quorum?

(A P)

Transport Minister: Interception of ICRC plane by Coalition is air piracy
The Minister of Transport, Zakaria al-Shami at a press conference held in #Sanaa, said that the interception of an ICRC plane yesterday is an act of air piracy and not the first case

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1842067289179626/?type=3&theater

and

(A P)

Minister of Transport Reveals Circumstances of Kidnapping Red Cross Aircraft by US-Saudi Aggression

In a press conference today in Sana'a, the Minister of Transport revealed the circumstances of forcing the International Red Cross aircraft, after taking off from Sana'a International Airport, to land at Jizan International Airport.
The minister pointed out that this aerial piracy practiced by the aggression is not the first, but other planes has been intercepted including the aircraft NF2 of MSF. The Minister pointed out that these acts and terrorist practices of the forces of the alliance of aggression aim to prevent the arrival of humanitarian relief. Minister al-Shami rejected the statement of the spokesman of the aggression yesterday, in which he claimed that the plane changed course to a restricted area, stressing that such allegations are false and unfounded.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1836&cat_id=1

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

(* B P)

Shatara Describes Games of Corrupt Government as “Systematic Loose” and Warns Against the People Running out of Patience

Lofty Shatara, member of the presidency of the southern transitional council, held the government of Ahmed Ben Daghar responsible for the security loose, poor services and currency collapse in addition to instability of fuel prices in the south, especially in Aden. He added that this corrupt government keeps herself busy only with how to destroy the southern transitional council as a bearer of the southern project of political future.
Commenting on silence of minister of interior affairs, Shatara said: “In any country of the world, when there is a security loose, minister of interior affairs or his spokesman declares his position and identify the size of loose, who is behind it and countermeasures to be taken. Till now, the minister keeps silent”.
He added: “Currency deteriorates while governor of Central bank is silent. Electricity goes off while minister of electricity remains silent. Educational failure and vital exams leak while minister of education keeps silent. Fuel prices are unstable and increasing while chairman of oil company is silent. Kids died on Yemeni airlines and tickets are sold overtly in black market but chairman of Yemeni airlines keeps silent. This government keeps herself busy only with how to destroy the southern transitional council as a bearer of the southern project of political future”.

https://en.smanews.org/shatara-describes-games-of-corrupt-government-as-systematic-loose-and-warns-against-the-people-running-out-of-patience

My comment: This is by southern separatists. Everybody in Yemen knows how corrupt the Hadi government (including Hadi himself; and his son) are. This was one main reason for the Houthi uprising in 2014.

(* B H P)

Marib, New era begins. Safe havens with high rents and scarce jobs

The Yemeni city of Marib is no longer the same. This city, which has received a large number of displaced people, has encouraged businessmen and investors, and the city's people to open new projects, which have injected a different and more sophisticated spirit.

The town of Marib is packed with displaced people, and many have started a new life about four years ago. The city, which has received hundreds of thousands of Yemenis fleeing the war from various governorates, is expanding dramatically. Having a population of only 348 thousand people living in 477 villages in 14 districts, the population today is nearly 2 million, only in four years.

This exponential increase in the population has caused a housing crisis in the city so that many of the displaced find themselves faced with the problem of rising home rental allowance. In this context, Fuad Rizq, a displaced person from Sana'a, says: "Although Marib has become a safe haven for fugitives from Ansar Allah al-Houthi, or armed confrontations between government forces and al-Houthi, the problem we face is the high rent allowances of the houses. Homeowners and land exploited the influx of displaced people and raised prices in an unprecedented way. "

Rizq suggests that one of the problems facing the displaced today is the lack of sufficient employment opportunities and sources of income for the displaced staff, who have lost their jobs in the governorates under the control of al-Houthi. Today, most of them live through aid provided by relief organizations. What they can provide is delivered to homeowners.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100500

My comment: After the Marib governor had invited foreign journalists, there had been a lot of positive articles on marib in western newspapers and news sites. Of course, they were shown the positive aspects. This article here, on a pro-Hadi website, also has a PR bias.

(A P)

Security Source Explains Reasons Behind Clashes of Gawlat Al-Keraa – Aden

Security source indicated to SMA News that clashes broke near Gawlat Al-Keraa – Aden as unknown gunmen opened fire on security belt troops securing this area and soldiers retaliated. The source negated rumors about clashes between security belt soldiers and soldiers of Al-Nakal camp describing that as false rumors and asserted that gunmen have no relation to the camp and clashes were not with any military force coming from Mareb.

https://en.smanews.org/security-source-explains-reasons-behind-clashes-of-gawlat-al-keraa-aden

(A P)

Southern Transitional Council Supports A Democratic Future For South Yemen

The Southern Transitional Council continues its struggle to ensure that South Yemen can rise again as a beacon of freedom in the Middle East. These tireless efforts to advocate peacefully for their people (and defending their people when they have been attacked) are becoming recognized by the global community as the situation in South Yemen continues to deteriorate. The STC has come to the aid of its people and involved itself in military operations due to attacks against innocent civilians from the Houthis, jihadist and militia groups supported by Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood who do not represent the people of South Yemen, or have the best interests of its people in mind. STC is appreciative of the support and recognition that it has received in the region, especially from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, who support a similar vision for building a representative government that can lead all men, women and children in South Yemen.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-transitional-council-supports-a-democratic-future-for-south-yemen-300687340.html

My comment: This is a propaganda piece by southern separatists. – A bad propaganda joke: “UAE and Saudi Arabia, who support a similar vision for building a representative government”: You can look at Saudi Arabia and the UAE how “building a representative government” is working there.

(A T)

#ImamAssassinations in #Yemen: local sites are reporting an assassination attempt on Imam of #Aden's Crater mosque last night. Familiar method: motorbike gunmen fired on him as he left mosque after prayers. It's hard to keep up with recent uptick in bombs & assassinations in Aden

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1022446925067550722

(A T)

Aden: Three soldiers injured in security vehicle explosion

A powerful explosion rocked the vegetable market area of Sheikh Othman district in the temporary capital Aden on Wednesday morning.

Local sources told Al-Sahwa daily that the explosion was caused by a C-4 plastic explosive that had been on the security patrol car manned by escorts of the Director General of Sabah district in Abyan governorate.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20340

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(* A K P)

UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has failed to persuade Houthis to hand over port city of Hodeidah & come back to negotiations. He left Sanaa Friday after 2 days of talks with Houthis. Now locals say Saudi/UAE-led coalition has resumed Hodeidah offensive with heavy air raids

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1022952068208836609

(* A P)

Office of Griffith: The Special Envoy left #Sana with few hours of delay due to technical problems. He had constructive talks with Ansarallah leadership. He will be briefing the UN Security Council next Thursday about the progress of his efforts to stop the war in #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/OSE_Yemen/status/1022955669048229894

Comment: Due to technical problems . I wish you were honest and tell the #world about the real reason why you were delayed from leaving #Sanaa #Yemen ? Bcz that the #Saudi aggression prevented your plane from leaving. But unfortunately you were satisfied with Saudi's humiliation to you

https://twitter.com/princess_ymn0/status/1022991258178990081

Comment. Martin Griffiths, will only succeed, When he and his UN and US, UK, France, Ignore Saudi money, temporarily, and pressure Mohammed Bin Salman, to stop killing & destroying and blockading Yemen. Otherwise, no peace. No security for all. War for ever.

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1023062152943468549

and

(A P)

UN Special Envoy Leaves Sana’a

The UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith, left Sana'a today after a three-day visit.

During the visit, the UN envoy met the Leader of the Revolution, the President, the Speaker of the Representatives Council and the Head of the Salvation Government.

He discussed with them the worsening humanitarian situation, in Hodeidah governorate, and the efforts, of the United Nations, to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people caused by aggression and siege

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1877&cat_id=1

and

(A P)

The UN envoy leaves Sana'a and refuses giving statements to the press

Sources for "Almasdar online" said UN envoy Martin Griffith left Sanaa on Friday and refused to make any statements to the media, contrary to what he was doing after each visit to Sanaa, to make statements to various media outlets before leaving for Sanaa airport.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100517

(* A P)

Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi: Aggression countries' intransigence hinders peace

The leader of Yemeni revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, on Thursday said the problem hindering the peace negotiations is the aggression countries' intransigence and their rejection of the comprehensive political solutions.
During his meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, Sayyed Abdulmalik stressed that the availability of will, credibility and seriousness in the aggression countries to bring peace is essential for the success of any political consultations round.
Sayyed Abdulmalik confirmed the positive position of Ansaraullah towards the UN envoy efforts to stop the aggression on Yemen and to reach a comprehensive peaceful solution.
In the same context, Sayyed Abdulmalik emphasized the importance of starting with steps of humanitarian nature like the file of prisoners and detainees and other issues that affect the life of Yemeni people, who have been under an all-out siege for more than three years of the aggression, according to a press statement by spokesman of Ansaruallah, Mohammed Abdulsalam.
Sayyed Abdulmalik called on the United Nations to maintain its balance and responsible dealing in the issue of aggression against Yemen and to play its role in accordance with its international conventions away from any bias towards the aggression forces.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503152.htm

(A P)

UN envoy meets in Sana’a the GPC party, Saleh faction leadership

The UN envoy met with the leaders of the general public Congress party (Saleh faction, a resident in Sana'a) on Thursday.

According to the website of the Conference, the President of the Conference, Sadiq Amin Abu Ras, and other leaders received Griffiths and his deputy appointed Maeen Shareem and confirmed their support for his efforts and his attitude towards peace.

"Support for Griffith's efforts will be through the cessation of aggression, the lifting of the embargo and the importance of achieving a comprehensive settlement, creating the conditions for its success (consultations), promoting positive aspects and overcoming the disadvantages of previous rounds of negotiations," said the party elements.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100502

(* B K P)

Prospects for Peace in Yemen

The challenge of peacekeeping in Yemen originates from deep-rooted domestic political divides, further complicated by regional actors’ intervention.

Previous attempts at brokering peace have not held, with ceasefires broken in a matter of hours or days.

Like many conflicts in the region, there is a lack of accountability for all parties in the war. International support for different parties makes peacekeeping a difficult task for Griffiths to do alone.

As long as international superpowers aid and abet both sides, there are no strong deterrence mechanisms in play and no foreseeable consequences for violations of international or humanitarian law. Tangible pressure from these international powers, perhaps by stopping military and intelligence support, could help Griffiths negotiate a compromise from both sides. That is to say, without a greater engagement from the international community it is unlikely Griffiths will succeed alone.
After four years of fighting, the conflict in Yemen has faded into a ‘silent war,’ largely out of the international public consciousness. Although a UN-controlled port does not provide a political settlement, it could provide a reliable infrastructure to allow aid organizations to make an impact in lessening the crisis. If Griffiths is able to place the port under UN control, it would offer a glimmer of hope for the Yemeni people and show the global community that there is still place for diplomacy in a war that desperately needs not to be forgotten. Without it, the war may continue indefinitely at great civilian cost. – by Zara Jayant

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/prospects-for-peace-in-yemen

My comment: The paragraph “From the beginning, the Saudi-led coalition showed a wariness to halt military activity against their unpredictable adversary. These short-lived ceasefires have shown that the Houthis continue to engage in warfare regardless of a truce, sparking the retaliation of the Saudis” is wrong and propagandistic.

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

(* B P)

Failure of Regional Governance in Saudi Arabia

The overlapping jurisdictions of Saudi Arabia’s governing bodies and the state’s hyper-centralized nature doom such initiatives as Vision 2030.

In rare public rebuke in February 2018, the Saudi Shura Council criticized the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) for wasting government resources, one of the very few times that the elected body openly criticized a Saudi government institution. This illustrates the disparity between what the state aspires to achieve—most notably Vision 2030, the pivotal economic plan put forth by Crown Prince Mohamad Bin Salman—and the capacity and authority the disempowered Saudi governance structure, such as MOMRA, has to implement it. And although Vision 2030 mandates that regional and municipal authorities contribute to planning and implementing its programs, it does not explain how and lacks a clear plan to reform bureaucratic structures and decentralize power.

The inability of the current bureaucratic system to resolve development issues has been evident for some time—from the implementation of the central government’s grand administrative and development plans under Vision 2030 even to the provision of simple services such as waste management, food safety, and water.

https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/76928

(* B E P)

Bin Salman Fears Provoking Saudi Capital Flight

A new report shows wealthy Saudis are reluctant to make internal investments over fears that they may be targeted and robbed of their assets by the security apparatus of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman – as happened to many others last year.

The Financial Times in a report quoted bankers as saying that private Saudi private businesses had already resorted to sitting on their cash, while some are looking for ways to shift funds offshore, instead of investing in the country.

The lack of appetite for investing in the kingdom, added The Financial Times, risked undermining Bin Salman’s efforts to overhaul the oil-dependent economy and create 1.2 million private sector jobs for Saudis by 2020.

The bankers said that a combination of factors was behind the subdued mood of Saudi investors ranging from the increased costs of employing foreigners, who account for more than 80 percent of the private sector workforce, to concerns that Bin Salman could launch another sweeping “anti-corruption” crackdown.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/25/569225/Bin-Salman-fears-provoking-Saudi-capital-flight-

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A P)

Trump seeks to revive 'Arab NATO' to confront Iran

The Trump administration is quietly pushing ahead with a bid to create a new security and political alliance with six Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, in part to counter Iran’s expansion in the region, according to U.S. and Arab officials.

The White House wants to see deeper cooperation between the countries on missile defense, military training, counter-terrorism and other issues such as strengthening regional economic and diplomatic ties, four sources said.

The plan to forge what officials in the White House and Middle East have called an “Arab NATO” of Sunni Muslim allies will likely raise tensions between the United States and Shi’ite Iran, two countries increasingly at odds since President Donald Trump took office.

The administration’s hope is that the effort, tentatively known as the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), might be discussed at a summit provisionally scheduled for Washington on Oct. 12-13, several sources said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-gulf-alliance/trump-seeks-to-revive-arab-nato-to-confront-iran-idUSKBN1KH2IK

My comment: Trumps seeks to set the whole Middle East on fire, and he will achieve this.

(A P)

House Dems Push Pentagon to Probe Illegal US, Saudi Activity in Yemen

The group negotiated the terms into the final version of the NDAA, which passed the US House of Representatives on Thursday. The bill then goes to the Senate, and should it pass, to President Donald Trump for approval.

The bill is unlikely to face much opposition in the Senate, however, as a House-Senate conference committee already gave it the green light, Sputnik News reported Thursday.

The bill would force the US to cease in-flight refueling of Saudi and Saudi-led coalition aircraft that don't belong to the United States "unless certifications are provided by the Secretary of State that the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are taking certain actions related to the civil war in Yemen."

The bill would: force Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and USAID Administrator Mark Green to "detail a humanitarian support strategy for Yemen, including efforts to coordinate civilian and military efforts," draft a diplomatic strategy to end the war and define the US role of humanitarian support; force Mattis to issue a report to Congress on the US strategy in Yemen, diplomatic or otherwise, evaluating the effectiveness and costs of the US campaign; and require Mattis to review and determine whether US forces and US partners in the war have violated laws or "internationally recognized human rights," including "those related to the interrogation of Yemeni citizens in prisons" in Yemen.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201807281066754657-House-Dems-Probe-Illegal-Activity-Yemen/

My comment: I am stonished why “Sputnik News” is so optimistic. This bill just requires some more paper work, and nothing will change.

(A P)

Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis met with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi today at the Pentagon to reaffirm the longstanding defense relationship between the United States and Oman.

The leaders discussed a broad range of regional security issues, including the conflict in Yemen, freedom of navigation, and multilateral counterterrorism cooperation.

Secretary Mattis acknowledged Oman as a vital regional security partner and explored new ways to strengthen our bilateral defense cooperation.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1586430/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-james-n-mattis-meeting-with-omani-foreign-minis/

(* B P)

The Madness That Is Gripping Washington

Iran is the hottest of all hot spots in the American view.

The United States and Israel have been threatening Iran for something like twenty years, using the pretext that it was developing a nuclear weapon initially, but also more recently declaring that Tehran has become a threat to the entire Middle East. Both contentions are essentially lies, concocted by an Israel and Saudi Arabia that would prefer to have Iran removed as a possible impediment to their own ambitions. And they would like the United States to do the removing.

Iran is the hottest of all hot spots in the American view, but the tendency of the White House to threaten first before engaging in negotiations has meant that most nations have come to see the United States as the greatest threat to peace worldwide. In a recent interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin observed how the U.S. believes it can intervene militarily anywhere in the world because it is “spreading democracy,” a justification that no one believes in any event as the results of recent crusades in Afghanistan, Syria and Libya have been less that encouraging. Putin commented that Washington should treat all other nations with respect and it will then get respect – and cooperation – in return.

The track record of the Trump White House is not encouraging

In light of past developments, one might think that it could not possibly get any worse, but it just has. Trump went after the low hanging fruit offered by Iran with a tweet that was both idiotic and embarrassing. Iran has undeniably been the enemy of choice for the White House since May, when Trump made the decision to withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that created an intrusive inspection regime to monitor Iran’s compliance in nuclear non-proliferation.

Trump responded explosively with a tweet all in capital letters, presumably to express his rage in visual terms, “NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”

President Trump’s warning that he would annihilate Iran missed the point that Rouhani was offering peace and urging that both sides work to avoid war.

Enough already. The immediate knee-jerk resort to threats of using overwhelming conventional military power or even nuclear weapons to resolve international disagreements is being played far too often by a president whose understanding of the world clearly has a manic-aggressive quality derived from a life spent selling and buying real estate in New York City. And the idiotic tweeting as well is beneath the dignity of the office Trump holds, the hallmark of an insecure school bully seeking attention. Donald Trump was elected at least in part to keep America out of wars, not to start several new ones, and it is past time that he stop the posturing and remember that.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/washington-madness-iran/246521/

(B P)

The Real Conflict with Iran

The mullahs should fear financial warfare, not a military assault.

Iran lacks several advantages enjoyed by North Korea. It doesn’t have an overwhelming, powerful patron like China. It unites Israel and the Arab states, and none of our regional allies are pressuring us to negotiate with Tehran the way South Korea pushed us to talk with Pyongyang. Finally, Iran doesn’t yet have nuclear weapons.

This gives the administration leverage. The mullahs shouldn’t fear presidential tweets as much as the economic clampdown to come.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/iran-should-fear-financial-warfare-and-economic-crisis/

(* B K P)

How the U.S. Is Empowering Iran in Yemen

Washington's Policy Is a Strategic Blunder and a Humanitarian Disaster

The Trump administration’s top goal in the Middle East is clear: counter Iran, which U.S. President Donald Trump and his senior officials have denounced as a duplicitous and murderous state sponsor of terrorism and sower of regional chaos.

Yet such warnings of the Iranian threat miss a key factor: the United States’ own policies have at times advanced rather than hindered Tehran’s regional ambitions. Nowhere is this clearer than in Yemen. U.S. support for a brutal Saudi-led military campaign in the country has created a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions, while offering an opening for Iran to expand its influence in the country. Military intervention has made insurgents more reliant on support from Tehran and is turning civilians against U.S. partners. If Washington wants to counter Iranian influence, it needs to reverse course—ending its disastrous support for the Saudi-led coalition and throwing its weight behind peace talks. Doubling down on the military effort will serve only to further Iran’s regional ascendance.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2018-07-26/how-us-empowering-iran-yemen

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(A P)

UN rights experts tell Bahrain to halt crackdown on activists and free speech

United Nations human rights experts called on Bahrain on Thursday to end the repression of activists, restrictions on freedom of expression and discrimination against women.

Bahrain, where a Sunni Muslim royal family rules over a Shi’ite-majority population, has cracked down on perceived threats since Arab Spring protests in 2011, led mainly by Shi’ites, were quashed with help from Gulf Arab neighbours.

Demonstrators have clashed frequently with security forces, who have been targeted in several bomb attacks.

https://www.reuters.com/article/bahrain-security-un/un-rights-experts-tell-bahrain-to-halt-crackdown-on-activists-and-free-speech-idUSL5N1UM3PB

(* A P)

Minister: UAE Ready to Take on Greater Security Burden in Middle East

The United Arab Emirates is ready to take on more of the security burden in the Middle East because it can no longer rely on military operations by allies the United States and Britain, UAE minister Anwar Gargash will say on Thursday.

“We are ready to take up more of the burden of security in our own neighborhood,” Gargash, minister of state for foreign affairs, was due to say according to an advance copy of a speech in London.

“We know that we can no longer rely on the United States, or the United Kingdom, to lead such military operations.”

The UAE is concerned about divergence between Western powers over the future of relations with Iran.

“We hope that United States pressure on Iran will bring it back to the negotiating table for an agreement wider than the JCPOA (the nuclear deal): one that addresses Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional meddling,”

https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/26/minister-uae-ready-to-take-on-greater-security-burden-in-middle-east/

My comment: Do the Emirates want to lead war against Iran? – The last paragraph is the same propaganda nonsense than when the Saudi coalition is speaking of “bring it back to the negotiating table”: They only accept “negotiations” when the other side is capitulating to all their preconditions.

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(* A P)

Donald Trump hoping to call Gulf states to Washington summit

US hopes to defuse simmering dispute between Qatar and other key states in the region

Donald Trump’s advisers are hoping to call the leaders of the Gulf states to a summit in Washington this Autumn, despite Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ insistence that they will not drop their demand for Qatar to cease its disruption across the region.
Key figures in the alliance of four Gulf states boycotting Qatar are wary of the Trump summit agenda, but say privately they are willing in principle to attend.
Qatar has been pressing for months for a summit, believing there can be no progress in the Gulf dispute without the involvement of the US. It has lobbied the US to acknowledge that the year-long collapse in Gulf unity is damaging to US interests. It also claims US reliance on a reckless Saudi foreign policy could lead to chaos in Iran and the energy markets, paralysis in Yemen and extended proxy conflicts in the Horn of Africa and Libya.

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has urged all sides to end the dispute.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/27/donald-trump-hoping-to-call-gulf-states-to-washington-summit

Comment: When war criminals meet.
All those who will be sitting at the roundtable are behind #Yemen's genocide (Qatar was kicked out of the Coalition, did not leave voluntarily), fund extremism and have no idea what 'peace and stability' mean

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1844810015572020

(A P)

Fake Downing Street ‘protesters’ could mark a sinister new trend for the UK

On 23 July, a London casting agency advertised for extras to ‘protest’ outside Downing Street. This coincided with a visit from the Qatari emir to visit Theresa May. Since then, the plot has thickened over who ordered the actors. And the whole matter could mark a sinister new trend for the UK.

So who was behind the booking of ‘protest’ extras?

And it wasn’t just the fake protests in London that drew attention. According to the New Arab, “thousands” of tweets in protest against al-Thani’s visit have also allegedly been generated by bots to #OpposeQatarVisit and “spread fake news about Qatar and build traffic and visibility for the hashtag”.

There’s no hard evidence to pinpoint who booked the anti-Qatar ‘protesters’. But it looks as though the complexities of Middle Eastern conflicts are creeping toward the UK in new ways.

https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/07/26/fake-downing-street-protesters-could-mark-a-sinister-new-trend-for-the-uk/

(* B P)

US Expanding Biggest Mideast Military Base in Qatar

Qatar and the United States have launched a project to expand Washington’s already largest military base in the Middle East region, with both sides discussing “permanent” American presence in the emirate.

The two sides “laid the foundation stone for expanding” the al-Udeid air base, located 35 kilometers southwest of the capital Doha on Tuesday, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

The project includes “the construction of barracks and service buildings to support joint security efforts, as well as improving the quality of life of the troops stationed at the airbase,” it said.

The QNA said the expansion project “underscores Qatar’s commitment to deepening its strategic military relations with the United States.”

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/25/569187/Qatar-United-States-base-Udeid-Persian-Gulf-Saudi-Arabia-blockade

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B K P)

Bombe made in Italy in Yemen, ecco perché Seafuture deve cambiare

[Seafuture is #Italy's naval, shipbuilding and maritime sector exhibition dual use, both in the civil and military sectors takin place in La Spezia. What happens in this B2B event? Military deals which also lead to #Yemenwith Italian bombs dropped on civilians. Time for a change and accountability]

Fosse stato anche solo per la presenza dell’Arabia Saudita, non c’è dubbio che la manifestazione SeaFuture, tenutasi nelle scorse settimane nella nostra città, andasse criticata e contestata. SeaFuture si è presentato nel 2009 con gli abiti del salone per la ricerca e l’innovazione, ma nei fatti si è trasformato, almeno a partire dal 2014, in un momento per cercare contatti buoni con lo scopo di vendere le navi militari dismesse a chiunque. Compresi i Paesi che non hanno rispetto dei diritti umani e che sono in guerra.
All’evento del 2018 hanno infatti presenziato rappresentanti dell’Arabia Saudita, degli Emirati Arabi Uniti, del Kuwait e del Qatar. Paesi che sono impegnati (o lo sono stati) militarmente, senza alcun mandato internazionale, nel conflitto in Yemen.

http://www.cittadellaspezia.com/mobile/Luci-della-citta/Bombe-made-in-Italy-in-Yemen-ecco-perche-Seafuture-deve-cambiare-264801.aspx

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

(* A E P)

Yemen currency collapsing: dollar rose by 20 rials in two weeks. One US dollar = 512- 515 rials today, up from 370 rials when Govt floated our currency in August 2017 and from 215 before war broke out in 2014. Lowest level ever. Economic collapse adds to challenges facing peace

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1022790324870111232

(A E)

First oil export vessel arrives in Shabwa

An oil ship has arrived in the oil port of Shabwa of the eastern province to resume loading and exporting oil. The export operation comes after the recovery of production from the oil fields of al-Oqla three months ago.

A source at OMV, an Austrian company operating in al-Oqla region, said that the shipment would take three days to export the first oil shipment of 500,000 barrels to Aden refineries after the resumption of oil production by the company.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20341

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A T)

Recent #AQAP vs #ISIS conflict in #Yemen may be more about #jihad fragmentation & tribal feuding than a real Clash of Titans. Why? -Still no formal mention by ISIS or AQAP -New informal doc tells of Ansar al-Shari'a & Qayfa tribes fighting tog vs IS encroachment & provocations (image)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1022870738037075973

(A T)

Further authentic tips to add to the Top 10 Ways to Annoy a Jihadist. New doc on pro-#AQAP media rages about #ISIS fighters in Qayfa #Yemen: -ripping AQAP's tent & screaming Takfir! -only letting 1 fighter at a time pass their checkpoints -pitching their camp right behind AQAP's (image)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1022876620502253568

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Yemen vice president: Houthi attack on Saudi oil tanker obstructs peace process

Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar said on Wednesday that the targeting of the Saudi oil tanker in international waters west of the port of Hodeidah is a deliberate terror attack by the Houthis to disrupt maritime traffic that hinders peace efforts.

According to the official Yemeni news agency, the vice president said that the repeated targeting of shipping lines in international waters by the Houthis continues to obstruct the peace process led by United Nations' special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths. Al-Ahmar added that the militia continued to use the port of Hodeidah to launch terror attacks.

The attack was met by a regional outcry. The Arab Parliament condemned the targeting of the oil tanker in the Red Sea, calling it “a serious threat to international peace and security.”

Timeline of Houthi attacks on Red Sea

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1345766/middle-east

(A P)

Houthis accused of threatening world’s electricity supplies

Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen were accused on Thursday of threatening the world’s electricity supplies after they attacked two oil tankers in a crucial Red Sea shipping lane.

The protection of Red Sea shipping is one of the aims of the Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The rest of the world must now be alert to the threat posed by Iran and its Houthi proxies, analysts told Arab News.

“Saudi Arabia cannot put the lives of its men and material in danger. It is too risky in Bab Al-Mandeb, as evident from the Houthi attacks,” said Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst and international relations scholar in Riyadh.

“Had the attacks succeeded, it would have been catastrophic. The world, especially the European nations, must step up to the plate and play their part in neutralizing the threat from Iran and the Houthis.

“All this while Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have been fighting this scourge of terrorism and blackmail with little or no help from the Europeans. This is not just our fight. These militias, who are armed to teeth by Iran, pose a threat not just to us but to the entire global economy.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1346171/saudi-arabia

Comment: #Yemen-i forces have not attacked oil tankers but the Coalition is eager to pull more countries, more forces on the taking of #Hodeidah.
The aim is to amplify the already devastating war bringing it to an unprecedented level of destruction.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1844594048926950/?type=3&theater

(A P)

UAE's Gargash warns Houthis over Yemen oil tanker attacks

Houthi attacks on oil tankers highlights need to break the militia's grip on Yemen

Houthi attacks on oil tankers crossing the Red Sea were condemned on Thursday by Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, as an irresponsible act that demonstrated the importance of ousting the Iran-backed group from control of Yemen.

Oil prices rose after Saudi Arabia said it had halted oil shipments through the straits following two assaults on Saudi-operated tankers by the militia from its strongholds in Yemen.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in London, Dr Gargash warned the incident highlighted the urgency of restoring the legitimate government of Yemen.

"This is a totally irresponsible act," he said. "The effect of it actually is much wider than the region. I think this is another example of why the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni government in Sanaa should end."

While the UAE is hopeful that the efforts of the UN mediator Martin Griffiths would bring forth a breakthrough between the warring factions, Dr Gargash added that the effort to wrest control of the strategic port of Hodeidah was an urgent challenge.

“Our strategic goal in capturing Hodeidah is to shorten the war in Yemen,” he said. “Without a port, without control of the port and its revenues, without access to the sea, the Houthis will come to the table."

https://www.thenational.ae/world/uae-s-gargash-warns-houthis-over-yemen-oil-tanker-attacks-1.754473

(A P)

Film: CNN gets rare access to aid drop over Yemen

CNN's Becky Anderson goes aboard a Unites Arab Emirates military plane that delivers aid to war-inflicted Yemen.

https://us.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/07/26/yemen-humanitarian-aid-uae-plane-anderson-pkg-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/unrest-in-yemen/

Commrent: #CNN's narrative continues to be surreal: no question on who is behind the 'man-made humanitarian catastrophe' in #Yemen, the usual underlining of 'Iranian backed Houthis' and the picturing of a benevolent #UAE dropping aid onto its controlled (occupied) territory

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1843004585752563

(A P)

Is targeting of Bab al-Mandeb by Houthi militias linked to Iranian threats?

Saudi Arabia can still use its East-West mega-pipeline to ship crude from its oil fields in the Gulf into the city of Yanbu on the Red Sea, bypassing the strait and keeping the European market within regular reach. The East-West pipeline has a capacity of about 5 million barrels a day.

However, experts said they do not rule out that this attack is linked, in one way or another, to recent Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers carry 18 million barrels per day if Iranian oil exports are banned under the US sanctions expected to be implemented on November 4.

Whatever the type of weapon used in this attack, it establishes a new qualitative shift in this war, most notably the targeting of oil tankers in the Red Sea and the disruption of international navigation if necessary.

The Bab al-Mandeb, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, is only 20 km wide, making hundreds of ships potentially an easy target.

The EIA estimates that a full closure of Bab el-Mandeb, would force tankers sailing from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates “around the southern tip of Africa, which would add to transit time and cost,”

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/07/26/Is-targeting-of-Bab-al-Mandab-by-Houthi-militias-linked-to-Iranian-threats-.html

My comment: This is a conspiracy theory. Except from propaganda, both matters do not have anything to do with each other. Except the fact that attacking and pummeling other states can bear additional risks. – But US hawks willingly accept:

(A P)

Iran’s Yemeni Proxies Put Oil Shipments in Crosshairs

A Houthi attack on two Saudi oil tankers near Yemen could be an Iranian bid to hammer a key energy choke point

The incident, and the Saudi response, has more to do with the regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran—as well as the rising tensions between Tehran and Washington—than it does with actually stopping shipments of oil. Crude prices barely rose after the attack; Saudi Arabia can ship oil by pipeline to terminals higher up the Red Sea to keep supplying Europe or route tankers around South Africa to avoid Bab el-Mandeb.

But Iran is desperate to find ways to fight back against U.S. efforts to curtail its oil exports after the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal this spring—and choke points such as Bab el-Mandeb and the much more important Strait of Hormuz offer inviting targets.

This month, Tehran renewed its perennial threat to close Hormuz if its own oil exports are affected by U.S. sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated that threat over the weekend, saying: “Do not play with the lion’s tail. You will regret it forever.”

Rouhani’s bellicose rhetoric extended to other straits besides Hormuz.

“The Iranians are responding to [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s maximum pressure campaign with a maximum threat campaign,” Reed said.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/26/irans-yemeni-proxies-put-oil-shipments-in-crosshairs-saudi-bab-el-mandeb-hormuz-houthi/

(A P)

Yemen Interior Ministry Undersecretary Accuses Houthis of Coordinating with ISIS, Qaeda

Yemen’s Interior Ministry found "compelling evidence" of agreed plans between leaders of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS and the so-called “Ansar Allah” to coordinate action against the Yemeni army with the support of Iran, according to an official at the ministry.
The plan aims to stop the advance of the army, to spread chaos and undermine security in Yemen, said the official.
The United States and a number of European Union countries offered to cooperate with the ministry to pursue these terrorist groups, and some countries suggested providing training assistance.
First Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Aboud al-Sharif told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is reason to believe that the three terrorist groups, Houthis, al-Qaeda and ISIS are cooperating to destabilize the country.
The undersecretary indicated that the evidence obtained by the ministry shows a coordination between the three entities: ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Houthis. He explained that each group has a role to play, including the clashes al-Qaeda and ISIS had initiated against the army in Rada'a.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1343836/yemen-interior-ministry-undersecretary-accuses-houthis-coordinating-isis-qaeda

My comment: This is not the first time the Hadi government had claimed this, and it’s void propaganda. The Houthis on the one side and AQAP, IS on the other are extreme foes. Sunni AQA, IS think Zaidi Houthis to be “takfir”. – On the other hand, it is well-known that partially AQAP and pro-Hadi fighters had united in fighting against the Houthis. President Hadi’s long-time governor of Al-Bayda province, was Al-Qaeda, Hadi’s vice-president Mohsen had been a backer of Al Qaeda for years.

(A P)

Yemen Is Bad but It Would Be Worse Without U.S. Involvement

Washington should stay the course. Here's Why.

Over the past few weeks, several leading congressmen have pushed for an end to U.S. intervention in Yemen.

Congress may have a point to make when it comes to defining and limiting the war-making powers of the executive branch. However, roping Yemen into this just debate obfuscates the origins of the Yemen war, the nature of the country’s humanitarian crisis, and the clear links between this conflict and U.S. credibility and interests.

For example, congressional narratives depict the Saudi-led coalition as the instigators of the Yemen conflict. In fact, the war in Yemen did not begin with Saudi Arabia’s March 2015 military intervention in the country but with the Houthi militias’ violent overthrow of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which happened in September 2014.

Following their takeover of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, the Houthis, backed by Iran, imposed a fundamentalist, sectarian, brutal, and repressive regime that dashed any hope for political pluralism and democratic governance in the wake of Yemen’s Arab Spring.

There is no question that Yemen is confronting a humanitarian crisis that has been exacerbated by the entry of the Saudi-led coalition into the war. However, much of this crisis has been manufactured by the Houthis themselves. The Houthi government’s total neglect of sanitation services, and its failure to maintain and repair sewer and water infrastructure, has contributed to the deepening of the cholera epidemic.

In contrast, areas that the Saudi-led coalition have restored to Yemeni government control do not suffer the same disastrous conditions that civilians in Houthi-controlled regions are experiencing.

Furthermore, vital U.S. interests are at stake. The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to disrupt international shipping.

The Iranians have supplied ballistic missiles to the Houthis that have been launched against America’s Saudi, Emirati, and Yemeni allies. For the United States to withdraw its support now would be tantamount to conceding Yemen to Iran, which would deal a serious blow to Washington’s regional credibility.

The war against Iran and the Houthis is also linked with the United States’ war on terror, which is supported by Congress.

In addition, the U.S. military plays a critical role in safeguarding Yemeni civilians by identifying nonmilitary and civilian facilities for the coalition so that these are not accidentally targeted by air strikes.

American involvement also bolsters ties between the U.S. military and the militaries of its Arab allies and these relationships are a key tool of U.S. power and influence if America is to remain globally relevant – by Fatima Alasrar, the Senior Yemen Analyst at The Arabia Foundation.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/yemen-bad-it-would-be-worse-without-us-involvement-26801

My comment: This is a propaganda roundup claiming “US interests”. Keep in mind that this “Arabia Foundation” really is a Saudi PR / propaganda / lobbying outlet:

https://fair.org/home/media-boosts-obvious-saudi-front-group-as-neutral-think-tank/ = https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-washington-based-arabia-foundation-u-s-media-boosts-obvious-saudi-front-group-as-neutral-think-tank/5634012.

“In fact, the war in Yemen did not begin with Saudi Arabia’s March 2015 military intervention”: Before this, it just was a civil war, afterwards the Yemen war was an international war. That’s quite a difference. Destructions and the humanitarian impact skyrocket since Saudi intervention at March 25, 2015.

“The Houthi government’s total neglect of sanitation services, and its failure to maintain and repair sewer and water infrastructure, has contributed to the deepening of the cholera epidemic.”: This is a very bad argument looking at the fact that the Saudi coalition air raids have deliberately destroyed water wells, water systems, sewage systems, water drills. According to the Legal Center For Rights and Development, an organization that tracks Saudi Arabia’s violations on international law in Yemen, 727 water pumps and tanks have been destroyed since 2015. The last case just had happened a few days ago in Saada province. UNICEF protested by a clear statement, from which I quote:

“Continuous attacks on water systems in Yemen are cutting off children and their families from water; increasing the likelihood of water-borne diseases spreading in the war-torn country. For families in Yemen, these crumbling basic services, are a matter of life and death. Access to these services is about the sheer survival of boys and girls in Yemen. If they continue to come under attack, more lives- among them many children- will be lost, unnecessarily. Attacks on civilian infrastructure including water systems are a violation of international humanitarian law.” (https://mailchi.mp/unicef/statement-on-situation-in-yemen-by-unicef-executive-director-anthony-lake-englisharabic-1097775?e=2d3fbcf058 )

“Additionally, the Houthi have confiscated food, medicine, and critical life-saving medical equipment to give to militia members or to sell on the black market at wildly inflated prices.” All parties in the war did.

“In contrast, areas that the Saudi-led coalition have restored to Yemeni government control do not suffer the same disastrous conditions that civilians in Houthi-controlled regions are experiencing”: This simply is a lie, looking at Aden. – And the bad circumstances at Houthi-ruled areas greatly are due to the Saudi coalition air raids and blockade.

“Furthermore, vital U.S. interests are at stake. The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to disrupt international shipping.” US interests? Hodeidah is 7,700 miles air distance away from Miami; Claiming US interests all over the world is imperialism nobody must accept. – The Houthi “threat” referred to a scenario when the Saudi coalition would change the Red sea to a war zone attacking the Yemeni coast; otherwise Houthis had declared they would not attack international shipping.

“In addition, the U.S. military plays a critical role in safeguarding Yemeni civilians by identifying nonmilitary and civilian facilities for the coalition so that these are not accidentally targeted by air strikes.“ This is mere propaganda to be believed just by idiots.

“This intelligence support has not prevented civilian casualties altogether, but it has almost certainly reduced their number.” This is a blatant mockery on the ten thousands of victims who have lost their life, their health, their physical integrity, their beloved ones, their homes, their working places, their neighbourhoods, their livelihood.

“American involvement also bolsters ties between the U.S. military and the militaries of its Arab allies and these relationships are a key tool of U.S. power and influence if America is to remain globally relevant.” Off course, this is an important point. This is US imperialism in a nutshell. The US claims to perform “power and influence” all around the globe, and for this purpose, the US supports and allies itself with the worst dictators of this planet, whether in Latin America or the Middle East. Might it be the Shah, Pinochet, Nicaragua’s Somoza clan, the House of Saud (pardon: The Saudi clan), and dozens more which the greatest part of the ordinary public might have forgotten.

(A P)

Houthi attack on Saudi oil tanker a terrorist act, says Yemeni VP

Yemeni Vice President Lt. Gen. Ali Mohsen said that the Houthi attack against a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea waters west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah is a terrorist act, according to the official Yemeni news agency.
Ali Mohsen indicated that the militia's repeated attacks with Iranian support against international shipping are an obstruction to the efforts that the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is exerting to bring about peace.
He said the attack further establishes the militia's use of the Hodeidah seaport as a launchpad for their numerous terrorist operations.
He said that the insistence of the government and the Arab Coalition on liberating Hodeidah from the Houthis' control emanates from their concern about the threat the Houthis pose to regional and global security including to international shipping.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1788467

My comment: The Houthi attack on a ship in the Red Sea is used for further propaganda in the case of the Hodeidah assault. – The Houthis had claimed they had hit a Saudi warship.

(A P)

Iran and Al Houthis on a dangerous path

The international community will not tolerate any threat to the Bab Al Mandab or Strait of Hormuz

On Wednesday, Al Houthi rebels launched a failed attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, an incident that illustrates very clearly the dangers posed by these terrorists to international maritime traffic. Over the past three years, Al Houthis have launched missiles and struck a vessel delivering humanitarian aid to Yemen, targeted vessels, planted sophisticated sea mines and threatened the Bab Al Mandab, an international waterway critical to vessels transiting through the Suez Canal.

Clearly, these rebels that represent a miniscule minority of people in Yemen are determined to continue to disrupt international shipping lanes and endanger crew on vessels plying predetermined maritime channels. But the reality too is that these rebels have been given the weapons and mines that threaten these waterways by their masters in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and in the corridors of the regime in Tehran.

https://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/iran-and-al-houthis-on-a-dangerous-path-1.2257747

My comment: The same again and again – up to vomiting.

(A P)

More Saudi / UAE “We are benefactors” propaganda

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1790923

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

(A K)

Arab Coalition Strikes at Sanaa Airport in Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition on Friday attacked an international airport and a military air base in the north of the Yemeni capital, a local military source told Sputnik.

"The coalition aviation launched six consecutive strikes at Al Dilmi air base and Sanaa International Airport in the capital’s north," the source with the Sanaa-based Defense Ministry said.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201807281066754984-arab-coalition-strikes-sanaa/

The capital Sanaa now is under heavy bombing by Saudi-led coalition warplans. It is 1:53 AM in Sanaa now. Five huge explosions rocking the city in less than 10 minutes as the the airstrikes continue flying.

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1022978576147247104

(* A K pH)

Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, July 27, 2018

In Hodiedah :

In Saada: The US-Saudi aggression launched 4 raids on Al-Azqol area, two raids on Alaf area, two raids on All-Thareah in Sahar district, 4 raids on Al-Thaher, a raid on Qarah area in Majz and a raid on Al-Boqe' area in Ketaf district. Residential areas on Razih, Shida, Baqem and mnabeh border districts were targeted by missiles and artillery shells caused a big damaging on civilians' farms and properties.

In Amran: The Aggression launched 7 raids on Shawaba area in Dhaebeen district. In Hajja: agrression launched 7 raids on several areas in Al-Mazraq I Haradh district. In Al-Jawf: the US-Saudi aggression launched a raid on AlMaslob, killing number of livestock. In Jizan: the aggression launched a raid on Twaeleq mountain.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1879&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

Saudi Cluster Bombs Kill And Injured Four Civilians in Yemen’s Hodeida

Today , a civilian is killed and three others injured after an un-detonated cluster bomb went off in Zubaid (photos)

http://www.newnewss.net/saudi-cluster-bombs-kill-and-injured-four-civilians-in-yemens-hodeida/

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1864061100556542

(A K)

Saudi-led coalition renews strikes on Yemen's main port city

A Saudi-led coalition launched heavy air strikes on Yemen’s main port city of Hodeidah on Friday, in an apparent resumption of military operations on the Red Sea city after the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement attacked two Saudi oil tankers.

Residents said coalition warplanes had begun their bombardment after midnight, attacking a Houthi military police camp in the city centre, a plastics factory north of the city, and the districts of Zubaid and al-Tahita to the south.

The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said in a series of tweets that coalition air strikes had targeted a radio station inside the city and a fishing pier.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/saudi-led-coalition-renews-strikes-on-yemens-main-port-city-idUSKBN1KH1TU

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/27/569428/yemen-hudaydah-airstrikes (with photo)

and

(A K pH)

Aggression Targets Plastic Factory in Hodeidah

The US-Saudi Areal Aggression launched Friday morning two strikes on al-Awadi plastic bags factory, in Kilo 16 area in Alhali district of Hodeidah governorate.

The correspondent said that the Aggression launched 6 raids on Zaidiah district and 3 raids on Zabid district (photo)

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1870&cat_id=1

more photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1863947693901216

and

(A K pH)

The Areal Aggression Targets Al-Hudaydah Radio and Town Water Project

The US-Saudi Areal Aggression attacked Al-Hudaydah and the wells of the city's water project.

Almasirah correspondent said that several strikes targeted the wells of the water project and caused significant damage to the drinking water station, causing a partial interruption in the flow of water to the city of Al-Hudaydah.

He added that the areal aggression lunched another strike on the building of Al-Hudaydah radio station and more strikes on the fishing grounds in the city, causing great damage.

In addition, the enemy jets targeted a citizen farm in the district of Bagel, causing heavy damage to property.

A civilian was killed and three others were injured by a cluster bomb that was dropped by the aggression in Zabid Directorate.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1871&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

Nine Saudi-led air attacks hit Hodeidah

The US-Saudi-led aggression coalition warplanes on Friday waged nine strikes on Hodeidah province, an official told Saba.
The strikes hit Zabid, al-Zaidaih districts and provincial capital city.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503169.htm

My comment: Zabid in an UNESCO cultural heritage site.

(* A K pH)

6 fishermen killed in Saudi-led air strike in Hodediah

Six fisher men were killed and 22 others wounded in a Saudi-led air strike on three boats in Hodeidah province, an official told Saba on Friday.
The strike with war boats of coalition militiamen hit the boats in al-Hawk district and al-Tair Island, killing the six and injuring 22 others.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503168.htm

film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ZjhGz2QQ8

and pro-Saudi sources downsize the numbers of victims: http://almasdaronline.com/article/100501

(A K pH)

A few days ago, we received preliminary pictures of the effects of the aggression on the building of the National Center for Health Laboratories in the province of Hodeidah.

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1863703660592286

and

(* A H K)

Yemen: IRC-supported health facility damaged overnight as the Saudi-led Coalition launches airstrikes in Hodeidah city

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply concerned that an airstrike in Hodeidah damaged an IRC-supported ministry of health facility. The damage forced the suspension of operations and disrupted the provision of essential health services for an already vulnerable population.

The IRC pays salaries to midwives working in the facility who provide healthcare to pregnant and lactating women and deliver new babies, and provides the facility with critical drugs, medical equipment and access to clean water. Without essential services such as these the population of Hodeidah face the risk of a humanitarian disaster.

https://www.rescue.org/press-release/yemen-irc-supported-health-facility-damaged-overnight-saudi-led-coalition-launches

(* A K pH)

Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, July 24, 2018

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1834&cat_id=1

(* A K pH)

Saudi Airstrikes on UNICEF Water Facility in Yemen Compounds Cholera Risk

The U.S. backed Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly, systematically and deliberately attacked water and sewage treatment infrastructure in Yemen since it began its military campaign against the country in 2015.

Four Saudi warplanes launched airstrikes against the UNICEF-funded al Asayed Water Network, destroying water pumps, an electric generator, a nearby solar energy system, and a guard room. Much of the facility was destroyed in the attack, leaving thousands of residents of the Al Safra district of Yemen’s Saada governorate, including internally displaced families, without clean drinking water.

Mohammed Kamel — an engineer with the National Foundation which operated the Water Network — said in a statement to MintPress:

Saudi airstrikes targeted the main well of the Water Network, as well as the pump room, generator and solar system. This water project was providing more than 25,000 people in Noshour district as well as the 20 villages around Noshour with clean drinking water. It was completed at a cost of $650,000”

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) strongly condemned the attack saying in a statement released on its website:

A large water facility in Sa’ada, northwest of the country, came under attack this week. This is the third such attack on the same facility. More than half of the project is now damaged, cutting off 10,500 people from safe drinking water.”

“Continuous attacks on water systems in Yemen are cutting off children and their families from water; increasing the likelihood of water-borne diseases spreading in the war-torn country,” the statement added.

Local Noshour resident 35-year-old Asman Ali told MintPress “Four airstrikes targeted our water network, our only source of water … where are we supposed to get water for our children?” According to a statement by the United Nations, the attack has left as many as 5,000 children without water.

The U.S. backed Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly, systematically and deliberately attacked water and sewage treatment infrastructure in Yemen since it began its military campaign against the country in 2015. According to a statement to MintPress by the Legal Center For Rights and Development, an organization that tracks Saudi Arabia’s violations on international law in Yemen, 727 water pumps and tanks have been destroyed since 2015.(photos)

https://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-attack-on-unicef-water-facility-in-yemen-compounds-cholera-risk/246405/

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b2, cp1c

(A K pH)

Yemeni army downs Saudi drone

Yemeni Army’s air defense and popular committees shot down a Saudi coalition’s spy drone over the country’s southwestern region of Asir late Friday.

http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82983383

(* A K)

Jemenitische Rebellen melden Angriff auf Flughafen von Abu Dhabi

Die vom Iran unterstützten jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen haben ihrem Fernsehsender zufolge am Donnerstag den Flughafen von Abu Dhabi in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten mit einer Drohne angegriffen.

Die Behörden der Emirate waren zunächst nicht für eine Stellungnahme zu erreichen. Allerdings hatte der Flughafen am Donnerstag per Twitter mitgeteilt, es habe einen Vorfall mit einem Versorgungsfahrzeug gegeben, der den Betrieb nicht beeinträchtigt habe. Ob es sich dabei um den mutmaßlichen Drohnenangriff handelte, war unklar.

https://de.reuters.com/article/jemen-emirate-flughafen-idDEKBN1KG27Y

(* A K pH)

[Houthi Yemeni] Air Force Unveils New Drone, Sammad 3

The Air Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees, on Thursday, unveiled a new Drone aircraft generation, with a range of more than 1,000 km.

A source in the Air Force told Almasirah Net, that the new drone is called, Sammad 3, referring to the martyred President Saleh Al-Sammad, who played a prominent role in supporting and developing the Yemeni Air Force.

The source confirmed that the drone, Sammad 3, begun its operations by targeting Abu Dhabi International Airport

http://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1850&cat_id=1

and

(A K P)

Yemen Has Thousands Of Ballistic Missiles : Yemeni Army Spokesman

Since the US-KSA Coalition has started its aggression on Yemen on March 2015 , Yemeni spokesman Brigadier General , “Aziz Rashid” revealed that Yemen has a large stockpile of ballistic missiles.

In a statement for Almasirah T.V Rashid said , Yemen has thousands of domestically-designed and -developed ballistic missile as Burkan , Bader-1 ….etc .

Rashid pointed out to the high abilities of the Yemeni army in the military Manufacturing , referring to their strong will of the Yemeni government and people .

http://www.newnewss.net/yemen-has-thousands-of-ballistic-missiles-yemeni-army-spokesman/

and

(* A K pH)

Army's drone wages 3 strikes on Abu Dhabi Airport

Unmanned drone of the army on Thursday waged three raids on Abu Dhabi International Airport of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a military official told Saba.
The air raids were waged by the army's Sammad-3 drone, which joint recently the Yemeni air force, according to the official.
The air traffic from and to the airport was disrupted after the drone's attack, official sources at the airport reported.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503132.htm

and

(A K pH)

Government spokesman warns Saudi-led coalition of coming surprises

Spokesman of the National Salvation Government Abdulsalam Ali Jaber, warned on Thursday the Saudi-led coalition of a series of surprise if it would not stop its aggressive war on the Yemeni people.
In a statement obtained by Saba, the spokesman affirmed that targeting Abu Dhabi airport by Yemeni drone, Sammad 3, is a first message to deter the UAE command's war crimes in Yemen.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503150.htm

and

(* A K)

Yemen's rebels attack Abu Dhabi airport using a drone

General Abdullah al-Jafri, a spokesman for the Houthis, said the drone attack showed the movement was capable of launching attacks against vital civilian infrastructure of the Saudi-Emirati-led military coalition battling the rebels in Yemen.

"Our attack on Abu Dhabi airport shows our forces are no paper tiger like our enemies claim," Jafri told Al-Masirah TV on the phone.

"They mocked us before, but let me make it clear that the next stage will be targeting the infrastructure of our enemies in Saudi and the UAE."

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam told Al Jazeera Arabic by phone the UAE denial was "baseless".

"It is a lie. They cannot deny the new reality on the ground," said Abdul-Salam.

We don't understand the hype when it comes to our attacks. We are in a state of war. We are being attacked every day. Our people are being slaughtered every single day. Our cities, our airports are being targeted by the Saudi-UAE coalition. So, why are they are surprised by us attacking their positions?"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/yemen-rebels-attack-abu-dhabi-airport-drone-180726155103669.html

and film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AStoTP3g2I

and

(* A K)

Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Abu Dhabi airport using drone

Abu Dhabi airport tweeted earlier in the day that there had been an incident involving a supply vehicle which had not affected operations, but it was unclear if it was referring to the same incident.

https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-emirates/yemens-houthis-say-they-attacked-abu-dhabi-airport-using-drone-idUSD5N1R402B

and

(* A K)

UAE denies report of Houthi drone attack on Abu Dhabi airport

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) denied reports on Thursday that Yemen’s Iranian-aligned Houthi movement had attacked Abu Dhabi airport with a drone, and said operations were unaffected.

Houthi-run media said earlier that a Sammad-3 drone had launched three strikes on the facility, disrupting air traffic, but did not provide any evidence and there were no reports of damage or casualties.

“Operations at the airport are business as usual,” a UAE official told Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-emirates-attack/uae-denies-report-of-houthi-drone-attack-on-abu-dhabi-airport-idUSKBN1KG23W

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-emirates-denial/uae-says-abu-dhabi-airport-operating-normally-denies-houthi-attack-claim-idUSKBN1KG2E7

and

(A K P)

Abu Dhabi Airports can confirm that there has been an incident involving a supply vehicle in Terminal 1 airside area of the airport at approximately 4:00 pm today.This incident has not affected operations at AUH and flights continue to arrive and depart as scheduled. (1/2)

Abu Dhabi Airports will continue to monitor the situation with the concerned authorities and further updates will be made available in due course. (2/2)

https://twitter.com/AUH/status/1022481028470984704

https://twitter.com/AUH/status/1022481140270198785

Comments: Many flights have changed their landing into Dubai airport....why ??

https://twitter.com/elashwa2i/status/1022507201167060994

What kind of airport and what kind of supply vehicle that can cause a big accident like that? And in the airside!? If it is not the houthies as they claim, that means that you guys have a serious safety and security issues! Very bad for u !

https://twitter.com/AbdullaAlKuwar1/status/1022495243923537923

#AbuDhabi Airport official tweet on the 'accident' of today. You do not monitor the situation because of an accident

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1843558419030513/?type=3

(A K)

At least 40 killed in Yemen clashes

Clashes in Al-Bayda town kill 15 soldiers and 25 Houthi rebels, says Yemeni military

Clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels have left at least 40 dead, the military said Thursday.

The clashes erupted in Al-Malajim district of Al-Bayda town when government troops supported by Saudi-led coalition forces launched an operation to free the district from Houthi rebels, the Yemeni military said in a statement.

Fifteen soldiers and 25 Houthis were killed.

The statement noted that government forces made progress in the operation and were able to advance 18 kilometers (11 miles) to Affar, a strategic point on the Houthi’s supply route.

An unknown number of soldiers were also wounded in the area when mines placed by the rebels were detonated, the statement said.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/at-least-40-killed-in-yemen-clashes/1215235

(* A K pH)

Yemeni Forces Target Another Saudi Warship off Western Coast

Yemeni fighters targeted another Saudi warship off the country’s Western coast in less than 24 hours in retaliation for the Riyadh regime’s deadly military campaign on the impoverished nation.

The Naval Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees destroyed a Saudi-led coalition war-boat off Al-Duraihimei coast, just hours after it had targeted the Saudi military’s Dammam battleship off the country’s Western coast.

The Navy and Coast Defense Command had confirmed its high readiness to strike any ship threatening the Yemeni coast, stressing that with the escalation of the Saudi-led coalition threats to mobilize more troops to invade Yemen on the West coast in order to occupy Hudaydah, the Yemeni naval forces are ready to face the challenge.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970504000091

(A K pH)

Saudi artillery shelling on Saada wounds woman

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news503061.htm

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(* B H)

A Thousand Smiles for One Country: Leaving and Returning to the Motherland

The war started while I was a migrant and watching events unfold remotely, and what was happening to my country left me in tears and with a broken heart.

As the plane approached Aden, after a long journey full of delays because of my Yemeni passport, I saw the city’s beaches and coasts: this left me in tears as I reminisced about the times I had spent there. During touchdown, people started clapping and whistling, expressing their happiness about returning home safely. My journey inland to Sana’a, my first and only refuge, commenced, and seven hours and many check points later, the city’s lights started appearing and brightening for me. Because of all that had occurred during the past three years, I didn’t expect to see Sana’a in a normal state – especially after watching the news on certain channels. Evidently they lied and portrayed an ugly image, perpetuating fear and terror.

Sana’a is not what we see on these news outlets: it remains alive and is surviving. Never have I seen people adamantly attached to life despite all the despair and despicableness; only Yemenis, especially those residing in Sana’a, have this quality. The city’s inhabitants have lived through some of the most terrible times in its recent history, yet despite all this people refused to die, and instead continued to live life and hold on to continuity. From the first day, I used my cellphone camera to film videos portraying my life and other Yemenis’ daily lives in Sana’a, uploading them to social media websites such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

The duty of portraying normal Yemeni daily life without polishing, editing or misleading became mine. Most of the people benefiting from my coverage were Yemenis in exile, tired of the lies and hypocrisies of news outlets covering Yemen, and I felt a moral obligation to cover the current situation as it is. I immersed myself in places where ordinary Yemenis live, walking through crowded streets and roundabouts and to the alleyways of Sana’a’s old city, where I spoke to kids and old people. I visited many historical places and shared with my Instagram followers just a small part of living Sana’a, while others are censoring it 8with photos)

https://www.almadaniyamag.com/english/2018/7/21/a-thousand-smiles-for-one-country-leaving-and-returning-to-the-motherland

(* B H P)

Taking Marriage Class at Guantánamo

While imprisoned for 14 years, a young Yemeni man learns about love from a fellow detainee — and an iguana.

Until I was 35, the most significant relationship I’d had as an adult was with an iguana.

It wasn’t easy to meet anyone where I was for all of my 20s and nearly half of my 30s, at the prison camp at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. After I arrived, I was put in an isolation cell, where huge fans outside of each cell ran day and night, making deafening noise to prevent us from talking to each other.

Even when we went outside for recreation, we were not allowed to talk to the other detainees. But outside we did meet new friends: the cats, banana rats, tiny birds and iguanas that came through the fences, asking to share our meals.

I had a good friendship with beautiful young lady, an iguana. She was so elegant. She used to come every day at the same time, and we would have lunch together. When I went on a hunger strike, I had no food to give her, and I was ashamed to stand there without food as she came up to me. Sometimes the guards punished us for sharing our meals with the animals, but they couldn’t stop me from talking to her.

She couldn’t talk back, but she was a good listener. As the years passed, our friendship grew into a strong bond.

Finally, after seven years of isolation, I was moved into a communal block where I could talk with my fellow detainees. I was born in a tiny village in the mountains of Yemen and was only 19 when I came to Guantánamo. I didn’t know much about the world; the world to me was my village. Now, my world was Guantánamo.

[…]

In 2016, after being detained for more than 14 years, I was released from Guantánamo. But I wasn’t allowed to go home to Yemen. Instead, I live in Serbia. I am lonely. I haven’t yet found a woman to be my friend and my wife and teach me the art of love. I don’t even have an iguana anymore.

But thanks to my friend, the beautiful iguana, I learned how to take care of others. She reminded me how to connect with life while I was behind the fences of prison. And thanks to my marriage class, I know I will one day be a good husband and loving father.

My hope is still alive. It helps me face the hardships of my daily life. I wish hope and love could help us with the hardships we face as nations too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/style/modern-love-marriage-class-at-guantanamo.html

Comment: This is one of the most beautiful reads on life, Yemen, Guantanamo and love

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1844614628924892

(B P)

37 local radio stations are currently broadcasting, 9 of which are owned by public authorities and 28 are privately owned. http://www.economicmedia.net (Map)

https://twitter.com/economicmedia/status/1022165952899764224

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-437-yemen-war-mosaic-437

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-437 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-437:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:

(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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