... Konfliktdynamiken im Südjemen – Die veränderte militärische Landkarte im Südjemen – Der Weg zu einer neuen Legitimität im Jemen – Ein Dreistufenprogramm für Jemen – Huthi-Drohnen setzen saudische Ölanlagen in Brand, USA beschuldigen Iran, die Spannungen im Golf nehmen wieder zu – und mehr
Sep. 16, 2019: UN report on Human rights in Yemen – UN report and siege warfare, and indiscriminate attacks – „Everything is missing“ – Human Trafficking is booming in Yemen – Conflict dynamics in Southern Yemen – The changed military map in Southern Yemen – Towards a new legitimacy in Jemen – A 3-step program for Yemen – Houthi drones set Saudi oil facilities on fire, Us blames Iran, tensions in the Gulf are mounting again – and more
Dieses Jemenkrieg-Mosaik besteht aus zwei Teilen / This Yemen War Mosaic is divided in two parts
Part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-575a-yemen-war-mosaic-575a/
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
In Italics: Part 2
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
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp1c1 Houthi-Angriff auf saudischen Ölanlagen: Deutsch / Houthi raids against Saudi oil facilities: German
cp1c2 Houthi-Angriff auf saudischen Ölanlagen: Englisch / Houthi raids against Saudi oil facilities: English
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Bürgerkrieg im Südjemen / Civil war in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(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
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
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ARTE-Film: Jemen: Blockade hungert Zivilisten aus
Immer wieder blockieren sowohl die jemenitische Regierung, als auch die Huthi-Rebellen die Lieferung von Hilfsgütern, wie Lebensmitteln und Medikamenten, in feindliche Gebiete. Das führte unter anderem zu einer Cholera-Epidemie, die vor allem Kinder trifft. An dieser Strategie des Aushungerns, die Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate gezielt einsetzen, sind auch in Frankreich hergestellte Schiffe und Ausrüstung beteiligt.
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/091513-001-A/jemen-blockade-hungert-zivilisten-aus/
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Yemen: On the Brink
How the country became home to the world’s worst humanitarian disaster—and how we all can help
Right now, more than 15 million people in Yemen are on the brink of starvation. More than one million have cholera. At least three million have been forced to flee their homes, and almost 400,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition.
The U.N. numbers of the situation in Yemen are almost unimaginable. And things there are getting worse—much worse.
The number of people in “acute need” in Yemen rose by nearly 30% from 2018 to 2019, the U.N. says.
“The situation in Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis of our generation, with 24 million people in need of aid,” Mark C. Smith, World Vision’s senior director for humanitarian emergencies, says. “To put that in perspective, that’s 80% of their population. Imagine over 260 million Americans needing humanitarian aid, that’s what’s going on in Yemen.”
However, even though the U.N. has called the crisis in Yemen the “worst in the world” with a nearly unprecedented need, many Americans remain unaware of the situation, the dire need for aid and what can be done to prevent millions from starving to death, being victims of violence or succumbing to one of the worst cholera outbreaks in recorded history.
The violence, mass displacement and food shortages have plagued the population for years, but recently, the situation has gotten even worse: Yemen is now experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in recorded history.
“This is because the water and sanitation systems have been disrupted by on-the-ground conflicts but also the airstrikes,” Scribner explains. “So you have a lack of sanitation, a lack of clean water, which has really contributed to this cholera epidemic.”
Now, a population of millions is under the constant threat of violence, cholera and famine.
Duss notes that organizations like Oxfam are working to help the people in the country that need financial support, but political pressure to stop the bombing is also essential. “The Saudis are continuing to do this,” he says.
https://relevantmagazine.com/issue-101/yemen-on-the-brink/
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Sen. Chris Murphy
1/ Okay, in a few tweets I'm going to try to explain what's going on in Yemen today, so you have some knowledge to counter this claim that America needs to bomb Iran because the Houthis bombed Saudi Arabia. It's complicated, but now you need to know.
The conflict btwn Saudi Arabia and Yemen roughly dates from the 1932 founding of Saudi Arabia, when the new kingdom took territory from Yemen in a war set off by a border dispute. The Saudis has attempted to influence Yemeni affairs every since.
The Houthis are a group of Shia tribes in northern Yemen who practice a distinct form of Islam called Zaidism. In the 1980s, the Saudis began a campaign to push Sunni Wahabism into Houthi areas, creating massive friction with Houthi communities.
Saudi Arabia sent Wahhabi settlers into Houthi areas to try to dilute Zaidism and increase Saudi influence in north Yemen. The Houthi resistance to the Saudis, and their patron governments in the Yemeni capital, grew and grew.
In the 2000s, Saudi backed Yemeni governments carried out 6 separate wars against the now rebelling Houthis. Bush opposed most of these wars, believing the anti-Houthi campaigns to be doing more harm than good, especially as the Houthis began to reach out to Iran for help.
Over the course of these wars, the Houthi military capabilities grew, and by 2010 they were the most battle tested army in Yemen. In 2015 they successfully marched on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and Saudi Arabia and UAE initiated a full fledged war against the Houthis.
Since 2015, there have been atrocities committed by both sides. Casualties are hard to track, but it could be that 100,000 Yemenis have died in the war, and the resulting humanitarian disaster has resulted in another 100,000 children dying of starvation or disease.
The cholera outbreak (the result of water treatment plants being destroyed) is the worst in recorded world history. Houthis refuse to let food & medicine reach contested areas. Saudis drop bombs on hospitals and school buses. Bottom line - it's the ugliest war on the planet.
Over time, the Houthis have turned to Iran for more and more help. The Iranians don't have a command and control relationship with Houthis, but their influence grows every day the war continues. Houthi drones likely come from Iran.
Over time, a dangerous game of escalating behavior has developed. Saudis kill a bunch of Houthi civilians, then the Houthis launch an attack in Saudi Arabia. The latest attack on the Saudi refinery follows a Saudi attack on Dhamar prison which killed 100 people.
Bottom line: the Saudis sowed the seeds of this mess. They marginalized the Houthis in the 80s and thru the 2000s wars. They bungled the prosecution of the post 2015 conflict. Houthis/Iranians have blood on their hands too, but the U.S. should not be a part of this disaster.
https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1173406486082609152
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
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UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Situation of human rights in Yemen, including violations and abuses since September 2014 - Report of the detailed findings of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen (A/HRC/42/CRP.1)
Summary
Submitted as a supplement to A/HRC/42/17, this report sets out the detailed findings of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen mandated to investigate violations by parties to the conflict since September 2014.
Some parties to the conflict, namely the Governments of Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt chose not to cooperate with the Group of Eminent Experts. The de facto authorities responded to the questions posed in writing and agreed to a visit of the Group of Experts to Sana’a, however the lack of cooperation by the Government and coalition members prevented any access to Yemen. Despite access constraints, the Group of Experts gathered a wide array of evidence related to allegations of violations of international law in Yemen since September 2014.
The Group of Experts found reasonable grounds to believe that the parties to the conflict in Yemen are responsible for an array of human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law. Some of these violations are likely to amount to war crimes. The summary of these findings is included in A/HRC/42/17.
This report presents the details of the findings by the Group of Experts with regard to the practical impact of these violations on the lives of ordinary Yemenis, which has been immense and wide ranging. Shelling and airstrikes create the sense that there is no safe place to hide from the fighting. Landmines left by the Houthis kill and maim people long after battles have subsided. The blockade, siege-like tactics, attacks impacting objects essential to the survival of the population and impediments to the delivery of aid deprive the population of necessary items amidst the unprecedented humanitarian crisis. People are arrested and detained arbitrarily, disappeared, and subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence. The population lives in fear of being detained or otherwise targeted for any perceived dissent. Parties to the conflict actively recruit children, including through force, and restrict the work of activists, journalists, human rights defenders and humanitarian workers.
The Group of Experts has identified a number of individuals who may bear responsibility for violations and possible crimes. The individuals concerned should be investigated with a view to prosecution. Their names have been communicated on a strictly confidential basis to the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The failure of the parties to acknowledge any responsibility for violations and their refusal to take any meaningful steps to remedy the situations from which they occur has resulted in a pervasive lack of accountability, which only further encourages the cycle of disregard for the rights of the Yemeni population and foments impunity for crimes committed in Yemen. The Government of Yemen has a responsibility to remedy the violations as a matter of the utmost urgency. The de facto authorities and members of the coalition, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, bear enormous responsibility and must take action against those within their ranks who are responsible.
The onus is also on the international community, especially those States that have influence over parties to the conflict, to both condemn and take appropriate steps to prevent the violations and to assist Yemen in ensuring that the perpetrators of crimes are held to account. Moreoever, the continued supply of weapons to parties involved in the conflict in Yemen perpetuates the conflict and the suffering of the population.
The Group of Experts and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have formulated concrete recommendations in their reports to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/30/31, A/HRC/33/38, A/HRC/36/33, A/HRC39/43, and A/HRC/42/17), as have many international and national civil society organizations. These recommendations should be implemented immediately.
The Group of Experts reiterates that steps required to address the human rights and international law violations in Yemen have been continually discussed, and there can no longer be any excuses made for failure to take meaningful steps to address them. The best way to protect the Yemeni population is to stop the fighting by reaching a political settlement which includes measures for accountability.
and full report: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A_HRC_42_CRP_1.pdf
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Introduction to Just Security Series on UN Yemen Report
Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a Report (including a 274-page Supplement) by a Group of Eminent and Regional Experts on Yemen that the Council commissioned to investigate “violations by parties to the conflict” in Yemen since September 2014. The Report presents “findings by the Group of Experts with regard to the practical impact of these violations on the lives of ordinary Yemenis, which has been immense and wide ranging.” It details not only human rights violations during the non-international armed conflict underway in Yemen, but also significant violations of international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to war crimes in the view of the Report’s authors. The Report also finds that several major military powers – including the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Iran – may be complicit due to their roles in supporting the Saudi-led coalition through arms sales and other forms of support, or in the case of Iran, supporting the Houthis. It emphasizes that all parties to the conflict, and their supporters, shoulder blame for the immense toll on Yemen’s civilian population.
In reaching its legal conclusions, the Report interprets numerous provisions of human rights and international humanitarian law, including obligations for which the scope of application and precise content are the subject of debate in the scholarly community and among states.
Just Security has long focused on the Yemen War, and it bears noting that the Report cites five articles published by Just Security, including:
on siege warfare and starvation of civilians (by Beth Van Shaack);
on interference with humanitarian relief operations and famine (by Nathalie Weizmann);
on arms transfers to the Saudi-led Coalition possibly amounting to war crimes liability (by Ryan Goodman);
on potential US complicity in support for Saudi airstrikes (by Oona Hathaway);
on the duty of States to ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions (by Oona Hathaway, Alexandra Francis, Alyssa Yamamoto, Srinath Reddy Kethireddy and Aaron Haviland).
Today, we are publishing the first in a series of articles analyzing the Report’s legal conclusions.
https://www.justsecurity.org/66149/introduction-to-just-security-series-on-un-yemen-report/
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The UN Yemen Report and Siege Warfare
The assessment that the “impact of these violations on the lives of ordinary Yemenis … has been immense and wide ranging” cannot be disputed. In reaching their final conclusions, the Experts applied IHL, including certain interpretations of IHL rules that remain contested among States, to complex conditions of urban warfare. In this post, we focus in on the “siege-like tactics” cited in the Expert Report and explain how the IHL rules on starvation, proportionality, and precautions in attacks applied to the Siege of Ta’izz.
The Siege of Ta’izz
In 2015-2016, a battle for the city of Ta’izz was fought between the Houthi-Saleh fighters and Yemeni armed forces loyal to President Hadi that were operating together with various loosely organized armed groups (supported by the Saudi-led Coalition). During the battle, the Houthi-Saleh fighters cut the two main supply roads into the city after having been pushed to its outskirts. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen described Ta’izz as “under a virtual state of siege” in which “[l]ittle, if any, commercial goods or humanitarian assistance have been able to enter the [affected] districts.” Houthi restrictions on transportation into the besieged areas of the city included such essential civilian goods as medical supplies and equipment, gas cylinders for cooking, and food other than small amounts for personal consumption; in some cases, medical and humanitarian personnel were barred from entering the city. Among the tactics employed to enforce the siege was the use of snipers to shoot civilians at checkpoints.
In March 2016, Yemeni armed forces opened one of the roads into the city, thereby breaking the siege, but access was still very limited, delivery of humanitarian assistance continued to be severely hampered, and the humanitarian situation remained dire. In a sense, the siege continued, albeit not at the previous level. Other areas of the country have also been subjected to siege-like restrictions, including on humanitarian assistance, that have caused severe civilian suffering.
Sieges and International Humanitarian Law
Concluding Thoughts
Sieges are lawful so long as directed at enemy forces (and not intended to starve the civilian population), compliant with the rule of proportionality, and consistent with the requirement to take precautions in attack. As to the obligation to allow humanitarian assistance, we realize that the views expressed in the US and UK manuals and by the aforementioned scholars reflect the traditional understanding of siege law.
[…] it is no longer lawful to use force to keep civilians in a besieged area. Accordingly, we are at ease endorsing the Expert Report’s conclusions on the state of the law, subject to the important condition that a besieged force not use humanitarian relief supplies for its own purposes.
Our only hesitancy comes, therefore, with respect to the Expert Report’s finding of a breach of the obligation to allow humanitarian supplies into the besieged areas. The Experts note that aid was sometimes diverted for use by the besieged forces. However, there is no indication as to the besieging forces’ rationale for blocking delivery. If delivery of the essential supplies for the civilian population were blocked based on a reasonable belief that they would be used by the besieged forces, our view is that there was no violation of IHL – unless the siege caused excessive harm to the civilian population, thus running afoul of the rule of proportionality. Yet, if the motivation was for any other purposes, such as maliciousness or to seize them for the besieging force’s own use, blocking or otherwise hindering delivery was unlawful regardless of whether proportionality was also violated. Finally, we note that it appears from the reports of civilian suffering that the siege of Ta’izz violated the rule of proportionality and the requirement to take precautions in attack. However, without greater granularity on the military advantage the siege afforded Houthi forces, any definitive conclusion along these lines would be somewhat premature – by Michael Schmitt, Kieran Tinkler and Durward Johnson
https://www.justsecurity.org/66137/the-un-yemen-report-and-siege-warfare/
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The UN Report and Indiscriminate Attacks in Yemen
Facts are more important than law. Yemeni women and men, girls and boys, have been killed and maimed, tortured and raped, detained and starved, by officials and agents of the governments of Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, as well as by Houthi fighters acting on behalf of Ansar Allah. Every victim has a name. So does every perpetrator.
Nevertheless, the Group makes a number of important legal findings, which it summarizes with admirable bluntness:
„The Group of Experts found reasonable grounds to believe that the parties to the conflict in Yemen are responsible for an array of human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law. Some of these violations are likely to amount to war crimes.“
This post will focus on the Group’s discussion of indiscriminate attacks under international humanitarian law (IHL, or the law of armed conflict) and international criminal law.
The Group found reasonable grounds to believe that Houthi fighters, Yemeni armed forces, and armed groups backed by the United Arab Emirates carried out indiscriminate attacks by using “indirect fire weapons with wide-area impact, such as rockets, mortars and artillery” in “civilian populated area[s],” killing hundreds of men, women, and children. In each case, the Group found that “the imprecise nature of the weapons used and the areas at which they were directed rendered the attacks indiscriminate.”
The supplemental report makes clear that the Group builds on earlier work by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC)
As the Group notes, the ICRC says that the use of explosive weapons with wide impact area is likely to fall foul of the IHL rules prohibiting indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. The ICRC does not say that the use of such weapons in such areas “renders” the attack indiscriminate or disproportionate. To the extent that the Group relies on the ICRC’s persuasive authority, it might have said that the type of weapon used and the area at which it was launched provide reasonable grounds to believe that the attacks were indiscriminate or disproportionate.
Does any of this matter? Morally, not a bit. Legally, perhaps. In my view, the ICRC is trying to interrupt our endless debates over the precise content of specific legal rules to remind us what these rules are for. The ICRC notes that “[i]t is unclear what States consider to be the degree or standard of accuracy of a weapon that would be acceptable … generally or in a given operational situation.” Similarly, “there remains uncertainty regarding which reverberating effects of an attack”—for example, death caused by disruption of medical services caused by damage to hospitals—are sufficiently “foreseeable” to render an attack disproportionate.
Eventually, we’ll have to settle these debates in light of the law’s object and purpose: “the overarching objective of protecting civilians and civilian objects against the effects of hostilities.”
The very least the United States can do is withhold comment on the Group’s report. There may be some in our government who wish to reserve a “right” to use wide-impact weapons in densely populated areas. There may be others who wish to impede efforts by U.N. bodies and NGOs to hold us accountable for apparent violations of international law. They should sit this one out. Our country’s support for Yemeni, Emirati, and Saudi operations is disgraceful enough as it is – by Adil Ahmad Haque
https://www.justsecurity.org/66170/the-un-report-and-indiscriminate-attacks-in-yemen/
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'Everything is missing': Yemen war's front lines start at civilians' doorsteps
Numbed by a war that seems to have no end in sight, Yemenis carry on despite lack of aid and infrastructure
Ibrahim al-Abid, a 14-year-old boy in a sand-coloured caftan, moves his hands nervously to mimic the oscillation of his home as he recalls the moment when the neighbouring building was hit by a missile.
He felt the walls shaking, and immediately rushed out of the house to help.
What he found, lying under the rubble in the courtyard, were 10 of his relatives who had gathered to dine together.
“They were waiting for Ahmed to return from the bakery. A few minutes after he arrived, the building was hit,” Abid tells Middle East Eye. "They all died."
Looking up at the sky, he proceeds to describe the sound of the drones, and his fear.
“In war, you learn as a child that when you hear the strike, it’s already too late,” Abid says as he walks on the debris of the building in Sanaa’s Old City.
“We are used to it now,” his cousins, Mohammed, 12, and Kamal, 11, say.
One of their cousins could have survived that night, had the ambulance on the scene been equipped with oxygen.
“Everything is missing here,” Abid says.
A vicious circle
Stepping into Sanaa’s old souk, one may question the severity of Yemen's war. The markets are full of fruits, vegetables and qat, a mild narcotic plant popular in Yemen. Store shelves are stacked with bread, and pharmacies can provide all types of medicine.
Yet, across the capital, basic necessities are missing from homes, and hospital wards are filled to capacity with malnourished children.
The entrance to Al-Sabaeen hospital in Sanaa is crowded from the early hours of the morning with mothers, children and the elderly.
Children come in with a dual set of symptoms: cholera and malnutrition, Dr Abdullah Aji says as he puts on a medical mask and enters the triage area.
“We treat cholera, then malnutrition. Then we send them home, or to the refugee camps where they live, but then everything starts from the beginning,” he tells MEE.
Aji speaks of a vicious circle where treatment is only temporary for children living in extreme poverty, with no food or potable water.
“The lucky ones return, the others die. And the majority of those who die remain outside the statistics because they die in remote villages,” says Aji.
Aid no longer comes
“But the aid no longer comes,” Fatima says. “We have not received anything in three months.”
“Everything is missing,” she adds.
'War has caused diseases that we have not seen in years'
Already declared as the world’s most serious humanitarian crisis, the situation in Yemen is likely to get worse, with the United Nations saying more life-saving programmes will be closed over the next two months due to lack of funds.
Between a rock and a hard place
The road north towards Saada, a northwestern province bordering Saudi Arabia, goes through valleys, rural areas, huts made of leaves and mud, and refugee camps scattered between mountains.
As a rebel stronghold, Saada has been regularly targeted by the coalition since it intervened in Yemen to support the internationally-recognised Yemeni government against the Houthi rebels.
Most of the displaced in the Khamir camp, in neighbouring Amran province, have fled Saada, but the journey to the camp can be dangerous.
Abdullah says they receive food aid sometimes, but that has become increasingly rare.
“Sometimes we have nothing to eat... And so I leave the camp to beg or I pick up plastic to sell for a handful of rials, but the little I put together in the morning is already gone by the evening.”
Like many others, Abdullah seems to be numbed by hardship. She doesn’t complain, she says, but the memory of the escape and of her husband’s body lying on the asphalt has put a strain on her, at times pushing her to be violent with her children – by Francesca Mannocchi
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemeni-civilians-face-war-front-lines
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Human Trafficking is Booming in Yemen as the War Enters its Fifth Year
A complete absence of law and order in Yemen has given rise to a black Suq (market) of human trafficking on a scale never before seen in the war-torn and war-weary nation.
Thirty-five-year-old Tawfiq hails from Amran, a small city in west-central Yemen famous for its ancient mud-brick high-rises dating back two millennia to the Sabean kingdom. Tawfiq was among 17 Yemeni victims of human trafficking who agreed to speak to MintPress about their harrowing ordeals. In 2016, Tawfiq — desperate to bring money home to his family, as the then-fledgling war decimated the already shaky Yemeni economy — was told by a friend that he could earn as much as $7,000 for one of his kidneys. Days later Tawfiq was on a bus to Saudi Arabia, traveling through al-Wadeeah port on the Yemen-Saudi border.
Today, Tawfiq suffers from complications arising from his kidney extraction and is now unable to carry heavy objects. He told MintPress, “I thought that removing a kidney would be a simple arrangement, but now I live in a hell of pain and suffering.” Tawfiq’s operation was crude and involved no follow-up care.
Ismail, the owner of a small electronics store in Taiz, told MintPress, as he pointed to the place where one of his kidneys use to reside, “I needed money to feed my children.” Ismail hesitated while he recounted his story, worried that the shame of what he had done would reach his family. Yet thousands of Yemeni civilians who are living in abject poverty as a result of the ongoing war are willing to allow a part of themselves to be cut out and sold in order to be able to sustain their families.
Ali al-Jailai, head of the Yemen Organisation for Combating Human Trafficking, told MintPress that the wave of famine that hit the country in 2015, when the Saudi-led war began, has augmented Yemen’s human trafficking network and left women and children the most vulnerable.
The Yemen Organisation for Combating Human Trafficking, a Sana’a-based NGO, has documented over 10,000 cases of organ sales from the start of the war in March 2015 to 2017. According to the organization, actual figures could be much higher, as many cases go unreported owing to the illegality of the practice, religious concerns, and the associated stigma of the practice in Yemen’s conservative society.
Although he lost one of his kidneys, Tawfiq was lucky. Hundreds of Yemenis, including women and children, forced to “donate” their organs, lose their lives after their livers, kidneys, spleens, corneas, or even their hearts are removed. One Yemeni family recounted to MintPress, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, how they found their son after he went missing: “After his abduction we found his body thrown in the street, you could see there had been an operation on his body; we asked for an autopsy and were in shock after we found his heart was gone.”
Blockading a way out
In addition to poverty and the absence of law enforcement, there are other reasons why human trafficking flourishes in Yemen, perhaps the most prominent being the blockade levied against the country by the Saudi Coalition since 2015.
Officials work with brokers and smugglers
Maha, who wished to be identified only by her first name, and her friend, who asked to remain anonymous, recounted how a Yemeni broker had managed to secure passports for them by contacting staff members at the Yemeni Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who then, together with a Saudi black-market organ dealer, created a formal medical report to make the sale of Maha and her friend’s kidneys look like a legitimate donor transplant.
The Yemen Organisation for Combating Human Trafficking told MintPress that collusion by government officials is rampant in Egypt thanks to the large fees government employees charge for coordinating organ sales. “I used to travel to Egypt every month along with a group of girls where we would attend concerts at the Emirati Embassy; the trips were coordinated by high-level employees at the Yemeni Embassy,” Maha told MintPress.
Yemen’s penal code calls for 10 years’ imprisonment for those engaged in human trafficking. However, not only are those laws not being implemented, government officials, especially those in the Aden-based government of Saudi-backed Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, are often directly involved in smuggling victims abroad and issuing permits to make the sale of organs appear as legitimate donations to recipients in countries that are supposed to require the approval of the Yemeni Embassy, especially Egypt.
MintPress interviewed three Yemeni brokers who said officials in Yemen were assisting them in obtaining travel documents for their victims and connecting them with brokers in Saudi Arabia and Egypt to arrange their travel, accommodation, and surgeries in direct coordination with staff in their countries’ embassies. “The government entities here [in Yemen] and in Saudi Arabia make bringing Yemenis abroad easy for us,” one of the brokers who asked to be identified as Abu Saiyad, which translates to The Hunter in English, told MintPress. – by Ahmed AbdulKareem
Harvesting prisoners of war
Yemen’s women and girls at risk
https://www.mintpressnews.com/human-trafficking-booming-yemen-war/261818/
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A Fractious Unity: Conflict Dynamics in Yemen’s South
Rising tensions in Yemen’s South are rooted in long-held Southern grievances and a desire for autonomy.
While the subject of regional states’ involvement in Yemen’s war – and their divergent objectives – deserve special attention, the issue of Southerners’ discontent and desire for autonomy merits close analysis in its own right. Assuming that the STC is simply a UAE client that will relinquish its cause if its funding is severed is a fundamental misconception that could lead to further failed policies in dealing with the South.
Civil War and the Islah Problem
The Southern desire for independence dates back to the 1994 war of secession, which lasted three months and killed between 5,000 and 7,000 people.
According to the International Crisis Group, Saleh’s regime allowed members affiliated with the Islah Party certain transgressions following the war:
According to Southerners, Saleh’s regime allowed Islah to control politics in Aden. Salafist wings of Islah established mosques and schools throughout the South, which many educated Southerners considered as an attempt to alter the region’s open traditions and Sufism, prevalent in Hadramout governorate.
Structural Violence and Suppression of Dissent
Adding to Southerners’ grievances was a sense of neglect as tens of thousands of Southern soldiers and civil servants were forced to retire following the 1994 conflict.
The South after the 2011 Uprising and the Role of the United Arab Emirates
Many Yemenis and observers alike presumed that the consensus candidate for president chosen after Saleh’s ouster, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, would address the Southern need for political representation and dampen the calls for secession given that Hadi himself is from Abyan in Yemen’s South. However, many Southerners instead see Hadi as part of the problem as he sided with Saleh, served as his vice president, and is seen as having helped Saleh win the war against the South.
Nevertheless, after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and Hadi fled house arrest on February 21, 2015, he enjoyed a brief popularity in Aden that ended when he left for Saudi Arabia with members of his Cabinet before the Houthis attacked the city and seized the airport. The abrupt departure of Hadi left Southerners to defend their lands from an incursion by an alliance of Houthi and Saleh forces. Southern Hirak activists loosely organized to protect their cities from what they perceived as another “Northern invasion.”
Although Emirati special forces belonging to the Saudi-led coalition intervened and aided Southerners in reclaiming Aden and surrounding territory from the Houthis, many Southerners believed that liberation was possible because of their already existing local military capacities and rejection of Northern rule. Moreover, the UAE was able to find a reliable ally in Aden, as the informal Southern army shared the UAE’s objectives of resistance to the Houthis, countering terrorism in their communities, and rejecting the ideology of Islah.
The Southern Transitional Council – a group of Hirak members, Southern elites and activists, discharged military personnel, and labor union workers who support Southern autonomy started organizing in 2016 and was seen as a reincarnation of Hirak. The STC was supported by the UAE-backed Southern Security Belt forces and became a political power that threatened the interests of the Islah Party within the government. Although the STC is not representative of every Southern faction, it remains the region’s largest movement.
The recent clashes between Hadi government and STC forces following Abu Yamamah’s death, and the defeats that the STC has faced in the governorates of Shabwa and Abyan, underscore the complexity of the South.
Opaque practices by the government in recruitment of its national army forces, and bringing what Southerners perceive as a Northern army with Islah militia members into the region raises the stakes for Southerners who feel that they are now at a point of no return. The situation was further complicated with the UAE’s airstrikes on August 29 on what it claimed to be “terrorist organizations” but the Hadi government claimed were members of the national army. Furthermore, the STC accused Islah members in the government of encouraging unarmed groups to create civil unrest in Aden, as mobs started vandalizing various residential neighborhoods. In a similar vein, abuses conducted by the STC on unarmed Northerners and prisoners of war, which have been condemned nationwide, reflect a high degree of mistrust and regionalism.
Neither the Hadi government nor Saudi Arabia are in a position to accept the STC and its demands. For the Saudis and Hadi, the STC’s push for independence could cause the coalition to lose the war to the Houthis because losing the South would weaken Hadi’s government, which would be left with small governorates to govern, and the fighting diverts resources and manpower away from what they perceive as the real threat.
With the STC realizing that the Saudis are the main impediments toward the formation of their independent state, it provided assurances of supporting the Hadi government and the coalition in their fight against the Houthis.
For its part, the Hadi government does not want to see the UAE exert any influence on the South, which it perceives as an infringement of its rights and sovereignty. But for many Southerners, the UAE provides the international support needed if their cause is to advance. For this reason, the STC is seeking the support of Saudi Arabia and is in active talks with Russia.
Even if the UAE withdraws support, Southerners’ desire for autonomy is unlikely to disappear – by Fatima Abo Alasrar
https://agsiw.org/a-fractious-unity-conflict-dynamics-in-yemens-south/
(** B K P)
How UAE airstrikes on government forces changed military map in Aden
Yemen's Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that it had asked the UN Security Council “to hold a session on the blatant shelling by UAE” against government forces.
This statement wasn't published by UAE-owned Sky News Arabia, and the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya channel reported on the issues in an article that used careful language and at times only hinted at accusations.
While Al Arabiya published the UAE Foreign Ministry's statement that confirmed the airstrikes in Aden, the nature of the report drew much criticism from Hadi’s supporters.
“Saudi media celebrated the statement of the UAE’s Foreign Ministry,” tweeted Anees Mansour, media adviser at the Yemeni Embassy in Riyadh. “And refused to deal with the crime of the UAE aircraft bombing [of Hadi’s troops], and the statement of President Hadi and statements of ministers of the legitimate government.”
The situation further escalated when the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council and the Saudi-backed government refused to attend Saudi-sponsored talks. On Aug. 21, Hadi’s government said it would not hold talks with the separatists unless they hand back control of the port of Aden.
The Southern Transitional Council welcomed the US call for dialogue, saying on Twitter that the Southern Transitional Council “is ready for dialogue with” the Republic of Yemen.
On Sept. 4, Saudi Arabia hosted indirect talks between the two parties in Jeddah, while the government ruled out any talks with the separatists, holding on to its condition that they withdraw from the government's institutions in Aden.
On Sept. 8, Saudi Arabia and the UAE issued a joint statement calling on the separatists and government troops to halt all military actions in southern Yemen and prepare for “constructive dialogue.”
Reuters reported that the Jeddah talks had met a dead end.
The dispute between the Islah Party, Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood arm, and the separatists dates back to the 1994 civil war, when the latter accused the party of killing hundreds of their people.
Ahmed al-Maisari, the interior minister of the Saudi-backed government, reiterated his government’s refusal to sit with the separatists, describing them as tools.
In a Sept. 4 voice recording, Maisari said the Hadi government would rather talk with their main backer, the UAE. “If there is to be a dialogue, it will be with the UAE,” he said.
After clashes erupted in Aden on Aug. 10, Maisari fled to Riyadh.
Following the indirect talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia expressed Sept. 5 its “complete rejection” of the Southern Transitional Council, calling on it to hand over control of military bases to Hadi’s government.
In a statement published by the Saudi official news agency SPA, the kingdom decried the separatists’ failure to adhere to its “previous call to cease the escalation and move toward dialogue.”
But Abdo said, “The Saudi-led coalition knows very well that the southerners are the only partners who achieved progress on the ground and liberated many areas in Yemen.” He said that “losing the southern people is not an easy choice for Saudi Arabia.”
It could be that even more violence awaits Yemen.
“If Hadi's government insists on another war, we may witness a wide and comprehensive death toll, in which the winner will be the terrorist organizations and the Houthi people,” Abo-Awdhal told Al-Monitor. He referred to Hadi's defeat of the separatists during the 1994 war between the south and north of Yemen after its unification in 1990.
The war “is what I expect to happen in light of the signs of division within [the Saudi-led coalition],” Abo-Awdhal said. “It's this division that forces one of the parties in the kingdom to support the Muslim Brotherhood movement [Islah Party].” – by Naseh Shaker
(** B P)
Thinking outside the box: Towards a new legitimacy in Yemen
I write this from Riyadh after meetings with representatives of all political spectrums in Yemen. Fifty-four months after the start of the war there and after all the military and UN efforts and calls for a dialogue that would put the country on a path to peace and spare future generations the scourge of bloodshed, destruction, hatred and revenge with no tangible results, it is time to try to think of a different approach to the crisis.
I do not doubt that what happened on September 21, 2014, was a defining moment in Yemen’s history, what with the inaction of official institutions and the dubious reactions of the political parties to it to have a fait accompli that they accepted to arrange their own affairs within the framework of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement, which, in essence, transferred power to an inexperienced armed group that did not have legitimacy.
In my opinion, the war in Yemen:
1 - is a struggle for power using military tools;
2 - is going to leave a profound and chronic negative effect on Yemenis because of the unprecedented bloodshed and destruction it caused;
3 - is a war of influence between the major regional powers;
4 - is a clear illustration of the great political failure of those who ran the country during the transitional period;
5 - is a natural consequence of the failure of the regimes preceding the transitional period to establish and consolidate the foundations of institutional rule and of the spread of corruption as well as the autocratic political and economic rule of a small powerful minority;
6 - was the expected result of the failure of the neighbouring countries, despite multiple warnings, to pay attention to Yemen as an important and pivotal state in the regional conflict, since it was a link with the weakest resistance in the attempts by rival powers to penetrate the Arab region;
7 - was the result of the regional neglect to develop the largest reservoir of human and agricultural resources in the region
Accepting the principle of constitutional legitimacy is a foregone conclusion and this despite the many reservations and criticism that one might levy against those who represent it but I reiterate my view that we need to consider the convictions of the leaderships of all sides that the military options did not and will not lead to the victory of one side over the other and that the human and economic cost of these wars will undoubtedly cast a heavy shadow over coming generations and that it will not be easy, and perhaps impossible, for the region to regain its social peace soon.
What we need to do is to think about solutions that some might see as diminishing their political status or as expressing their lack of decisiveness or as an attempt to establish a fait accompli without the backing of an encompassing national will.
I, therefore, put forward the following proposals:
1 - The Gulf initiative is no longer valid now that the facts on the ground have changed; a new framework must, therefore, be agreed upon to accommodate the current political map.
2 - UN Security Council Resolution 2216 is the cover for the continuation of this war and the continuation of the authority system in its current form. This necessitates the search for amendments to meet the requirements of a new phase whose features differ completely from those of the situation prevailing in March 2015.
3 -There is almost unanimity on the incapacity and corruption of the current authority, on its inability to think positively and on its lack of political imagination.
4 -The current legitimacy does not enjoy popular support and depends solely on regional support, which is beginning to look at it as a slouchy and corrupt body and a heavy burden. Hence, it is necessary to think seriously about finding an alternative body capable of facing reality because it is rather like doing battle with windmills – by Mustafa al-No‘man
https://thearabweekly.com/thinking-outside-box-towards-new-legitimacy-yemen
My comment: From a pro-saudi news site, written in Riyadh! This is a quite new tune from the Saudi side. A first sign that the Saudis could be willing to accept new ideas, to accept the siruation as it actually is and not as they wish it to be, a first sign that there really could be a will to end the war?
(** B K P)
A 3-Step Program for War-Weary Yemen
The first step toward de-escalation and eventual reunification in Yemen can only come about if outside powers end their involvement in the country
Can Yemen be put back together again? The short answer to the question is, yes, it can be repaired, and for the sake of regional stability and security, the country must be repaired. A divided Yemen will result in years of on and off war between the north and south; southern Yemen will be more of a haven for militant Salafi groups like Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Iran may deepen its relationship with the Houthis in the north. A divided Yemen is a recipe for chronic instability and conflict in a country that occupies a strategic position along one of the world’s most important trade routes.
The problem with a divided Yemen is that a majority of the country’s population of twenty-eight million live in the north and most of Yemen’s natural resources, its oil and gas, gold and other minerals, as well as its last untapped aquifers are in the south. The north, which is more populous, more socially cohesive, and well-armed will fight to secure access to those resources. Without them, northern Yemen is not viable as a nation over a long-term period.
It was the discovery of oil combined with deteriorating economic conditions in the south, in what was then the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), which partly drove it to join the north, what was then the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR).
At the same time that the Saleh-led government was persecuting the leaders and members of southern political groups, it was also engaged in a vicious war against the Houthi rebels in the far northwest of the country. The reasons for the formation and rise of the Houthis are complex, but they bear some similarities with the rise of the southern based opposition. The Houthis, like those in the south, were politically and economically marginalized. As Zaidi Shia, they were threatened by the construction of Salafi schools and centers in what they regarded as their traditional homeland.
The Saudi and Emirati led intervention ended any hopes of national reconciliation and power sharing, set in motion a set of interlocking wars, and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
So, is there a way back from the chaos that the intervention has brought to Yemen? Yes, Yemen can once again be a unified country with a functioning government. However, the first step toward de-escalation and eventual reunification in Yemen can only come about if—and when—outside powers end their involvement in the country. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran must stop funding and arming what are, in the case of the Saudis and Emiratis, a mushrooming number of militias and “security forces.” So long as money, weapons, and materiel continue to flow to these militias and their commanders, there will be little or no impetus toward de-escalation and eventual disarmament.
Second, the Saudi- and Emirati-imposed blockade on north Yemen must be lifted. The blockade does nothing to stop weaponry from coming into the country since the primary source of the Houthis’ weaponry is the coalition itself. The Houthis buy or capture what they need from the coalition backed proxies. However, the blockade is the major contributing factor to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
Third, the international community should put its efforts behind restarting Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference, or some iteration of it
Any reconciliation in Yemen will be messy, fraught, and prone to sporadic outbreaks of fighting. However, reconciliation and the eventual formation of some kind of unity government are the only paths to a stable and peaceful Yemen – by Michael Horton
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/3-step-program-war-weary-yemen-80296
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* A H)
Yemen starts Cholera vaccination campaign in capital Sana’a
[Sanaa gov.] Yemen’s Ministry of Health along with the global health bodies has begun a new campaign to eradicate an epidemic disease which has claimed many lives in the impoverished country.
The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization along with Yemen’s Ministry has started a cholera vaccination campaign across the capital Sana’a.
(* B H)
An astonishing victory in Yemen
Last month, victory was declared in a war that Yemen has been fighting against a brutal enemy for the past two decades. But in the wider world, the triumph passed almost unnoticed.
this war-weary nation has somehow found the time and force of will to wage and win a war of attrition against one of the world’s most devastating diseases. That it has done so is not only a credit to those involved, and to the international organizations that have supported them through thick and thin. It also serves as a reminder – and, perhaps, as an inspiration – to other nations burdened by apparently all-consuming civil strife.
Yemen’s victory over lymphatic filariasis, perhaps better known as elephantiasis, is proof that real life can, and does, continue to thrive in the cracks between the slabs. Filariasis is one of 20 conditions categorized by the World Health Organization as a Neglected Tropical Disease. It is among the most disturbing.
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/09/opinion/an-astonishing-victory-in-yemen/
(* B H)
UN Children's Fund: Quick impact projects have a long-term effect on cholera in Yemen
Access to health services and water points has deteriorated, leading to increased caseloads of cholera. From January to June 2019 alone, there have been 439,812 suspected cases of cholera, with 695 associated deaths. Children under five and elderly people represent the most vulnerable populations when exposed to water-borne diseases.
As part of its integrated cholera response, UNICEF works closely with the local water authorities to scale up cholera prevention and response activities, including through the Rapid Response Teams and sanitation Quick Impact Projects (QIPs). So far this year, over 8 million people have been reached with water, sanitation and hygiene cholera response and preventative interventions across Yemen in high-risks areas.
These projects have a great impact of the lives of children and their families living in informal settlements, who are particularly exposed to sanitation risks. Most are not connected to public networks or have unemptied cesspits, leading to open sewage and worsening health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Through the QIPs, UNICEF is repairing and rehabilitating sanitation systems and networks in urban and peri-urban areas, improving access to safe water and sanitation services for vulnerable families.
A total of 350,000 people directly benefited from the QIPs in high-risk districts in Aden and Sana’a since the beginning of the year.
These QIPs are directly supported by the European Commission, through its Direct
https://www.unicef.org/yemen/stories/quick-impact-projects-have-long-term-effect-cholera-yemen
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pH)
AGGRESSION HITS A FEMALE CHILD IN HODEIDAH
A female child was wounded on Sunday when US-Saudi aggression launched bombardments on several areas Hodeidah province, western Yemen, a security source said.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/aggression-hits-a-female-child-in-hodeidah/
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi forces targeted several areas of Kilo-16 and Al-Jah area with medium machine-guns and artillery shells.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8798
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi mercenaries targeted civilians' houses in 7thJuly residential neighborhood with artillery shells, burning two houses.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8782
(* A K pS)
Houthi massacres in Hodeidah kill 11, 6 injured most of them are women and children
Two children were killed and four others from one family were injured in the shelling of al-Houthi militias in al-Sab’ah area in Hees district south of Hodeidah, bringing the death toll from Houthi shelling in Hodeidah countryside to 11 dead and six wounded, most of them women and children.
Local sources told Al-Masdar online that Houthi militias shelled civilian homes in the village of Al-Sab’ah, south of Hodeidah district, killing two children and injuring four other sons of Hassan Abdullah Shahah as a result of a shell falling on his house.
His two sons, Rakan, 6, and Mohammed, 12, were killed in the shelling, while his children, Manal, 4, Abu Bakr, 8, Younis, 10, and Azhar, 15, were injured in the shelling.
Nine civilians were killed and two others injured earlier Friday afternoon when Houthi militias shelled homes of citizens in the village of Al-Matinah in Jabalia isolation, in the Al-Tahita district, south of Hodeidah.
An artillery shell landed in a house inhabited by two families, killing nine people, including three children and four women, and injuring two others, according to our sources in Tahita.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171595
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/13277
and also http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/14/c_138390121.htm
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SmArbqwGTM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2VwgWU-uiU
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1172601546946822145
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, a child was injured with US-Saudi mercenaries' gunshots in Attohayta district. US-Saudi mercenaries' targeted Engineering college with medium machine-guns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8769
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi forces targeted Addurayhimi district with different machineguns. US-Saudi mercenaries also attacked Yemeni Army's sites in Hais district with armored ad heavy and medium arms.
The sources said that the shelling hit houses indiscriminately in the afternoon, killing two children and wounding four others from one family.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8755
(A K pS)
Continued suffering suffered by citizens in Hays in Hodeidah as a result of the bombing of Houthi militias
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hWpJniAJH8
(A K P)
UN appoints retired Indian general to lead Hodeidah efforts
The United Nations on Thursday announced that Abhijit Guha, a retired Lieutenant General from the Indian Army, would be the next leader of the UN observer mission in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
Mr Guha succeeds Lt Gen Michael Lollesgaard, of Denmark, becoming the third official tasked with leading UN oversight of a ceasefire agreement in Hodeidah.
(A K Ph)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi forces targeted civilians' houses and properties in Addurayhimi district with artillery shells and machineguns. US-Saudi mercenaries launched an attack on Yemeni Army's sites northern Hais district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8732
(A K pS)
Following their agreement to the ceasefire mechanism. Houthis increase shelling of joint forces positions in Hodeidah
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171539
(A K pS)
Joint forces thwart Houthi attack on al-Tuhita, Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13259
cp1c1 Houthi-Angriff auf saudischen Ölanlagen: Deutsch / Houthi raids against Saudi oil facilities: German
(B E K)
Saudi Arabien vs. Jemen: Die Ölversorgung und unsere Risiken
Das Risiko besteht nicht nur darin, dass die Rohstoffförderung an Grenzen kommt, sondern auch in der Abhängigkeit der Industrieregionen der Welt von wenigen Energieträgern und einer überschaubaren Anzahl von Lieferanten. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass der Vorfall in Saudi Arabien glimpflich, aber spürbar vor sich geht, um diese Abhängigkeiten und die Risiken sichtbar zu machen. Bestenfalls führt dies dazu, dass in der Diskussion um die Transformation unserer Gesellschaft die Seite von (Energie-)Rohstoffen und Versorgungsrisiken einbezogen wird.
https://www.peak-oil.com/2019/09/saudi-arabien-vs-jemen-die-oelversorgung-und-unsere-risiken/
(* B K P)
Angriffe auf Saudi-Arabien - "Nur ein Ende des Jemen-Krieges wird die Lage beruhigen"
In den Drohnenangriffen auf die saudische Ölindustrie sehen Experten eine weitere Eskalation zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien. Hintergrund sei der Machtkampf im Jemen-Krieg.
"Es ist zu früh, um eine Aussage über die Quelle der Drohnen zu machen", sagt die Politikwissenschaftlerin Elham Manea von der Uni Zürich. "Klar ist jedoch, dass einige Gruppen oder Milizen in der Nähe des Iran für die Drohnen verantwortlich sind." Auch wenn sich Huthi-Rebellen aus dem Jemen zu den Angriffen bekannt haben: Manea, die jemenitische Wurzeln hat, bezweifelt, dass der Iran damit nichts zu tun habe. "Den Huthi-Rebellen fehlt das militärische und strategische Wissen, das für solche Angriffe notwendig ist."
Für plausibler hält sie eine neue Eskalationsstufe im Konflikt zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien. Ähnlich sieht das der Islamwissenschaftler Reinhard Schulze von der Uni Bern. Allerdings sieht er die Huthi nicht als "bloßer Handlanger Irans. Möglich ist, dass die Huthi die Iraner zum militärischen Handeln zwingen wollen, um Entlastung im Jemenkrieg zu erhalten."
Wollen Revolutionsgarden die Eskalation?
Laut Schulze gibt es "eine gewisse Plausibilität, dass der Iran seine Hände im Spiel hatte. So könnte Teheran dafür gesorgt haben, dass geeignete Abflugorte den jemenitischen Drohnen zur Verfügung standen, sei es in Iran selbst oder im Irak." Auch könnten die iranischen Revolutionsgarden als Mittäter in die Operation verwickelt sein.
"Sie könnten versuchen, die iranische Regierung unter Druck zu setzen. Nur diese Revolutionsgarden haben ein Interesse an der Eskalation, allein schon deshalb, um neue Alliierte vielleicht auch unter der schiitischen Bevölkerung in Saudi-Arabien zu gewinnen", sagt Schulze. Denn im Osten Saudi-Arabiens gebe es schiitische Gemeinden, um deren Sympathien Teheran buhle.
Mein Kommentar: Hier wird auf der Basis der US-Propaganda munter spekuliert.
(* A B K P)
Eskalation am Golf: Wer half Jemens Rebellen beim Angriff auf das Öl der Saudis?
Nach dem Angriff auf die weltweit größte Ölraffinerie in Saudi-Arabien droht der Konflikt zwischen den USA und Iran zu eskalieren. Was steckt hinter dem Anschlag - und welche Rolle spielen Jemens Rebellen?
Aber wie kamen die Huthi-Rebellen an diese Technologie, die es ihnen ermöglicht, so effektiv auf so große Entfernung zuzuschlagen? Und von welcher Basis starteten die angeblich zehn bewaffneten Drohnen, bevor ihre explosive Ladung auf die Raffinerie und das Ölfeld niederging? Die jemenitische Grenze ist 1000 Kilometer vom Ort des Anschlags entfernt.
In Sanaa feierten die Jemeniten dagegen ihren Erfolg über die geschlagenen Saudi-Araber. Der gelungene Anschlag sei Stadtgespräch Nummer eins, berichtete ein Supermarktbesitzer dem SPIEGEL.
Insider in Sanaa, die keinem bestimmten Lager angehören, behaupten, die Huthis hätten die Drohnen-Technologie tatsächlich selbst entwickelt, wenn auch mit technischer Hilfe aus Iran und von der Hisbollah. Auch Jemeniten in den USA und in Europa hätten geholfen. Bereits im März 2019 habe ein hochrangiger Huthi-Revolutionär, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, in einem Interview mit dem TV-Sender France 24 angekündigt, Anschläge auf Einrichtungen der staatlichen Ölfirma Aramco verüben zu wollen. Dies sei nun offenbar gelungen.
Die Kampfdrohnen seien möglicherweise gar nicht aus dem Jemen gestartet, spekuliert ein Sicherheitsanalyst, der seit drei Jahrzehnten in Sanaa arbeitet, seinen Namen aber aus Sicherheitsgründen nicht veröffentlicht sehen will. Erstmals hätten die Rebellen von einer "Kooperation mit ehrenwerten und freien Männern innerhalb des Königreichs" gesprochen. Damit wird behauptet, dass die Huthis Helfer innerhalb Saudi-Arabiens hätten, die gemeinsam mit ihnen gegen das Regime von König Salman und dem mächtigen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman kämpfen.
(* B K)
Film: WELT HINTERGRUND: Made in Jemen - so effizient sind die Billig-Drohnen der Huthis
Bereits seit längerem beobachten internationale Experten den Einsatz unbemannter Flugzeuge durch die Huthis. Im Gegensatz zu handelsüblichen Drohnen, die beispielsweise die Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) in Syrien und im Irak eingesetzt hatte, wurden in der Vergangenheit bei den Huthis vor allem Drohnen vom Typ «Kasef-1» festgestellt. Diese sind nach einem Bericht einer UN-Expertenkommission identisch mit Drohnen, die auch im Iran produziert werden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ4wTbRpR-o
(* A E K)
Ölpreise steigen: Das sind die Auswirkungen in Deutschland
Die Turbulenzen an den Ölmärkten kommen nicht überraschend. Zum Handelsstart schießen die Ölpreise in die Höhe. Die Frage ist aus Sicht von Experten, wie stark und lange sie anziehen.
Nach den Drohnenangriffen auf die größte Ölraffinerie in Saudi-Arabien sind die Ölpreise am Montag deutlich gestiegen. In den ersten Handelsminuten waren die Preise für Öl bis zu 20 Prozent geklettert, bevor sie einen Teil des Anstiegs wieder abgaben
US-Präsident Donald Trump genehmigte die Freigabe von nationalen Ölreserven im Falle von Engpässen.
Auswirkungen auf Deutschland
Der Preis für Heizöl sprang am Montag regional unterschiedlich um drei bis fünf Cent je Liter nach oben, teilte der Messgeräte-Hersteller Tecson auf seiner Webseite mit.
Die wichtigste Öleinrichtung der Welt ist betroffen
Experten sehen ein Eingreifen der USA denn auch nicht als ausgemachte Sache. Bis eine Schadensfeststellung verfügbar sei, könne er nicht abschätzen, wie wahrscheinlich das Anzapfen der nationalen US-Reserven ist, sagte der US-amerikanische Analyst Robert McNally
(* A B K P)
Angriff aufs Zentrum der Ölindustrie
Nach den Angriffen auf eine saudische Raffinerie wächst die Sorge vor einer Eskalation in der Region. Die USA machen den Iran verantwortlich, der spricht von "maximalen Lügen". Auch an den Rohstoffmärkten herrscht Unruhe.
[Überblicksartikel]
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/saudi-arabien-215.html
(* A B K P)
Harter Schlag für Riad
Erdölförderung in Saudi-Arabien stockt nach Drohnenangriff aus Jemen. USA verbreiten Kriegshetze gegen Iran
[Überblicksartikel]
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/362844.harter-schlag-für-riad.html
weitere Überblicksartikel:
https://orf.at/stories/3137237/
(** A K P)
Angriff aus dem Iran? USA präsentieren Satellitenbilder
Nach dem Luftangriff auf auf wichtige Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien drohen die USA dem Iran mit Vergeltung. Die "New York Times" berichtet von Satellitenbildern, die einen Angriff aus Richtung Iran beweisen sollen.
Die Luftangriffe auf wichtige Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien sind der US-Regierung zufolge eher aus dem Iran oder Irak und nicht aus dem Jemen verübt worden. Auf Satellitenaufnahmen seien mindestens 17 Einschläge zu erkennen und diese seien durch Angriffe aus nördlicher oder nordwestlicher Richtung verursacht worden, berichtet die "New York Times" nach einem Hintergrundgespräch mit US-Regierungsbeamten. Dies passe eher zu Angriffen aus dem nördlichen Persischen Golf, also dem Irak oder Iran, als zu Angriffen aus dem südlich von Saudi-Arabien gelegenen Jemen.
Die Kombination aus vielen Drohnen und Raketen deute aber auf einen Grad an Umfang, Präzision und Finesse hin, der über die Fähigkeiten der Huthi-Rebellen allein hinausgehe, zitierte das Blatt einen US-Regierungsbeamten. Die Huthi-Rebellen sind Verbündete des Iran. Die US-Regierung und das Satellitenbild-Unternehmen DigitalGlobe veröffentlichten Bilder, um die Schäden zu illustrieren (“Die Welt” mit Satellitenbildern)
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article200354754/Saudi-Arabien-Was-die-Satellitenbilder-ueber-die-Angreifer-verraten.html = https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/ausland/krisen/id_86455518/drohnenangriff-in-saudi-arabien-usa-praesentieren-neue-satellitenbilder-.html
Mein Kommentar: Die US-Drohpolitik geht offenbar weiter.
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Huthi-Rebellen drohen mit weiteren Angriffen
Als "legitime Antwort" auf die anhaltende Militärkampagne Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen sehen die Huthi-Rebellen ihren Anschlag auf eine saudi-arabische Ölanlage. Jetzt kündigen sie an, dass es weitere geben wird. An Saudi-Arabien stellen sie unterdessen Forderungen.
Nach der Bombardierung saudischer Ölanlagen haben Jemens Huthi-Rebellen dem Nachbarland mit weiteren Angriffen gedroht. "Wir versichern dem saudischen Regime, dass unser langer Arm jeden von uns gewünschten Ort zum von uns bestimmten Zeitpunkt erreichen kann", erklärte Huthi-Sprecher Jihja Sari. Die Anlagen des staatlichen Öl-Konzerns Aramco seien nach wie vor ein Ziel, erklärte die Miliz. Sie könnten jederzeit angegriffen werden.
Er warnte zudem Firmen und Ausländer davor, sich in den bombardierten Ölanlagen aufzuhalten, da diese jederzeit getroffen werden könnten. Von Saudi-Arabien forderte er, seine "Aggression" gegen den Jemen einzustellen und die Blockade des Landes zu beenden.
https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Huthi-Rebellen-drohen-mit-weiteren-Angriffen-article21274779.html
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Nach Angriff auf Öl-Anlage:"Mit geladener Waffe": Trump droht mit Vergeltungsschlag
Die USA haben ihre Vorwürfe gegen den Iran bekräftigt. Es gebe neue Hinweise über die Flugkörper bei dem Anschlag in Saudi-Arabien. US-Präsident Trump schaltet derweil auf Angriffsmodus.
Nach den Drohnenangriffen auf die größte Ölraffinerie in Saudi-Arabien hat US-Präsident Donald Trump den Urhebern mit einem Vergeltungsschlag gedroht. Zugleich dementierte Trump am Sonntagabend (Ortszeit) auf Twitter seine eigene Aussage, dass er ohne Vorbedingungen zu einem Treffen mit der iranischen Führung bereit sei.
Trump machte keine Angaben dazu, wen die USA für den Urheber des Angriffs halten. Er schrieb auf Twitter: "Es besteht Grund zu der Annahme, dass wir den Täter kennen." Die USA stünden Gewehr bei Fuß, warteten aber auf eine Bestätigung und auf Angaben der saudischen Führung, wen sie für den Angriff verantwortlich mache und unter welchen Bedingungen vorgegangen werden solle.
Der einflussreiche US-Senator und Trump-Vertraute Lindsey Graham hatte sich am Samstag dafür ausgesprochen, iranische Ölraffinerien anzugreifen. Ein solcher Schritt würde der Führung in Teheran "das Rückgrat brechen", schrieb er auf Twitter.
… hatten die USA ihren Vorwurf gegen den Iran noch untermauert. Es gebe Hinweise, dass die Flugkörper aus west-nordwestlicher Richtung und damit aus Richtung des Iran gekommen seien – und nicht aus südlicher Richtung aus dem Jemen, sagte ein US-Regierungsvertreter am Sonntag. Saudi-Arabien habe zudem darauf hingewiesen, dass es Anzeichen gebe, dass auch Marschflugkörper bei den Attacken eingesetzt worden seien. An den Ölanlagen seien 19 Einschlagspunkte gezählt worden. "Es gibt keinen Zweifel, dass der Iran dafür verantwortlich ist. Wie auch immer man das dreht, es gibt kein Entkommen. Es gibt keine anderen Kandidaten," beharrte der Regierungsvertreter auf die Anschuldigungen.
Ölpreis dürfte erheblich ansteigen
Bei den Angriffen waren Produktionsanlagen schwer beschädigt worden. Nach saudischen Angaben fällt bis auf weiteres die Produktion von 5,7 Millionen Barrel (1 Barrel = 159 Liter) Öl pro Tag aus – das entspricht fünf Prozent der weltweiten Produktion. Einem Insider zufolge dürfte es "eher Wochen als Tage" dauern, bis die volle Kapazität wieder erreicht wird. Gleichwohl werde angesichts der hohen Lagerbestände Saudi Arabiens damit gerechnet, dass die Exporte wie üblich weiterliefen.
Experten hatten geschätzt, dass der Ölpreis am Montag zur Eröffnung der Märkte um fünf bis zehn Dollar pro Barrel ansteigen könnte – das würde einer Verteuerung zwischen etwa zehn und 20 Prozent entsprechen.
Irans Präsident Hassan Ruhani hatte die Vorwürfe der USA zurückgewiesen, dass sein Land für die Attacken verantwortlich sei.
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US-Geheimdienste machen Iran für Angriffe auf Ölanlagen verantwortlich
Die USA haben ihren Vorwurf untermauert, dass der Iran hinter den Angriffen auf die Ölanlagen Saudi-Arabiens steckt. Es gebe Hinweise, dass die Flugkörper aus west-nordwestlicher Richtung und damit aus Richtung des Iran gekommen seien – und nicht aus südlicher Richtung aus dem Jemen, sagte ein US-Regierungsvertreter. Saudi-Arabien habe zudem darauf hingewiesen, dass es Anzeichen gebe, dass auch Marschflugkörper bei den Attacken eingesetzt worden seien. An den Ölanlagen seien 19 Einschlagspunkte gezählt worden. Gerätschaften, die offenbar nicht ihre Ziele erreicht hätten, seien sichergestellt worden und würden von saudischen und amerikanischen Geheimdiensten untersucht.
Mein Kommentar: USA zwischen Verschwörungstheorie und Regimechange-Politik gegen den Iran. Wahrscheinlich würde die USA auch noch ein Erdbeben hierfür propagandistisch (und eventuell noch mehr) ausschlachten.
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Nach Drohnenangriff: Iran nennt US-Vorwürfe "unsinnig"
US-Außenminister Mike Pompeo macht den Iran für die Attacken auf zwei Ölraffinerien in Saudi-Arabien verantwortlich. Die Antwort aus Teheran ließ nicht lange auf sich warten und fällt deutlich aus.
"Inmitten der Rufe nach Deeskalation hat der Iran jetzt einen beispiellosen Angriff auf die Welt-Energieversorgung verübt. Es gibt keinen Beweis, dass die Angriffe vom Jemen kamen", verkündete Pompeo über den Kurznachrichtendienst Twitter.
Der Iran wies die Anschuldigungen vehement zurück. Die Vorwürfe seien "unverständlich und unsinnig", erklärte das Außenministerium in Teheran. Sie zielten darauf, "künftige Aktionen" gegen den Iran zu rechtfertigen. "Weil die US-Politik des maximalen Drucks auf den Iran gescheitert ist, sind die Amerikaner nun auf die der maximalen Lügen umgestiegen."
Aber trotz extremer Feindseligkeit sollten die Aussagen von Politikern "ein Minimum an Glaubwürdigkeit" haben, was aber bei den Amerikanern derzeit nicht der Fall sei, so der iranische Außenamtssprecher Abbas Mussawi.
https://www.dw.com/de/nach-drohnenangriff-iran-nennt-us-vorw%C3%BCrfe-unsinnig/a-50437493
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Film: SCHWERPUNKT: Reaktionen auf Drohnenangriff in Saudi Arabien und Not im Jemen
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-595441.html
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Washington macht Teheran für Angriffe auf saudiarabische Ölanlagen verantwortlich
Die US-Regierung hat den Iran für die Drohnenangriffe auf zwei Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien verantwortlich gemacht. "Der Iran hat einen beispiellosen Angriff auf die globale Energieversorgung verübt", schrieb US-Außenminister Mike Pompeo am Samstag im Onlinedienst Twitter.
es gebe "keinen Beweis, dass die Angriffe aus dem Jemen kamen". Die Huthi-Rebellen werden von Riads Erzfeind Teheran unterstützt. Der Iran müsse für seine "Aggressionen zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden", erklärte Pompeo weiter. Washington werde zusammen mit seinen Verbündeten dafür sorgen, dass die weltweite Energieversorgung sichergestellt sei.
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Huthi-Rebellen bekennen sich zu Drohnenangriff auf die grösste Erdölanlage in Saudiarabien – die USA machen Iran verantwortlich
Die jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen bekennen sich zum Drohnenangriff auf die grösste Erdölanlage Saudiarabiens. Sie rechtfertigen ihn mit dem saudischen Militäreinsatz in Jemen. Der Vorfall erhöht die Spannungen in der Golfregion. Mehr als die Hälfte der saudischen Erdölproduktion ist betroffen.
Zu den Angriffen bekannten sich die Huthi-Rebellen aus dem benachbarten Jemen. Der Angriff mit zehn Drohnen sei eine «legitime Antwort» auf den Militäreinsatz Saudiarabiens in Jemen, sagte ein Militärsprecher der Huthi. «Wir versprechen dem saudischen Regime, dass unsere nächste Operation grösser und schmerzhafter sein wird», sagte der Sprecher.
Washington macht Iran für die Drohnenangriffe verantwortlich. Aussenminister Mike Pompeo schrieb am Samstag auf Twitter: «Inmitten der Rufe nach Deeskalation hat Iran jetzt einen beispiellosen Angriff auf die Welt-Energieversorgung verübt. Es gibt keinen Beweis, dass die Angriffe von Jemen her kamen.» Pompeo forderte alle Nationen dazu auf, die iranischen Angriffe «öffentlich und eindeutig» zu verurteilen. Die USA würden sicherstellen, dass Iran für seine Aggression zur Rechenschaft gezogen werde. Das Weisse Haus teilte mit, Präsident Trump habe dem saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman in einem Telefonat «seine Unterstützung für Saudiarabiens Selbstverteidigung» angeboten. Die USA würden darauf hinwirken, dass die globalen Ölmärkte ausreichend beliefert würden und stabil blieben.
Iran wies die Vorwürfe aus dem Weissen Haus, das Land sei an den Drohnenangriffen auf die grösste Ölraffinerie in Saudiarabien beteiligt gewesen, umgehend zurück. Pompeos Unterstellungen seien absurd, unerklärlich und daher auch halt- und wirkungslos, sagte Aussenamtssprecher Abbas Mussawi am Sonntag.
Die Drohnenangriffe haben nach offiziellen Angaben aus Riad zu einem drastischen Einbruch der Produktion geführt. Die Ölproduktion sei um 5,7 Millionen Barrel zurückgegangen, berichtete die Nachrichtenagentur SPA in der Nacht zum Sonntag unter Berufung auf Energieminister Prinz Abdelaziz bin Salman bin Abdelaziz. Dies entspricht mehr als der Hälfte des üblichen Volumens. Nach saudischen Angaben handelt es sich aber nur um einen vorübergehenden Effekt, der zudem durch die Einspeisung vorhandener Ölreserven in den Markt teilweise kompensiert werde.
Die USA sind zur Freigabe von Erdölreserven bereit, sollte es nach den Drohnenangriffen zu Engpässen kommen.
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-09/drohnenangriff-oelaffinerie-iran-saudi-arabien-usa-jemen
Mein Kommentar: Die USA missbrauchen den Angriff für ihre eigene aggressive regime change-Politik gegen den Iran.
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Saudi-Arabien: Ölproduktion durch Huthis empfindlich getroffen
Drohnenangriffe auf die wichtigste Ölraffinerie von Saudi Aramco und das zweitgrößte Ölfeld versetzen Schocks. Update: Pompeo bemüht sich um Schadensbegrenzung des US-Images, macht Iran verantwortlich."Kein Beweis, dass die Angriffe aus dem Jemen kamen"
Die Brände sollen mittlerweile unter Kontrolle sein, aber die Auswirkungen des Huthi-Drohnenangriffs auf die wichtigste Ölraffinerie des staatlichen Konzerns Saudi Aramco in Abkaik und das große Ölfeld in Khurais sind noch nicht absehbar.
Wie groß die Aufregung ist, die der frühmorgendliche Angriff auf zwei bedeutende Elemente der saudi-arabischen Ölinfrastruktur ausgelöst hat, ist an Nachrichten abzulesen, wonach "die Hälfte der saudischen Ölproduktion" infolgedessen eingestellt werden muss.
Die Meldung wird freilich bis zum frühen Samstagabend weder von Saudi Aramco noch vom Herrscherhaus bestätigt. S
Der Schock über den neuerlichen Beweis der erstaunlichen Reichweite und Treffsicherheit, die die Huthi-Drohnen mittlerweile erlangt haben, geht weit über Riad und Washington hinaus. Sollte es zu Unterbrechungen beim Ölnachschub aus Saudi-Arabien kommen, so wären asiatische Staaten am härtesten betroffen, kommentiert Crude Oil Peak die "dramatischsten Angriffe auf das saudi-arabische Königreich seit Beginn des Jemenkriegs vor viereinhalb Jahren" (New York Times).
Über die Fördermengen, die nun infrage stehen, gibt es differierende Angaben.
Reichweite und Signal
Khurais liegt etwa 180 Kilometer östlich von Riad, Abqaik ist gute 300 Kilometer in nordöstlicher Richtung von der saudischen Hauptstadt entfernt. Was dies über die Reichweite der Huthi-Drohnen aussagt, ist auf dieser Karte hier gut ersichtlich. Die Entwicklung wird Saudi-Arabien ernsthafte Sorgen bereiten. Manche Beobachter meinen, dass sich Rüstungsunternehmen auf neue Aufträge vorbereiten können. Die von den USA bereitgestellte Abwehr ist solchen Angriffe gegenüber ersichtlich nicht gut gewappnet, wobei die Drohnen ja immerhin eine lange Strecke im Himmel über dem Wüstenkönigreich zurücklegten.
Bemerkenswert ist, dass die Meldung der Arab News, die eng mit dem Haus Saudi verbunden ist, darauf achtet, dass die Huthis und Iran zwar als Übeltäter im Jemen und in der Region herausgestellt werden - aber nicht als direkt Verantwortliche für die Angriffe. Die würden noch ermittelt, so der Sprecher der saudi-arabischen Koalition im Jemenkrieg, Turki Al-Maliki.
Es kursierten gestern Hinweise, Mitteilungen oder Gerüchte, dass die Angriffe auch aus dem Irak erfolgt sein könnten. Die faktischen Grundlagen für diese Möglichkeit müssten sich klären lassen. Offensichtlich ist, dass Saudi-Arabien und der große Schutzbruder USA in dieser Version sehr viel besser aussehen und der Erfolg der Huthis nicht so groß ausfällt. Diese Version passt genau zur politischen Propaganda Saudi-Arabiens und den USA, ob sie der Wirklichkeit entspricht? – von Thomas Pany
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ATTACKE DER HOUTHI-REBELLEN: Drohnenangriff trifft Ölraffinerie in Saudi-Arabien
Durch die Attacke seien Feuer in zwei Komplexen des staatlichen Ölkonzerns ausgebrochen, berichtet das saudische Innenministerium. Die Houthi-Rebellen aus dem Jemen haben sich zu dem Angriff bekannt.
Mehrere Drohnenangriffe haben in der Nacht zum Samstag unter anderem die größte Ölraffinerie in Saudi-Arabien getroffen und Brände ausgelöst. Ein Sprecher des saudischen Innenministeriums sagte der staatlichen Nachrichtenagentur SPA, dass durch Drohnenangriffe Feuer an zwei Komplexen des staatlichen Ölkonzerns Saudi Aramco in Bakiak und Churais ausgebrochen seien. Die Brände seien inzwischen unter Kontrolle.
Zu den Angriffen bekannten sich die Houthi-Rebellen aus dem benachbarten Jemen. Der Angriff mit zehn Drohnen sei eine „legitime Antwort“ auf die anhaltende Militärkampagne Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen, sagte ein Militärsprecher der Houthis. „Wir versprechen dem saudischen Regime, dass unsere nächste Operation größer und schmerzhafter sein wird“, sagte Militärsprecher Jahia Saria am Samstag. Es handele sich um den bislang größten Einsatz in Saudi-Arabien.
Film: https://www.suedtirolnews.it/video/huthi-wollen-hinter-angriffen-auf-saudische-oelanlagen-stecken
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Drohnen greifen zwei wichtige Ölanlagen an
Im Internet wurden Videos veröffentlicht, die offenbar in der Nähe der angegriffenen Ölverarbeitungsanlage aufgenommen wurden. Im Hintergrund waren Schüsse zu hören. Rauch stieg in den Himmel auf und bei der Anlage waren Flammen zu sehen. Der Satellitensender Al-Arabija strahlte Aufnahmen mit einem Korrespondenten vor Ort aus, hinter dem Rauch aufstieg.
Die Abkaik-Anlage hat eine große Bedeutung für die Erdölversorgung der Welt. Sie kann Schätzungen zufolge bis zu sieben Millionen Barrel Rohöl pro Tag verarbeiten. Sie befindet sich etwa 330 Kilometer nordöstlich der Hauptstadt Riad. Es wird angenommen, dass auf dem Churais-Ölfeld täglich mehr als eine Million Barrel Rohöl gefördert wird.
cp1c2 Houthi-Angriff auf saudischen Ölanlagen: Englisch / Houthi raids against Saudi oil facilities: English
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The Saudi war on Yemen is the real outrage
SAUDI ARABIA might slam a Houthi drone attack on its oil-producing facilities as “terrorist aggression” and find sympathetic echoes in Foreign Office statements from European and Gulf governments.
It can be confident that Western governments will ape its pretence that the drone assault was some kind of unprovoked outrage, just as they have done with previous Houthi missile attacks.
This is nonsense. No particular sympathy with the Houthi cause is required to acknowledge that the drone attack is part of a war — and a war in which the devastation wrought by Saudi Arabia in its bid to crush Yemen’s Houthi movement is the real outrage.
In four years of brutal aerial bombardment, the Saudi-led coalition has launched more than 18,000 bombing raids over Yemen.
So far, few countries have echoed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s unsubstantiated claim that the Houthi drone strike on Saudi Arabia was actually the work of Iran, though Boris Johnson’s record of fawning on the Donald Trump administration means we must be ready to resist any push to exploit this incident to ignite the new Middle East conflagration Washington seems so set on.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/e/saudi-war-yemen-real-outrage
My comment: Exactly. It’s a war – started by a Western proxy with full Western support – and no “terrorist aggression”.
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The War on Yemen and Pompeo’s Shredded Credibility
An attack on Saudi infrastructure and installations would be consistent with how the Houthis have been fighting Saudi Arabia for the last several years. The Houthi use of drones to carry out targeted attacks on Saudi coalition forces has become increasingly sophisticated and effective.
True to form, Pompeo rushed to deny that the attack came from Yemen and instead sought to blame Iran directly for that and for other previous attacks that have also come from Yemen.
Needless to say, Iran denies the charge, and the Iraqi government also says that no attacks were launched from their territory. If the attack didn’t come directly from Iran, and it didn’t come from Iraq, where else could it have come from if not Yemen? Pompeo is the one who is making assertions without providing any evidence. The “nearly 100 attacks” he refers to are Houthi attacks from Yemen, but he wants us to believe that this one is the exception. Admitting that this attack came from Yemen would be admitting that our ongoing support for the war on Yemen is a disastrous policy, and Pompeo isn’t going to do that.
Pompeo is only too happy to hold Iran responsible for anything that goes wrong in the region. He is usually eager to conflate the Houthis and Iran when it suits his purposes, and he tries to fault Iran for whatever happens in Yemen. When the Houthis attack Saudi Arabia for their own reasons because they are fighting a war with the Saudis, Pompeo simply blames Iran. When the U.S.-backed Saudi coalition causes mass starvation and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Pompeo blames Iran. He finds Iran guilty for things it hasn’t done, and he condemns them for things that Iran’s rivals actually do. He would probably blame Iran for cancer and the bubonic plague if he thought anyone would believe him, but of course no one believe him about anything. Pompeo has shredded his credibility and that of the United States with his constant, shameless lying about Iran, and the president is also a notorious liar, so we have no reason to trust them when they level serious accusations like this against another government – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-war-on-yemen-and-pompeos-shredded-credibility/
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Evidence indicates Iranian arms used in Saudi attack, say Saudis
The Saudi-led military coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Monday that the attack on Saudi Arabian oil plants was carried out with Iranian weapons and was not launched from Yemen according to preliminary findings.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said that an investigation into Saturday’s strikes, which had been claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthi group, was still going on to determine the launch location.
“The preliminary results show that the weapons are Iranian and we are currently working to determine the location ... The terrorist attack did not originate from Yemen as the Houthi militia claimed,” Malki told a press conference in Riyadh.
He said authorities would reveal the location from where drones were launched at a future press briefing.
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Saudi officials say they have NOT reached the same conclusion that Iran launched the attack and indicate that the information shared by the US is not definitive.
https://twitter.com/DionNissenbaum/status/1173611954981744641
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Saudi Arabia shuts down oil pipeline to Bahrain after Yemen’s drone attacks: Sources
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Receiving reports saying that #Saudi Monarchy will now seek to acquire #Russian Pantsir air defense system to combat low flying jets, missiles & drones.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1173387625090166786
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Everything We Know About the Saudi Oil Attacks and the Escalating Crisis in the Gulf
[Overview article]
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/everything-we-know-about-saudi-oil-attacks.html
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The Latest: Saudis say Iran arms likely used in oil attack
6 p.m.
A Saudi military spokesman says initial investigations show Iranian weapons were used in the weekend attack on the country's oil installations.
Col. Turki al-Malki also told reporters in Riyadh on Monday that the early morning strikes on Saturday were not launched from Yemen as claimed by Iranian-allied Yemeni rebels who are at war with Saudi Arabia.
Al-Maliki did not elaborate further and said the results of the investigation would be made public to the media when complete.
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article235133217.html = https://www.thestar.com/news/world/middleeast/2019/09/16/the-latest-iran-says-no-trump-rouhani-meeting-at-the-un.html
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5:10 p.m.
A leading economist in Norway says the attack on major oil sites in Saudi Arabia could unleash a series of events that would hit the Norwegian economy hard.
4:50 p.m.
Russia's foreign ministry has expressed "grave concern" about a weekend attack on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The ministry said in a statement on Monday that it condemns attacks on vital infrastructure or any actions that could disrupt global energy supplies and upset energy prices.
4:20 p.m.
The German government says it sees no need to open its strategic oil reserves following the attack on major oil sites in Saudi Arabia.
4:15 p.m.
Airlines and cruise operators are coming under pressure as jittery investors send their shares lower before the opening bell due to concerns over rising oil prices.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article235133217.html
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How Bolton’s departure and the Saudi Aramco drone attacks are linked
Getting quickly to the point, let us question once more the attacks on two of Aramco’s production facilities. Let us ask who the real perpetrators of these sabotages, which were assumed by the Iran-back Houthis from a proximity of about 1,200 kilometers, are. If the Houthis were able to conduct this attack with primitive drones from such a long distance – as claimed – then the world is facing great threats from small powers. What is most important is that the weapons industry, which is where their biggest investments lie, is under attack. In fact – even if slightly ironic – there is no need even for the F-35s.
So, if they were not the ones that carried out this attack, who did it? This question, like all other sabotages in the Gulf, remains unanswered. However, taking a look at who benefits from the end result makes it possible to guess.
Then I must ask, are the developments in the Gulf a repercussion of John Bolton’s dismissal? Or should I perceive this as a final judgment? In contrast to Saudi Arabia’s ancient enmity towards Iran, gun lords are asking the U.S. administration to transfer oil and natural gas at cheap prices and in a secure manner in order to be able to continue their production. Is this not the regional policy the U.S. has been continuing for the last half century anyway?
In this case, I leave the guessing work with respect to the reasons and perpetrators behind the latest sabotages to you.
My comment: Do you really understand what the author wants to tell?
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Abqaiq , Khurais Are Still In Range Of Our Fire: Army’s Spokesman
Army’s spokesman Yahya Sare’e on Monday warned on behalf of the armed forces companies and foreigners are present in the refineries of Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabiahe stressed that those sites are still within the range of the army aims.
He said that our operation is the second deterrent equilibrium that targeted refinery in Abqaiq and Khurais, it was implemented with a number of aircraft types that operate with different engines and new between ordinary and jet.
” We warn companies and foreigners from being present in the factories that have been hit by our strikes because they are still under our target and may be affected by targeting at any moment” Sare’e added.
Sare’e emphases ” We affirm to the Saudi regime that we can reach wherever we want, at the time we set”.
” The Saudi should review his accounts and stop its aggression and siege on Yemen” he added.
https://sabanews.net/en/news3068165.htm
and
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Yemen's military warns foreigners to leave Saudi oil plants
Yemen's military has warned foreigners in Saudi Arabia to leave Aramco's oil processing plants, saying they are still a target and can be attacked "at any moment."
Other Yemeni officials dismissed claims that the country is incapable of carrying out on its own the kind of attacks that targeted two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, pledged that Yemeni forces will continue to pound the Saudi oil industry until the kingdom ends its deadly war.
Bukhaiti told Iran's Tasnim news agency that blaming the attacks on other countries shows "cowardice" in facing up to the reality of Yemen's military power.
"Saudi Arabia declared war against Yemen on the grounds that our missile inventory posed a threat to its security," he said. "Today, we are surprised to see that when we hit Saudi oil wells, they exonerate Yemen from conducting these strikes and accuse others of doing them."
"This is viewed as an own criminal decree of conviction. It also shows their cowardice," Bukhaiti added.
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ABDEL BARI ATWAN EXPLAINS HOW DID ANSARULLAH CHANGE THE MILITARY EQUATIONS
Abdel Bari Atwan editor-in-chief of the Rai al-Youm news website and famous Palestinian journalist, has described the attack on the Saudi Aramco facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais plants as one of the most serious and important attacks on Saudi Arabia.
“Where is Trump and his billions that he has blackmailed under the title of protection? Where are his Patriot missiles? Why didn’t the US satellites film even an ant? How did Ansarullah change the military equations? What is Aramco’s fate?” Atwan asked.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/abdel-bari-atwan-explains-how-did-ansarullah-change-the-military-equations/ = https://www.uprising.today/senior-palestinian-journalist-aramco-drone-strike-one-of-most-serious-attacks-ever-on-saudi-arabia/
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Attack on Saudi oil field a game-changer in Gulf confrontation
A source with knowledge of the incident told CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen late Saturday that preliminary indications were the drones/missiles "did not originate from Yemen and likely originated from Iraq." A second source in the Gulf region told CNN that while there was no proof yet, the indications were that the attack originated in southern Iraq.
Wherever the attack originated and whoever pulled the trigger, these attacks are a step-change in what has already become a dangerous confrontation,
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in advanced air defense systems. Ayham Kamal at the Eurasia Group says that the "critical problem for the kingdom is structural; most of Saudi Arabia's air defense systems are designed to defend against traditional threats and are ill-equipped to tackle asymmetrical aerial threats such as drones."
That vulnerability is enhanced when so many essential parts of the infrastructure -- "storage, processing, and compressor trains -- are located within a small area," he adds – by Tim Lister
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/15/middleeast/saudi-oil-attack-lister-analysis-intl/index.html
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Saudi, Yemen and a Game of Drones: Why the Middle East's Proxy Wars Will Target Energy Infrastructure
Though attacks on energy infrastructure have long been a tactic of extremist groups in oil rich states, from Boko Haram and the MEND in Nigeria, to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, interrupting the international energy supply and upending the regional economic order requires striking at the heart of global energy production, Saudi Arabia’s oil rich Eastern provinces.
Anti-missile defence systems, provided by the United States, regular helicopter and F15 patrols are designed to thwart aerial attacks, yet they have proved redundant in the face of low-tech Houthi drone attacks.
Dr Ali Bakeer, an Ankara based political analyst and researcher notes the strategic value of drones for the Houthi movement: ‘drones are relatively cheap, hard to detect and can be launched from virtually anywhere’. Conventionally outgunned by virtue of Saudi Arabia’s astronomical 60 billion JOD in annual arms spending, experts estimate that Houthi drone attacks likely cost no more than 12,000 JOD. Dr Bakeer argues that the ‘Houthis can’t stand the war if they are going to fight a regular army in a traditional way.
Their main advantage is to use asymmetric tools boosted by the hard geography of Yemen in order to drag the other party into a long, costly war’. According to Houthi spokesmen, the group has conducted over 60 unmanned vehicle attacks into Saudi Arabia between May and August this year and has plans to continue to target strategic economic and military facilities in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia which mainly transports oil through 20,000 km of pipelines that criss-cross the Kingdom is particularly vulnerable to such attacks.
Though the Houthi movement is banking on the prospect that destabilisation in Saudi Arabia and flow on effects for global energy markets may encourage the Kingdom to the negotiating table and to ease its lethal campaign in Yemen due to pressure from international oil importers, it may have precisely the opposite effect.
Though more information continues to emerge on the extent of Houthi capabilities and the nature of Saturday’s attacks, time will tell whether or not an escalation of strikes in Saudi Arabia will prove an unprecedented boon to anti-coalition forces in Yemen, or catalyse severe reprisals that plunge an already beleaguered state into an even direr predicament.
https://www.albawaba.com/news/saudis-oil-worries-escalation-yemens-game-drones-1309070
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Ansarallah Underlines Home-Made Nature of All Yemeni Drones
A senior official of Ansarallah movement dismissed western and Arab media reports claiming that the drones which bombed the Saudi oil facilities on Saturday were imported, stressing the home-made nature of all Yemeni drones.
"The Yemeni drones have not been imported but they are indigenized and manufactured in Yemen," Head of the Huma Rights and Legal Department of the Political Bureau of Ansarallah Movement Abdul Wahab al-Mahbashi told the al-Arabi TV channel on Sunday.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980625000191
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Saudi says unclear when oil output will return to normal after 'massive' damage
An informed Saudi source says the damages inflicted on the Aramco oil facilities in the recent Yemeni drone attacks are so massive that it is not clear when the country's oil output can return to normal.
An oil industry source briefed on the developments said on Sunday it is unclear how long the oil production shutdown will continue, as it is impossible to fix the "big" damages overnight.
Aramco has given no timeline for output resumption. However, a source close to the matter told Reuters the return to full oil capacity could take "weeks, not days".
Another source briefed on the developments said the kingdom's oil exports would continue to run as normal this week thanks to large storage in the country.
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Futures down after Saudi attacks spark rush for safety
U.S. stock index futures slipped on Monday after the weekend attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities
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How an Aerial Barrage Cut Saudi Oil Production in Half
Tensions in the region spike as U.S. blames Iran.
[Overview]
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Houthi Strikes On Saudi Oil Plants Expose World’s Vulnerability To Non-state Actors
[Overview]
We now come to the crucial question – oil. How much of the world’s oil will be hit and what will be the impact? No surprises here, the news isn’t good. Described by some experts as the ‘most valuable piece of real estate on Earth for the global economy’, Abqaiq is home to the world’s largest oil processing facility.
This will deal a crushing blow to the Crown Prince’s bid to diversify his country away from oil and poses new security threats. Saudi Arabia has thwarted vehicle attacks in the past but never have its oil fields been attacked by air.
My comment: The Houthis are no „non state actor“ anymore. Telling this means staying caught in a Western propaganda narrative.
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Scope, precision of Saudi oil attacks show Iran to blame: U.S. officials
The scope and precision of drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities show they were launched from a west-northwest direction rather than from Yemen to the south, where Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, senior U.S. administration officials said on Sunday.
U.S. officials pointed to satellite imagery showing 19 points of impact on the oil facilities. The attacks on Saturday risk disruptions to the world’s oil supplies, and oil prices were expected to jump on Monday.
The officials said they had additional evidence they would reveal in the days to come that would show that Houthi claims of responsibility for the attacks were not credible.
“There’s no doubt that Iran is responsible for this. No matter how you slice it, there’s no escaping it. There’s no other candidate. Evidence points in no other direction than that Iran was responsible for this,” an official told a small group of reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials declined to say where they believe the attack was launched. “There are two options, and we have our opinion on which it was,” a second official said, noting the Iraqi government has said it was not from Iraq.
My comment:The US endangering the world by its conspiracy theories and regime change politics.
Another overview: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vb57yj/trump-is-convinced-iran-was-behind-the-massive-attack-on-saudi-oil-facilities
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Jefferies skeptical Yemen rebels responsible for attack on Saudi oil
Analysts at Jefferies sounded a skeptical note on Yemeni Houthi Rebels' claim of responsibility for the drone attack at the weekend against key Saudi oil installations.
"This frankly seems a bit far fetched given the distance from Yemen to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and the extent of the damage," they said.
My comment: Just forgotten that this was not the first Houthi 1,000 km attack?
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Yemeni Drone Attacks in Saudi Arabia May Increase: Expert
A Norwegian security expert said the use of drone strikes against strategic targets in Saudi Arabia will continue as long as the war against Yemen continues, and it may even increase in scope.
Charles Stoeng stressed that such drone strikes are not only notoriously difficult to protect against, but also represent a major security challenge for Saudi Arabia.
“Due to the speed at which the technology is evolving, Saudi Arabia is struggling to develop an effective defense,” Stoeng explained to the news outlet Resett.
According to him, the increased use of long-range drones represents a new phase in the standoff between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and has lent a new dimension to the conflict, Sputnik reported.
“Increased range gives the Houthis (Yemeni Ansarullah forces) increased capacity. The drones can be used for reconnaissance purposes and to attack strategic targets deep within Saudi Arabia. It gives the war a new dimension", he said.
“Drone attacks may increase in magnitude in the time ahead. It all depends on how the war in Yemen develops,” he emphasized.
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Who Attacked Saudi Oil Facilities? – OpEd
Western media controlled by those having vested interest was prompt in spreading the disinformation about attacks on Saudi oil facilities. It has used following pointers: 1) Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has claimed responsibility of attacks, 2) Kingdom’s output will be knocked out more than half, 3) oil prices will surge and 4) tension will rise in the Middle East.
This is exactly what western media has been doing for ages, only the operators have been changing. One must not forget that these attacks have come in the aftermath of earlier cross-border attacks on Saudi oil installations and on oil tankers in Gulf waters, which have failed in skyrocketing oil prices.
Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State of United States was prompt in accusing Iran of the attacks
Let us review the immediate response of the US which alleges Iran for the attack. The sole purpose is to diminish any and every possibility of reconciliation with Iran and keep it out of oil trade. The ultimate beneficiary of high crude price is United States as 1) its Shale oil producers remain competitive and 2) it keeps on selling arms to Saudi Arabia.
One could also recall that President Trump has often said “Saudis can’t survive without their (US) help.”
The sole purpose of spreading disinformation is to jack up crude price. Certainly, if output is curtailed by 5.7 million barrels per day the price could raise up to US$10/ barrel on Monday. Since the US has the largest surplus production capacity, it will be the only beneficiary.
While the probability of any attack on Iran remains low, the US will be able to achieve its prime objective, jacking up crude oil prices
https://www.eurasiareview.com/16092019-who-attacked-saudi-oil-facilities-oped/
My comment: I do not believe that this is the real US purpose. The main US goal is regime change in Iran.
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Trump pledges to help allies in Middle East after Saudi attacks
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would help its allies despite U.S. energy independence, after Washington blamed Iran for an attack on Saudi Arabia that has closed 5% of global crude output.
“We don’t need Middle Eastern Oil & Gas, & in fact have very few tankers there, but will help our Allies!” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.
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Trump says U.S. 'locked and loaded' for potential response to Saudi oil attack
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States was “locked and loaded” for a potential response to the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, after a senior official in his administration said Iran was to blame.
“There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!” Trump said on Twitter.
and
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Internet fears Trump’s ‘locked and loaded’ tweet about oil field bomb means he’s gearing up for war with Iran
You can see the other responses below
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Saudi Arabia to Become Major Buyer of Oil Products after Yemeni Attacks
Saudi Arabia is set to become a significant buyer of refined products after attacks on Saturday forced it to shut down more than half of its crude and some of its gas output, consultancy Energy Aspects said in a note.
“The loss of gas has impacted refinery operations, possibly curtailing runs by 1 million barrels per day, releasing medium and heavy crudes for export,” it said.
State oil firm Saudi Aramco will likely buy significant quantities of gasoline, diesel and possibly fuel oil while cutting liquefied petroleum gas exports.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8808
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Saudi stock market dives, crude futures to jump after drone attack on oil plants
Saudi Arabia’s stock market fell by 2.3% at Sunday’s open as the country grappled with weekend attacks on the heart of its oil production facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais.
Saturday’s attack is the biggest on Saudi oil infrastructure since Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, when Iraq’s military fired scud missiles into the kingdom.
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S&P Global Platts sees Saudi oil strikes driving up risk premium in crude market
Attacks on Saudi oil plants have boosted concerns about supply security in the Middle East and should raise the risk premium in the global crude market, shifting focus from a gloomy economic backdrop, S&P Global Platts said on Sunday.
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Explainer: Attack on Saudi leaves world without spare oil capacity
Here are some facts about the impact on oil supply and spare capacity:
The attack on Saudi oil facilities on Saturday not only knocked out over half of the country’s production, it also removed almost all the spare capacity available to compensate for any major disruption in oil supplies worldwide.
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Iraq says U.S. does not believe Iraqi territory used to launch attack on Saudi
Iraq said on Monday it had been told by the United States that Washington did not suspect an attack on Saudi Arabia had been launched from Iraqi territory.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi by phone “the information they have confirms the Iraqi government’s statement that its territory was not used to carry out this attack,” the Iraqi government said.
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Enough oil in global stockpiles to replace lost Saudi barrels: Russia
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-attacks-russia-novak-idUSKBN1W10E9
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Oil soars, stocks dip after Saudi supply shock
Oil prices hit four-month highs on Monday after attacks on crude facilities in Saudi Arabia fueled worries over the impact of an oil shock on economic growth, halting a positive run in world stocks and bolstering demand for safe-haven assets.
Brent crude futures rose nearly 20% at one point in their biggest intra-day gain since the Gulf War in 1991, and U.S. futures jumped almost 16%, both hitting their highest level since May. But prices came off their peaks after U.S. President Donald Trump authorized the use of the country’s emergency stockpile to ensure stable supply.
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Oil soars after attack on Saudi facilities, poor China data drags on shares
Oil surged to four-month highs on Monday after weekend attacks on crude facilities at key producer Saudi Arabia sparked supply fears, while shares in Asia extended losses as bleak economic data from China sapped investor risk appetite.
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Oil surges as Saudi attack focuses market on supply risks
Oil prices surged on Monday, with Brent crude posting its biggest intra-day percentage gain since the start of the Gulf War in 1991
“How the United States and Saudi Arabia deal with the situation will be closely watched,” said Margaret Yang, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore.
“If higher oil prices are here to stay, Asia’s oil reliant economies such as China, Japan, India, South Korea and the Philippines will start to feel the pain as higher energy and raw material prices add on the cost burden,” Yang added.
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Saudi attacks threaten U.S. gasoline price hikes, particularly in California
U.S. motorists most likely to feel the hit from rising gas prices following the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities are on the West Coast, which accounts for nearly half of all of U.S. crude imports from the kingdom.
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The Latest: Kuwait steps ups security after Saudi attacks
The Latest on the tensions in the Persian Gulf a day after Iran-backed Yemeni rebels attacked major oil sites in Saudi Arabia (all times local):
7:55 p.m.
Kuwait says it is increasing security across the oil-rich small nation after an attack on oil sites in Saudi Arabia.
6:00 p.m.
Germany is condemning the attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and calling for de-escalation in the region.
4 p.m.
A leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels says they were able to "exploit vulnerabilities" in Saudi Arabia's air defense system to stage the attack previous day on the kingdom's vital oil installations.
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article235116647.html
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Iraq denies links to drone attack on Saudi oil facilities
Iraq on Sunday strongly denied claims that its territory had been used to launch a wave of drone strikes on two Saudi oil facilities.
In a statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s media office, the government vowed to take “firm” action against any parties that attempted “to violate the constitution,” and appealed for an end to the attacks which posed a major threat to regional and global security. And Iraqi commanders of pro-Iran armed factions warned they could now be targeted themselves by the US.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1554791/saudi-arabia
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Source: The drone that attacked Aramco was launched from Iraq not Yemen
An informed source with the investigation about targeting two Saudi Aramco factories in Abqaiq region revealed that the attack was carried out by drones taking off from Iraq not from Yemen, according to preliminary information.
My comment: What a dubious „source“? This is the way everybody can raise dubious claims and rumours.
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Saudi Arabia races to restore oil supply after strike blamed ..
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UAE waiting for Saudi Arabia’s conclusions from drone attack investigation
The United Arab Emirates is waiting for the conclusions from Saudi Arabia’s investigation into Saturday’s drone attacks, an official told reporters on Sunday.
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Saudis Have You Had Enough? Time to Tap Out and Sue for Peace
You can sell Aramco shares...when you stop killing women and children in Yemen
Saudi Arabia does not have air defenses that protect its oil facilities from attacks from the south.
PAC-2 are older U.S. made air defense systems which can not ‘see’ small drones or cruise missiles.
Satellite images show significant smoke coming from Abqaiq.
There is smoke coming from four additional oil facilities but it may be from emergency oil flaring that is now necessary because the processing facilities further downstream are blocked or destroyed.
Saudi Arabia said that the fires are under control. Video shot this morning shows that they continue.
In one video taken last night on the ground near the facility one can hear the high pitched noise of a drone motor and then an explosion. In other videos automatic gunfire can be heard. These were probably attempts by guardsmen to take down drones.
But drones may not have been the sole cause of the incident. Last night a Kuwaiti fishermen recorded the noise of a cruise missile or some jet driven manned or unmanned aircraft coming from Iraq. Debris found on the ground in Saudi Arabia seems to be from an Soviet era KH-55 cruise missile or from a Soumar, an Iranian copy of that design. The Houthi have shown cruise missiles, likely from Iran, with a similar design (see below).
Saudi Arabia finally lost the war on Yemen. It has no defenses against the new weapons the Houthis in Yemen acquired. These weapons threaten the Saudis’ economic lifelines.
The removal of Kalid al-Falih ended the nationalist resistance against the selloff of Aramco and the countries wealth.
But who will buy a share of the company when its major installations are not secure but under severe attacks?
The Saudi clown prince will have to make peace with Yemen before he can sell Aramco shares for a decent price. He will have to cough up many billions in reparation payments to Yemen and its people before the Houthi will be willing to make peace.
The Saudis need to move fast to end the war. Unless that happens soon we can expect further escalations and more attacks like the ones earlier today (stallte imaginary)
https://www.checkpointasia.net/saudis-have-you-had-enough-time-to-tap-out-and-sue-for-peace/
referring to
This graphic shows Saudi Air Defences around the Abqaiq oil facilities that were struck early Saturday. The drones were well within PAC-2 range, but outside Hawk range. It's possible that the low-flying or the drones' small size and composite materials helped it avoid detection.
https://twitter.com/AmirIGM/status/1172805831869575168
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Everything We Know About The Drone Attacks On Two Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities Yesterday
[Overview]
Forbes magazine senior contributor Ellen R. Wald wrote about the August 17, 2019 Houthi strike on Saudi’s Sahybah Oil Field:
“What is striking about the large number of attacks by the Houthis on Saudi infrastructure is that so many have been incompetent failures. Some of the failures are dur to rocket and drone defense systems deployed by Saudi Arabia. Yet, of those that hit their target, few have resulted in casualties of structural damage. It’s unclear if the attacks can even be said to terrorize Saudi Arabia, because it seems they have not altered Saudi actions or behavior.”
Yemen claimed that 10 drones were used in Saturday’s attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais in Saudi Arabia, but has not yet specified which type of drone they used in the attacks.
A report that surfaced on the ISW News Analysis Group only hours after Saturday’s attacks claimed that a new “Quds-1” jet-powered cruise missile was used in the two strikes on Saudi refineries.
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With $295b defense budget: Saudi Arabia failed to stop a drone attack on oil installations from ragtag Houthi militia
While the Houthis do not have significant financial resources, the drones have given them a way to hurt Saudi Arabia, which was the world's third highest spender on military equipment in 2018, investing an estimated $67.6 billion on arms, the New York Times said.
"This has given the Saudis a challenge they can't confront, no matter what their financial, military or intelligence capabilities are," Farea Al-Muslimi, co-founder of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, which focuses on Yemen, was quoted as saying.
David Axe of VICE, wrote, at least five American-made Patriot missiles apparently missed, malfunctioned, or otherwise failed when Saudi forces tried to intercept a barrage of rockets targeting Riyadh on March 25, 2018. That's bad news for the US military and its closest allies, who are counting on the Patriot to stop large-scale enemy attacks during a major war.
It's nothing but an unbroken trail of disasters with this weapon system, Axe wrote.
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To US-Saudi Aggression, Aramco Days are not as before Drones Strikes
It is the largest operation since the beginning of the aggression in March 2015 until today, and articulated in the history of this aggression for the following reasons:
The first reason it hit the backbone of the Saudi economy, which finances the aggression against the Yemeni people, extends the life of this aggression, and buys the hypocritical silence of the West, through the purchase of weapons and receivables.
The second reason is to expose America's claims that it is protecting Saudi Arabia with its military technology, which was destroyed by Yemeni planes, and invalidated its charm.
The other reason Yemeni drones burned, the lie of the safe Saudi oasis, promoted by the Saudi regime. Saudi Arabia today is neither safe nor stable, after depriving others of security and stability.
The following reason today Saudi Arabia was shaken militarily, security, politically, economically, socially and psychologically.
It did not block the hundreds of billions it gave Trump and the trillions of dollars it spent on arms, and to buy the receivables of thousands of journalists and journalists who recruited in its media empires, to prevent the appearance of what it is.
The last reason is the arrogant language that the Saudis have dealt with the Yemenis through minimizing their potential.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8785
My remark: A Houthi viewpoint.
(A K)
Amongst how poor journalism is
@BBCWorld & @BBCArabic they interview people about #Yemeni strikes on #Abqaiq & #Khurais who cannot say these locations correctly nor find them on a map. Big fail.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1173037026310086656
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#Abqaiq will be out of production for 6 months, maybe more. That means no less than $50 billions in lost revenue for the #Saudi state. Economic ruins & an a final end to the monarchy maybe upon us.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1172980609448366081
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"Saudi officials have called for the international community to help protect its oil infrastructure." And who will protect Yemeni civilians from Saudi? Oh right - the same international community that's busy bombing or enabling Saudi's bombing of #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/1172891099632984074
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One of the examples of anti-Arab bigotry is the rush today by some to “condemn” #Yemen attack on #Abqaiq oil plant in response to 4 years of bombing, but the silence on Saudi killing 130,000 Arab children
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1172887764548956160
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The war in Yemen is a human rights disaster, it is unbelievable what the Saudi's have done there. And the fact that this attack has gone to the heart of the Saudi kingdom, it will have an influence in the Iranian's hands even if the Saudi's push back (with CNN fim)
https://twitter.com/juliettekayyem/status/1173030358356549632
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Yemeni rebel attacks pose danger to Saudi infrastructure
Saudi facilities are increasingly vulnerable to the steadily advancing weaponry of the Iran-allied Huthi rebels -- from ballistic missiles to unmanned drones.
Here is a list of the key Saudi infrastructure potentially exposed to attacks:
Oil facilities
Desalination plants
Electrical grid
https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/yemeni-rebel-attacks-pose-danger-saudi-infrastructure-doc-1ka6921
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Saudi Attacks May Nudge US to ‘Go to War’ With Iran and Seize its Oil, Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom Warns
The United States will emerge as the “biggest beneficiary” of Saturday's drone attacks that targeted a Saudi Aramco processing facility and oilfield in eastern Saudi Arabia, internet tycoon Kim Dotcom has suggested.
The millionaire Megaupload founder, who is fighting extradition to the US on charges of fraud and online piracy, predicted the attacks would embolden the US - the largest oil producer - to “blame Iran, go to war, [and] take control of Iran's oil which pays for the war.”
This scenario has partly come to pass already: although Yemen's Houthi rebels acknowledged they were behind the strikes, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed there was “no evidence” to believe the attacks came from Yemen and blamed Iran instead.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201909151076808289-saudi-attacks-may-nudge-us-to-go-to-war-with-iran-and-seize-its-oil-megauploads-kim-dotcom-warns/ = https://www.lewrockwell.com/2019/09/no_author/saudi-attacks-may-nudge-us-to-go-to-war-with-iran-and-seize-its-oil-megauploads-kim-dotcom-warns/
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Aramco attack: Iran must be held to account
World community must counter the threat Tehran poses to the international order
Saturday’s terror attacks against Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq petroleum processing facility and the Khurais oilfield, claimed by Yemen’s pro-Iran Al Houthi militia, are not only a criminal assault on the kingdom’s economic infrastructure but also pose an unacceptable danger to international energy security.
Whether it was carried out by Al Houthis in Yemen or, as some reports have said, by militias based in Iraq (this was denied by the Iraqi government), the attack has Iran written all over it. This was not a random terror strike carried out by a non-state actor but a well-planned, sophisticated operation that could only have been carried out with the help of a nation-state.
The attacks are a continuation of escalations from the Iranians over the past few months
The world community should take appropriate action, considering the severity of the threat posed to the international order by the government in Tehran.
https://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/aramco-attack-iran-must-be-held-to-account-1.66437714
My comment: From the UAE, adopting the US conspiracy theory propaganda and beating the war drums. – Keep in mind that the Houthis are representing a „nation-state“ – governing Northern Yemen since 5 years now. The whole conspiracy theory is void.
(A K P)
US Will Not End War in Yemen by Blaming Iran for Everything – Zarif
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that the United States would not be able to stop the war in Yemen by blaming Iran for everything.
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Having Failed at ‘Max Pressure’, US Turning to ‘Max Deceit’ against Iran: Zarif
Iran’s foreign minister said Yemen’s retaliatory attacks against Saudi Arabia have prompted the Trump administration to turn to “maximum deceit” against Tehran after Washington’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign failed.
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Iran dismisses U.S. claim it was behind Saudi oil strikes, says ready for war
Iran rejected accusations by the United States that it was behind attacks on Saudi oil plants that risk disrupting world energy supplies and warned on Sunday that U.S. bases and aircraft carriers in the region were in range of its missiles.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi dismissed the U.S. allegation as “pointless”. A senior Revolutionary Guards commander warned that the Islamic Republic was ready for “full-fledged” war.
“All American bases and their aircraft carriers in a distance of up to 2,000 kilometers around Iran are within the range of our missiles,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted commander Amirali Hajizadeh as saying.
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Iran denies involvement in Yemen drone attacks on Saudi oilfield after Pompeo accusation
Iran denied on Sunday it was involved in Yemen rebel drone attacks the previous day that hit the world's biggest oil processing facility and an oilfield in Saudi Arabia, just hours after the United States's top diplomat alleged Tehran was behind the "unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply."
Abbas Mousavi, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on Sunday dismissed Pompeo's remarks as "blind and futile comments.
"The Americans adopted the 'maximum pressure' policy against Iran, which, due to its failure, is leaning toward 'maximum lies,'" Mousavi said in a statement.
Separately, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's office issued a statement on Sunday denying the drone attack came from there.
Iraq "abides by its constitutions that prevents the use of its lands to launch aggressions against neighbouring countries," the statement said.
On Sunday, The White House did not rule out a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said the attacks "did not help" prospects for a meeting between the two leaders during the United Nations General Assembly this month, but she left open the possibility it could happen.
"I'll allow the president [Trump] to announce a meeting or a non-meeting," Conway told Fox News Sunday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-denies-drone-attack-saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis-1.5284335?cmp=rss
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Saudi Arabia weighs damage at key oil sites after drone attacks claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels
"Abqaiq cannot be attacked from the ground," Seznec said. "From the air, it's a little more difficult to defend."
Robert McNally, a former national security aide on energy matters for President George W. Bush, called Abqaiq "the crown jewel of the Saudi kingdom."
"No single facility comes close to importance in terms of wealth creation from the kingdom," said an email from McNally, president of the consulting firm the Rapidan Energy Group. "Even if damage is light, the fact that Iranian proxies have attacked the crown jewel of Saudi Arabia means the overall risk level is going up."
McNally said the repair time — and the price fluctuations on the oil market — will depend on whether "unique, tailor-made" components and support systems were severely damaged. Such a scenario would mean months of work ahead and oil prices possibly spiking "toward $100 a barrel," he added.
"Abqaiq not only controls 5 percent of oil global oil supply, but it handles nearly all of spare production capacity," he wrote.
Saudi Arabia can ease any shortage in oil markets for the time being by ramping up production of light, low-sulfur crude oil that requires less processing. And it can tap supplies of crude oil it keeps in storage.
But those inventories of crude oil have been dwindling, McNally said in a note to clients. Saudi Arabia has about 188 million barrels available, enough to cover 37 days of supply processed by Abqaiq at the full 5 million barrel-a-day rate -
By: Kareem Fahim & Steven Mufson, Washington Post
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm
(** A E K)
Attacks on Saudi oil facilities knock out half the kingdom's supply
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said it attacked two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry on Saturday, knocking out more than half the Kingdom’s output, in a move expected to send oil prices soaring and increase tensions in the Middle East.
The attacks will cut the kingdom’s output by 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd), according to a statement from state-run oil company Saudi Aramco, or more than 5% of global oil supply.
and overview report: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/14/760837355/houthi-drone-strikes-disrupt-almost-half-of-saudi-oil-exports
(** A K P)
The Trump Administration blames Iran for Saudi oil refinery attack without providing evidence
After raining death and destruction on its neighbor at its southern border for the past four years, Saudi Arabia is beginning to get a taste of the type of violence its been happy to dish out against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on its own territory.
The Trump administration, however, insisted on pinning the blame for the attack on its favorite regional bogeyman, Iran, despite the fact that both the perpetrators and victims of the attack have denied the direct involvement of that nation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the unsubstantiated accusations in a post on Twitter
Pompeo muddies the waters on the attacks by claiming that “There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen,” despite the fact that it is his own attribution of responsibility to Iran that lacks any concrete basis. It is clear that Trump and Pompeo simply want to further demonize Iran in the international community for their own political gain and purposes while ignoring the true facts on the ground.
In fact, the Houthis have no lack of motivation for striking back at Saudi Arabia on its own territory, given the thousands of innocent civilians killed by the relentless Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen
This is not the first time that the Trump administration has attempted to unjustifiably blame Iran for an incident without offering a shred of proof -by Vinnie Longobardo
(* A K P)
Pompeo Manipulatively blames Iran as Saudi Arabia loses 58% of Oil Production to Houthi Attack
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied that the drones came from Yemen, blaming the attack on Iran instead. Iran provides some minor aid to the Houthis, but the latter lack control of a port or secure overland routes out of the country and so Iran couldn’t possibly have given that much help.
Pompeo’s impetuous tweet, like the ones coming from his president, was itself not accompanied by any evidence and configured a local conflict as major geopolitical one. Pompeo has long looked for a pretext to overthrow the Iranian government and to make war on Iran.
What Pompeo won’t tell you is that current Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman had launched a brutal air war on Yemen in 2015
The US Congress had called on the US to stop supporting the Saudi war on Yemen, but Pompeo insisted on it continuing and Trump vetoed the resolution.
Pompeo himself therefore bears some of the blame for the Abqaiq attack, which is a Houthi counter-attack, replying to years of intensive Saudi bombing of Yemen (one of poorest and weakest countries in the world).
https://www.juancole.com/2019/09/pompeo-manipulatively-production.html
(A K P)
Spokesman Raps Pompeo for Rousing Lies against Iran
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi on Sunday blasted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his big lies against Tehran, and categorically rejected his allegations about Iran's involvement in Yemeni attacks on Saudi Arabia.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980624000496
(* A K P)
Suspicions Rise That Saudi Oil Attack Came From Outside Yemen
Saudi, U.S. officials are investigating possibility that cruise missiles fired from Iraq or Iran hit the Saudi petroleum facilities (paywalled)
My comment: This would be policy based on spreading conspiracy theories. Pompeo as the mastermind of this?:
(** A K P)
U.S. blames Iran for Saudi attacks, 'pretend' diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday accused Iran of leading attacks on Saudi oil plants that have cut the kingdom’s output roughly in half, as he ruled out Yemeni involvement and denounced Tehran for engaging in false diplomacy.
Pompeo, however, said on Twitter that there was no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.
“Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy,” Pompeo said, referring to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif.
“Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” he added. The State Department declined to provide any evidence to bolster Pompeo’s claim.
“We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks,” Pompeo said, warning that the Trump administration would work with its allies to make sure Iran was “held accountable for its aggression.”
The tweets signaled a more hawkish stance in Washington toward Tehran, following signs of a possible thaw in relations between the two nations after months of escalation.
and also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/14/pompeo-iran-saudi-arabia-oil-yemen-houthi
https://www.rt.com/usa/468837-senator-graham-strike-iran-saudi/ = https://www.eurasiareview.com/15092019-pompeo-blames-iran-for-drone-attacks-on-saudi-oil-facilities-senator-graham-urges-retaliation/
My comment: The US‘ main goal is Iran. By conspiracy theories, Pompeo tries to turn into profit for the US anti-Iran politics as much as possible.
Comment by Fuad Rajeh: The clever Pompeo! Like Trump like Secretary of State. Don't tell me you are thinking what I am thinking! He is a magician? And the hundreds of billions of dollars that Saudi Arabia has spent on US weapons? Oh Yes, a fat and milky cow.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1173034819799982081
(A K P)
Graham: US should consider strike on Iranian oil refineries after attack on Saudi Arabia
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a prominent foreign policy hawk, said the U.S. should consider striking Iranian oil refineries in response to new attacks on Saudi oil refineries by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
“It is now time for the U.S. to put on the table an attack on Iranian oil refineries if they continue their provocations or increase nuclear enrichment,” Graham tweeted.
“Iran will not stop their misbehavior until the consequences become more real, like attacking their refineries, which will break the regime’s back,” he added.
(A K P)
Sen. Chris Murphy: So let’s be honest - there is a war going on between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. The Saudis are bombing and shooting at the Houthis everyday, with our help. What we should probably be doing is working to end the war, not expecting that one side will unilaterally stop fighting.
https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1172925445119102978
(A K P)
Trump tells Saudi leader U.S. ready to help protect Saudi security: SPA
U.S. President Donald Trump told Saudi Arabia’s crown prince that Washington was ready to cooperate with the kingdom to protect its security, following drone attacks on Saudi oil plants on Saturday, state news agency SPA reported.
Comment by Fuad Rajeh: Trump called MBS and offered support after attacks on Saudi oil facilities on Saturday. Do you think MBS asked the clever Trump why most advanced US weapons & technology couldn't detect & shoot Houthi drones? I think he told Trump "shut the fuck up & stop treating us as idiots"!
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1173008245247676416
and
(A K P)
MBS tells Trump Saudi 'willing and able' to respond to attacks
"The kingdom is willing and able to confront and deal with this terrorist aggression," Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told Trump during a phone call on Saturday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/mbs-tells-trump-saudi-respond-attacks-190914192436368.html
My comment: Just stop the Yemen War.
(A E K P)
EU warns of instability after Saudi oil attacks
(A E K)
Analyst View: Saudi attacks raise specter of oil at $100/barrel
The oil market will rally by $5-10 per barrel when it opens on Monday and may spike to as high as $100 per barrel if Saudi Arabia fails to quickly resume oil supply lost after attacks over the weekend, traders and analysts said.
(A E K)
IEA says oil markets 'well supplied' after attack in Saudi Arabia
(A E K)
U.S. says committed to well-supplied oil markets after attack on Saudi plants
(A E K)
U.S. stands ready to tap emergency oil reserve after Saudi attacks: DOE
(A E K)
Attacks on Saudi facilities threaten spare oil capacity, price hikes
Saturday’s attacks on key Saudi Arabia processing plants will test the world’s ability to handle a supply crisis as it faces the temporary loss of more than 5% of global supply from the world’s biggest crude exporter.
(A E K)
Attacks on Saudi oil make waivers on Iran necessary: Experts
Experts say critical oil supplies lost due to Yemeni attacks on Saudi Arabia’s production plants can only be compensated if the United States eases its sanctions on sale of crude by Iran.
Sandy Fielden, an analyst at Morningstar, a global financial services firm based in the US, said on Saturday that the current oil stocks in Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil exporter in the world, would not suffice to compensate for a loss of around 5 million barrels per day (bpd) that could be caused by attacks earlier in the day targeting the kingdom’s vital oil facilities located east of the country.
Fielden said the disruptions could cause a real jump in the global oil prices, adding that the US, a main player in the oil market and an ally of the Saudis, would have no option but to allow Iran to resume its crude exports after months of a halt that has been caused by Washington's unilateral bans.
(A K P)
STATEMENT BY THE SPECIAL ENVOY FOR YEMEN ON ATTACKS AGAINST OIL FACILITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
“The UN Special Envoy for Yemen is extremely concerned about the drone attacks claimed by Ansar Allah today against two major oil facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The recent military escalation is extremely worrying.
(A K P)
U.N. chief condemns Saudi attacks, calls for restraint
“The Secretary-General condemns Saturday’s attacks on Aramco oil facilities in the Eastern Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia claimed by the Houthis,”
(A K P)
Abu Dhabi crown prince condemns Saudi oil attack: SPA
(A K P)
UK condemns Houthi drone attack on Saudi oil facilities
Britain condemned a drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities on Saturday, and said that Yemen’s Houthi rebel group should stop targeting Saudi civilian and commercial infrastructure.
My comment: What a hypocrisy. Britain furnishes a great deal of the bombs and the fighter jets to bomb Yemen.
(* A E K P)
Instant View: Reactions to attack on Saudi oil facilities
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group on Saturday attacked two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in a strike that could impact about 5 million barrels per day of crude production - close to half of the kingdom’s output, or 5% of global oil supply.
SANDY FIELDEN, ANALYST AT MORNINGSTAR:
“It takes 19-20 days to ship Ras Tanura (Saudi) to Singapore, but 54 days from Houston to Singapore. So U.S. ‘relief’ will take time. The real issue here is how much stocks the Saudis have to supply the market until their production is fixed.
“The obvious short-term fix would be waivers on Iran sanctions, but politically that’s a hard pill for the Trump administration to swallow. By all accounts the Iranians have tankers full of storage ready to go.
“Many countries have strategic stocks for exactly this reason. The price (of oil) is going to jump all right, but the Saudis and U.S. have a day to run interference on their positions before then. The most scary result would be a Saudi escalation of the war in Yemen. Then the whole Gulf gets trigger-happy.”
JASON BORDOFF, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK:
“Abqaiq is perhaps the most critical facility in the world for oil supply. Oil prices will jump on this attack, and if the disruption to Saudi production is prolonged, an SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve) release from IEA members seems both likely and sensible.
“This is a reminder why, despite America’s becoming a net-zero oil importer, the SPR remains a key strategic asset. Sanctioned Iran supplies are another source of potential additional oil, but (U.S. President Donald) Trump has already shown he is willing to pursue a maximum pressure campaign even when oil prices spike.
“If anything, the risk of tit-for-tat regional escalation that pushes oil prices even higher has just gone up significantly. Will the Saudis feel the need to respond? Will the Americans? I don’t know, but the point is this: Every new attack increases the risks of an unintended escalation to military conflict as each side feels compelled to respond in some way to the preceding incident.”
(** A K pH)
Second Deterrent Balance Operation Hits Abqaiq, Khurais Oil Refineries East of Saudi Arabia
Air Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees, Saturday morning carried out a large-scale operation with 10 drones, targeting Abqaiq and Khurais refineries east of Saudi Arabia. The operation is called the "Second Deterrent Balance Operation".
The Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier Yahya Sare'e in a televised statement confirmed that The air force targeted the Abqaiq and Khurais refineries which are affiliated to Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia.
He confirmed that the operatione hit its target accurately.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8774
and also https://sabanews.net/en/news3067612.htm
(** A K)
Houthi drones hit Saudi oil heartland, sources say crude flows disrupted
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group on Saturday attacked two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, including the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility, in a strike that three sources said had disrupted output and exports.
The pre-dawn drone attack on the Saudi Aramco facilities sparked several fires, although the kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter, later said these were brought under control.
Three sources close to the matter said oil production and exports had been affected. One source said 5 million barrels per day of crude production had been impacted — close to half the kingdom’s output — but did not elaborate.
State television said exports were continuing, however Aramco has yet to comment since the assault, which the Houthis said involved 10 drones. Authorities have not said whether oil production or exports were affected.
Authorities have not reported on casualties. A Reuters witness nearby said at least 15 ambulances were seen in the area and there was a heavy security presence around Abqaiq.
“A successful attack on Abqaiq would be akin to a massive heart attack for the oil market and global economy,” said Bob McNally, who runs Rapidan Energy Group and served in the U.S. National Security Council during the second Gulf War in 2003.
Abqaiq is 60 km (37 miles) southwest of Aramco’s Dhahran headquarters. The oil processing plant handles crude from the world’s largest conventional oilfield, the supergiant Ghawar, and for export to terminals Ras Tanura - the world’s biggest offshore oil loading facility - and Juaymah. It also pumps westwards across the kingdom to Red Sea export terminals.
Two of the sources said Ghawar was flaring gas after the strikes disrupted gas processing facilities.
“This is a relatively new situation for the Saudis. For the longest time they have never had any real fears that their oil facilities would be struck from the air,” Kamran Bokhari, founding director of the Washington-based Center for Global Policy, told Reuters.
FLAMES, PLUMES OF SMOKE
Hours after the Houthi strike in Abqaiq, the Reuters witness said fire and smoke were still visible but had started dying down. Earlier video footage verified by Reuters showed bright flames and thick plumes of smoke rising toward the dark pre-dawn sky. An emergency vehicle is seen rushing toward the site.
The Saudi interior ministry said Aramco industrial security teams fighting the fires since 0400 (0100 GMT) had managed to control them and stop their spread. It did not identify the source of the drones but said an investigation was underway.
(A K pS)
Saudi Aramco Chairman: There are no injuries among workers in Abqaiq and Khurais plants following terrorist act
My comment: Thus, compared for instance to a single Saudi air raid at a Yemeni dwelling house, killing a family of 4, these raids are less repudiable.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969120
(* A K)
Saudi Arabia's oil supply disrupted after drone attacks: sources
Saudi Arabia’s oil production and exports have been disrupted, said three sources familiar with the matter, after drone attacks on two Aramco plants on Saturday, including the world’s biggest oil processing facility.
and
(* A K)
Minister of Energy: Terrorist attacks on "Abqaiq and Khurais" plants have resulted in a temporary halt in production operations; decrease for its customers will be offset by stocks
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Energy, stated that on Saturday 15th of Muharram 1441H corresponding to 14 September 2019, at 3:31 and 3:42 am, several explosions occurred as a result of terrorist attacks in Saudi Aramco plants in Khurais and Abqaiq. They resulted in fires that were controlled.
He pointed out that this terrorist act resulted in the temporary suspension of production operations at Abqaiq and Khurais plants. According to preliminary estimates, these explosions led to the interruption of a quantity of crude oil supplies estimated at 5.7 million barrels, or about 50% of the company's production. Part of the decrease will be compensated for its customers through stocks.
The Minister explained that these explosions have also led to the cessation of the production of associated gas estimated at (2) billion cubic feet per day, used to produce 700 thousand barrels of natural gas liquids, which will reduce the supply of ethane and natural gas liquids by up to about (50%).
As for the local supplies, he stressed that this attack has not resulted in any impact on the supply of electricity and water from fuel, or on the supply of fuel to the local market, nor resulted in any injuries among workers
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969119
(* A K)
Houthi drones hit two Aramco plants, Saudis say fires contained
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group on Saturday attacked two Saudi Aramco plants, including the world’s biggest oil processing facility, sparking fires in the latest flare up of violence in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia said it had brought the blazes under control, without specifying whether oil production or exports were affected. State television said exports were continuing.
The extent of damage from the drone strikes in Abqaiq and Khurais provinces remains unclear. Nine hours after the pre-dawn attacks, Aramco has issued no statement and the authorities have not reported on casualties.
(A K P)
The Latest: Trump calls Saudi crown prince after attack
10:45 p.m.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received a telephone call from President Donald Trump in the wake of a Houthi rebel drone attack on Saudi oil facilities.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington says in a news release that Trump expressed his country's readiness to cooperate with the kingdom in supporting its security and stability following the attack Saturday.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/sep/14/the-latest-saudi-arabia-says-drones-attacked-oil-f/
(A K P)
U.S. envoy to Saudi Arabia condemns attacks on Aramco oil facilities
The U.S. envoy to Saudi Arabia condemned as “unacceptable” drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities on Saturday which were claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
“The U.S. strongly condemns today’s drone attacks against oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais. These attacks against critical infrastructure endanger civilians, are unacceptable, and sooner or later will result in innocent lives being lost,”
My comment: While the US never „condemns“ Saudi air raids in Yemen.
(A K P)
Oman expresses regret over Saudi oilfield fires, supports peace in Yemen
(A K P)
AIPU Condemns Terrorist Attacks on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969892
Mauritania Condemns Terrorist Attacks on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969889
Senegal Strongly Condemns Attack on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969882
Gambia Condemns and Denounces Attack on two Aramco Plants in KSA
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969798
Germany condemns attack on two Aramco plants
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969713
Comoros Condemns Terrorist Attack on two Aramco Plants in KSA
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969681
Spain condemns attacks on two Aramco plants
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969558
Switzerland condemns attacks on oil plants in kingdom
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969532
France Condemns Attacks on Two Saudi Aramco Plants
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969256
EU Condemns Attack on Aramco Oil Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969394
Turkey Condemns Attack on Two Saudi Aramco Plants
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969431
Tunisia Strongly Denounces Attacks on Facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969421
GCC Secretary General condemns attack on two Aramco plants
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969127
Yemen condemns targeting of two Aramco affiliated factories
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969126
Pakistan condemns attack on two Aramco plants
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969109
Afghanistan Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969086
Algeria Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969084
Jordan Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Oil Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969072
Egypt Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Oil Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969071
Bahrain Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Oil Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969026
Djibouti Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969021
UAE Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969015
Kuwait Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack on Two Aramco Facilities
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969008
My comment: A parade of hypocrites, complicits, receivers of Saudi money, Western countries and some others.
(* A K)
DRONE ATTACK ON SAUDI OIL FACILITIES IS MAJOR ESCALATION
The full details of the most recent attack on September 14 were not available on Saturday morning and it was not clear where the drones had come from.
The attacks began around four in the morning and video showed massive fires, billowing smoke and locals reported explosions. Iranian media implied that the attacks were carried out by Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been backed by Tehran. However the facilities that were struck are in northeastern Saudi Arabia, closer to Bahrain and Qatar. A drone would have had to fly 1,000 km to reach the facilities. Drone attacks from Yemen have usually targeted areas close to the Yemen border. Two exception stand out.
The full details of the most recent, September 14 attack, were not available on Saturday morning and it was not clear where the drones had come from.
Iran’s Press TV is seeking to highlight the attack and blame it on a Saudi-led war in Yemen
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Drone-attack-on-Saudi-oil-facilities-is-major-escalation-601636
(A E K)
Saudi Arabia oil facilities ablaze after drone strikes
Markets await news from key facilities
Aramco ranks as the world's largest oil business and these facilities are significant.
The Khurais oilfield produces about 1% of the world's oil and Abqaiq is the company's largest facility - with the capacity to process 7% of the global supply. Even a brief or partial disruption could affect the company, given their size.
But whether this will have an impact on the oil price come Monday will depend on just how extensive the damage is. Markets now have the weekend to digest information from Aramco and assess the long-term impact.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49699429
(* A K)
Fires from drone attacks on two Aramco sites under control: Saudi govt spokesman
Drone attacks on two Saudi Aramco factories in Abqaiq and Khurais on Saturday caused fires that the company’s security forces brought under control, a spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said in a statement.
The comments, published by state news media, did not identify the source of the attack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81tsuSXTE4c
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=822282748166781 = https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1172752690880737280
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1172699029492457472
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1172696062471081985
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1172693484618342400
https://twitter.com/ZaidBenjamin5/status/1172697848552386560
https://twitter.com/ZaidBenjamin5/status/1172712548170264576
Photos: https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1172723667693965312
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1172888561730936832
(* A K)
SATELLITE IMAGES: IMPACT OF HOUTHIS’ STRIKE ON SAUDI OIL INFRASTRUCTURE ON SEPTEMBER 14
(* A K)
The smoke from the fires caused by drone attacks on two Saudi oil facilities could be seen from space (photo)
https://www.insider.com/smoke-from-drone-attacks-in-saudi-arabia-visible-from-space-2019-9
and also https://twitter.com/planetlabs/status/1173005460514885632
(* A K P)
MOI Spokesman: Competent Authorities Control Two Fires in Two Aramco Factories in Abqaiq and Khurais
The Security Spokesman at the Ministry of Interior said that at 4:00 am on Saturday, 15/1/1441 AH, the industrial security teams of Aramco Company controlled two fires in two factories belonging to the company in the City of Abqaiq and Khurais Village, targeted by drones .
The MOI Spokesman said that the competent authorities started their investigation procedures .
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1968921
Comment by Ali AlAhmed: Note the Saudi statement ob Abqaiq came from the ministry of the interior who has nothing to do with oil & fighting a war, or even installations security. & fighting fires at oil plants. Something is fishy.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1172825190247673856
(A K P)
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Investigations Ongoing in the Terrorist Attack Against Two Saudi Aramco Facilities to Identify Parties Involved in the Attack.
the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition affirms that the investigations are ongoing to determine the parties responsible for planning and executing these terrorist attacks.
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition continues to adopt and implement necessary procedures to deal with such terrorist threats in order to safeguard national assets, international energy security and ensure stability of world economy.”
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1969042
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-574-yemen-war-mosaic-574
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-574 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-574:
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/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected aur raids:
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