... Die USA und Saudis unterstützen Terroristen – Nach Huthi-Angriff auf saudische Ölanlagen steigen die Spannungen weiter, der Westen beschuldigt Iran – Saudischer Luftangriff auf Wohnhaus tötet 16 Zivilisten – und mehr
Sep. 25, 2019: Saudi-UAE schism – UN agencies must reject Saudi coalition funding – The Crown Prince and his power – US, Saudis supporting terrorism – Mounting tensions at the Gulf after Houthi attack against Saudi oil facilities, the West blaming Iran – Saudi air raid at dwelling house kills 16 civilians – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp1c1 Am wichtigsten: Angriff auf Saudi Aramco: Deutsch / Most important: Saudi Aramco attack: German
cp1c2 Am wichtigsten: Angriff auf Saudi Aramco: Englisch / Most important: Saudi Aramco attack: English
cp1d Am wichtigsten: Saudischer Ludtangriff tötet 16 / Most important: Saudi air raid killing 16
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(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
(B H K P)
AP Explains: Yemen crisis among thorny issues at UN meeting
A look at the war, its origins and the devastation it continues to cause:
https://www.apnews.com/f867501c647148338691b68980c8dace = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-7502263/AP-Explains-Yemen-crisis-thorny-issues-UN-meeting.html
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
How Yemen Brought Saudi Arabia and the UAE to the Brink of Divorce
Hindsight reveals that this course of events was almost inevitable, given the partners’ differing motives, geographic constraints, views on the strategic importance of Yemen, domestic decision-making structures, and wider regional priorities.
A Partnership Deteriorates
This schism between the main coalition actors in Yemen was no secret. Indeed, pre-existing rivalries between groups backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE have devolved into armed violence before. Past cases, such as the clashes between STC and government forces in Aden in January 2018, ended swiftly after coalition mediation.
This time was different. The UAE directly supported its local ally as it moved toward goals that run counter to Saudi policy in Yemen. Saudi and Emirati commentators and intellectuals have abandoned the usual conciliatory tone that has defined public discourse between the two countries to engage in a war of words on social media.
Days after the STC’s takeover of Aden, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed for an emergency meeting in Mecca. The talks, which Reuters reported to be tumultuous because of tensions between the Saudi king and the Emirati crown prince, apparently did not provide any solutions. In the following days, UAE-backed forces set their sights beyond the interim capital and moved to challenge the Yemeni government in neighboring Abyan and Shabwah governorates.
Beyond the sudden and dramatic changes on the ground, the developments in the south have broader implications. The STC’s takeover of Aden undermines the legitimacy of the intervention in Yemen, with its stated objective of reinstating Hadi’s government in an undivided Yemen. The STC’s move – which would not have been possible without backing from the UAE – amounted to a second coup reminiscent of the al-Houthi takeover of Sanaa.
Disparate Motives and Contrasting Bureaucracies
When Saudi Arabia launched its military operations in Yemen in 2015, the UAE was not eager to join the coalition. At that time, its main national security concern in the region was to confront the Muslim Brotherhood. The UAE considers Hadi’s ally, the Islah party, as the Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The UAE does not have the same worries; it is free to support the separatist cause, knowing that it can always pack up and go home should the southern independence project go awry. In such a scenario, Saudi Arabia would have an expansive border of sand and mountains to guard against the proliferation of potential enemies to the south.
Even if the Saudis and Emiratis had shared goals in Yemen, their disparate national security concerns and decision-making mechanisms made forging an effective partnership in Yemen nearly impossible.
From the beginning, the Saudi-UAE alliance in Yemen was unlikely to succeed. Now it has clearly failed. The second best option to having never embarked on this misguided intervention in the first place would be for the “coalition” to push for peace as hard as it pushed for war. Washington can steer them in this direction
Whenever Saudi Arabia and the UAE finally do withdraw from Yemen, they will join a long list of foreign powers that have seen their plans laid waste in the country – by Farea Al-Muslimi
(** B H P)
If they are to stay impartial, UN agencies in Yemen must reject Saudi coalition funding
Agencies like the World Food Program and UNICEF accepting Saudi funding in Yemen is tantamount to unwittingly abetting the coalition’s war effort and the resultant humanitarian crisis.
While carrying out their military campaign in Yemen, coalition members have been providing funds to several much-admired humanitarian organisations which form part of the UN system.
Although critics, echoing Nightingale, may argue that the mere provision of aid by these organisations absolves the warring parties of their obligations towards impacted Yemenis, it is these organisations’ acceptance of coalition funding that is jarring. In fact, it is tantamount to unwittingly abetting the coalition’s war effort and the resultant humanitarian crisis. This risks undermining the work and credibility of these UN aid agencies, which should refuse this funding.
Even with the political manoeuvring within the UN, aid provided by UN organisations has generally been perceived as adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These principles, which trace their origins to the ICRC, have been adopted by the UN General Assembly.
As UN agencies take funds for Yemen from coalition members, the perception of its impartiality, independence and neutrality is being eroded away. Over the last four years, these agencies have received hundreds of millions of dollars for Yemen. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a coalition member, contributed $240 million just to the WFP.
Despite these UN organisations’ public calls for the fighting to stop, they still accept this financing, which allows the coalition to obfuscate its role in the conflict.
UN organisations’ decision to accept money from Saudi Arabia and its allies is driven by expediency. Tasked with simultaneously tackling numerous humanitarian challenges around the world, they are desperate for funding.
Although it will be challenging from a fundraising perspective, there needs to be a rule that prevents UN agencies from accepting financing from any state directly involved in military action in a country for humanitarian activities there.
By publicly rejecting coalition funding, UN organisations might expose the coalition to greater public pressure and maybe slow down or halt the conflict – which may be the best thing these organisations can do to stop the flow of casualties – by Arslan Malik
(** B E P)
Der Kronprinz und seine Macht
Deutsche Konzerne und Manager tragen in Saudi-Arabien zur Konzentration der Macht bei dem für seine Gewaltpolitik berüchtigten Kronprinzen bei. Dies geht aus einer Analyse eines einflussreichen deutschen Think-Tanks hervor. Demnach treibt etwa der Börsengang des weltgrößten Erdölkonzerns Saudi Aramco, bei dem die Deutsche Bank eine führende Rolle spielen soll, die Zentralisierung der Wirtschaftsmacht des Landes bei dem Staatsfonds PIF voran. Dieser gilt Kritikern als ein "one-man investment vehicle" in den Händen von Kronprinz Muhammad bin Salman al Saud, das der Thronfolger nutzen kann, um seine Macht zu zementieren. Denkbar sei auch, dass der Kronprinz, der von einem früheren Siemens-Manager persönlich beraten wird, den Staatsfonds nutze, um im Ausland Einfluss zu nehmen, heißt es in einer kürzlich publizierten Untersuchung der vom Kanzleramt finanzierten Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP). Muhammad bin Salman verantwortet unter anderem den Krieg im Jemen, die Totalblockade des Emirats Qatar und mutmaßlich den Mord an dem Regierungsgegner Jamal Khashoggi.
Der weltgrößte Erdölkonzern
Die Deutsche Bank soll eine führende Rolle beim Börsengang von Saudi Aramco, dem größten Erdölkonzern der Welt, übernehmen. Dies bestätigen mehrere Nachrichtenagenturen unter Bezug auf Quellen in Saudi-Arabien.[1] Demnach wird das Frankfurter Kreditinstitut gemeinsam unter anderem mit der Schweizer Großbank UBS dem Konsortium angehören, das den Börsengang organisieren soll. Als weitere beteiligte Banken werden Barclays (Großbritannien), BNP Paribas (Frankreich), andere französische und Schweizer Geldhäuser sowie diverse US-Finanzinstitute genannt.
Vision 2030
Trotz aller Risiken kommt dem Börsengang von Saudi Aramco erhebliche Bedeutung zu. Das liegt zum einen an der immensen Produktion und der gewaltigen Finanzkraft des Unternehmens.
Der Kronprinz will die Transformation des saudischen Ölstaates in eine breit aufgestellte, hochmoderne Wirtschaft vorantreiben, die es dem Herrscherclan in Riad ermöglicht, seinen Reichtum sowie seine Macht auch in der Nach-Erdöl-Ära zu sichern. Um die dazu nötigen Investitionen anzustoßen - Riad hat sie offiziell in dem Strategiepapier "Vision 2030" skizziert -, werden immense Finanzmittel benötigt.
Staatsfonds in Schlüsselposition
Berliner Regierungsberater weisen nun darauf hin, dass der PIF unter der De-facto-Herrschaft von Muhammad bin Salman im Geflecht der saudischen Staatsinstitutionen eine herausragende Position erhält: Er soll in Zukunft als zentrale Abwicklungsstelle für Riads Staatsinvestitionen fungieren. Dafür soll sein Volumen, das in der jüngeren Vergangenheit bereits mehr als verdoppelt wurde - auf rund 320 Milliarden US-Dollar -, letzten Endes zwei Billionen US-Dollar erreichen; der PIF wäre dann der größte Staatsfonds der Welt.
Ein "one-man investment vehicle"
Dies ist, wie die SWP konstatiert, nicht zuletzt deshalb von erheblicher Bedeutung, weil der PIF in höchstem Maße auf die Person Muhammad bin Salmans zugeschnitten ist und seine Aufwertung daher eine weitere "Machtzentralisierung zugunsten des Kronprinzen" mit sich bringt. Bin Salman nimmt der SWP zufolge über seine zahlreichen Ämter "massiv Einfluss auf das Tagesgeschäft des PIF", der von manchen Beobachtern "bereits als 'one-man investment vehicle' bezeichnet" wird
Mit deutscher Unterstützung
Indem die Deutsche Bank sich führend am Börsengang von Saudi Aramco beteiligt, beteiligt sie sich auch an der Machtzentralisierung zugunsten des Kronprinzen. Neben ihr unterstützen deutsche Manager die Konzentration des wirtschaftlichen Einflusses bei Muhammad bin Salman. So ist der einstige Siemens-Chef Klaus Kleinfeld im August 2018 zum persönlichen Berater des Kronprinzen ernannt worden
Die politische Dimension der Wirtschaftskooperation
Die SWP dringt darauf, die enge ökonomische Zusammenarbeit mit Saudi-Arabien angesichts der Machtkonzentration beim Kronprinzen zu überdenken.
https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/8055/
and the English version:
(** B E P)
The Crown Prince and his power
German corporations and managers are contributing to the concentration of power in Saudi Arabia by the Crown Prince, notorious for his violent policies. This emerges from an analysis of an influential German think tank. According to the analysis, the IPO of the world's largest oil company Saudi Aramco, in which Deutsche Bank is to play a leading role, is driving forward the centralization of the country's economic power in the sovereign wealth fund PIF. Critics regard this as a "one-man investment vehicle" in the hands of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman al Saud, which the heir to the throne can use to cement his power. It is also conceivable that the Crown Prince, who is personally advised by a former Siemens manager, will use the sovereign wealth fund to exert influence abroad, according to a recently published study by the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), a foundation financed by the Chancellor's Office. Among other things, Muhammad bin Salman is responsible for the war in Yemen, the total blockade of the Emirate of Qatar and the alleged murder of government opponent Yamal Khashoggi.
The world's largest oil company
Deutsche Bank is to play a leading role in the IPO of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company. This is confirmed by several news agencies with reference to sources in Saudi Arabia.[1] According to this, the Frankfurt bank will be a member of the consortium that is to organize the IPO, among others together with the major Swiss bank UBS. Other banks involved include Barclays (Great Britain), BNP Paribas (France), other French and Swiss financial institutions and various US financial institutions.
Vision 2030
Despite all the risks, Saudi Aramco's IPO is of considerable importance. On the one hand, this is due to the immense production and the enormous financial power of the company.
The Crown Prince wants to press ahead with the transformation of the Saudi oil state into a broad-based, ultra-modern economy that will enable the ruling clan in Riyadh to secure its wealth and power even in the post-oil era. In order to initiate the necessary investments - Riyadh has officially outlined them in the strategy paper "Vision 2030"
Sovereign wealth funds in key position
Berlin government advisors now point out that under the de facto rule of Muhammad bin Salman, the PIF is gaining a prominent position in the network of Saudi state institutions: In the future, it is to act as the central settlement office for Riyadh's state investments. In return, its volume, which has already more than doubled in the recent past - to around 320 billion US dollars - should ultimately reach two trillion US dollars; the PIF would then be the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world
A "one-man investment vehicle"
As the SWP states, this is of considerable importance not least because the PIF is highly tailored to the person of Muhammad bin Salmans and its upgrading therefore entails a further 'centralisation of power in favour of the Crown Prince'. According to the SWP, Bin Salman "exerts a massive influence on the day-to-day business of the PIF" through his numerous offices, which some observers have already described as a "one-man investment vehicle"
With German support
By playing a leading role in Saudi Aramco's IPO, Deutsche Bank is also participating in the centralization of power in favor of the Crown Prince. Alongside her, German managers support the concentration of economic influence at Muhammad bin Salman
The political dimension of economic cooperation
The SWP urges that the close economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia be reconsidered in view of the concentration of power with the Crown Prince.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2505868052799543
(** B K P T)
Die Terror-Unterstützer
Waffen und Munition, die nachweislich von den USA und Saudi-Arabien gekauft und bezahlt wurden, landen bei den Terroristen von Al-Qaida und IS in Syrien und dem Jemen.
Immer wieder wird die Aussage, dass die USA jene Terroristen, welche sie angeblich bekämpfen, selbst mit Waffen und Material versorgen, als „Verschwörungstheorie“ bezeichnet, um einer Diskussion darüber aus dem Weg zu gehen. Tatsächlich haben aber nicht nur höchste US-Beamte bereits öffentlich zugegeben, dass ihre engsten Verbündeten, Katar und Saudi-Arabien, die schlimmsten der schlimmen Terroristen unterstützt und Syrien mit Waffen überschwemmt haben, sondern es wurde ihnen bereits mehrfach die Lieferung von Waffen, Ausbildung und Material nachgewiesen.
Schon 2015 hatte Tim Anderson in seinem Buch „Dirty War on Syria“ unwidersprochen nachgewiesen, wie die USA Tausende von Kämpfern ausgebildet, bewaffnet und dann zum Kampf gegen die legitime Regierung Syriens losgelassen hatten.
Im Jahr 2017 wurde dann klar, dass diese Versorgung der Terroristen immer noch in großem Umfang stattfand, und dass wegen der Art des Transportes wohl viele Regierungen in Europa sehr wohl davon gewusst haben mussten. In einem Artikel von Rubikon (1) tauchte zum ersten Mal der Name der bulgarischen investigativen Journalistin Dilyana Gaytandzhieva auf, welche mit Unterlagen, die sie von Whistleblowern erhalten hatte, beschrieb, wie die Versorgung der Terroristen mit Waffen und Munition funktionierte:
„Mindestens 350 Diplomatenflüge der Silk Way Airlines (einer staatlichen Fluggesellschaft Aserbaidschans) transportierten Waffen während der letzten drei Jahre in Konfliktzonen in der ganzen Welt. Die staatliche Fluggesellschaft flog Dutzende von Tonnen schwerer Waffen und Munition für Terroristen, unter dem Schutzmantel der diplomatischen Immunität“ (1).
Nun, die Journalistin hatte für das Offenlegen der Versorgungswege ihren Job verloren, danach aber umso engagierter mit Hilfe von Whistleblowern über Biowaffenlabors und in diesem Jahr über Waffen von den USA für die Terroristen im Jemen berichtet. In einer dreiteiligen Artikelserie auf der Internetseite „Arms Watch“ berichtet sie mit vielen Details, veröffentlichten Dokumenten und Aussagen von Zeugen darüber, wie Terroristen durch die USA gestärkt werden, damit diese gegen die Huthis, welche die Marionettenregierung von Saudi-Arabien aus dem Land getrieben haben, erfolgreich kämpfen können.
Waffen für den IS in 2018
Im ersten Teil der Serie stellt Dilyana Gaytandzhieva fest, dass der US-Präsident Donald Trump zwar den Sieg über den IS in Syrien verkündet hätte, andererseits aber seltsamerweise von der US-Regierung bestellte und bezahlte Waffen in den Händen des IS im Jemen landen. Sie begründete dieser Aussage mit Dokumenten, die sie von Whistleblowern der serbischen staatlichen Waffenhersteller Krusik und Jugoimport SDPR erhalten hatte.
Unter den Dokumenten waren E-Mails, interne Mitteilungen, Verträge, Fotos, Lieferdaten und Packlisten mit Chargennummern der Waffen sowie Informationen über die Käufer dieser Waren. Außerdem Scans von Pässen der Waffenhändler und Regierungsbeamten aus den USA, aus Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE). Insgesamt konnten so drei Millionen Stück serbische Waffen — Mörsergranaten und Raketen — identifiziert werden, welche innerhalb der letzten drei Jahre in den Jemen und nach Syrien geliefert worden waren.
Durch die Rückverfolgung von Chargennummern der serbischen Waffen, die sich in den Händen der IS-Terroristen im Jemen befanden, konnte die Journalistin dann zurückverfolgen, dass diese von der US-Regierung bestellt und bezahlt worden waren. Der Grund für die Bewaffnung des IS im Jemen erscheint logisch: Lediglich die Huthis sind erbitterte Gegner des dortigen IS. Zwar führen die USA hin und wieder Drohnenanschläge durch, aber die einzige Macht im Land, welche keine Verbindungen zu den Terroristen unterhält, sind die Huthis und einige ihrer Verbündeten. Indem man also den IS im Jemen bewaffnet, hilft man ihm, gegen die Huthis zu kämpfen, welche ja auch durch Saudi-Arabien mit Hilfe der USA und Großbritannien, aber auch anderer Verbündeter bekämpft werden.
https://www.rubikon.news/artikel/die-terror-unterstutzer
My remark: The English article had been published here: http://dilyana.bg/islamic-state-weapons-in-yemen-traced-back-to-us-government-serbia-files-part-1/
And her website here: http://dilyana.bg/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
Local sources recorded 14 deaths as a result of #cholera and dengue fever in Dimna Khadir district, west #Taiz city. The sources said that there are 1,433 suspected cases of cholera and 283 cases of dengue fever in different areas in the district (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1176723251264917505
(A H P)
UAE initiates fogging campaign to control cholera in Yemen
As part of its preventive healthcare efforts to protect and improve the public health of the Yemeni people, the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, launched a fog spraying campaign to control the surge of epidemics, especially cholera, across the Red Sea Coast of Yemen.
The drive is being conducted by the ERC in coordination with the Health and Agriculture Office in the Mocha District of the Taiz Governorate, in response to an appeal issued by local health authorities to eradicate mosquito and insect-borne diseases.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13372
My comment: The separatists are praising the UAE. If this really helps against cholera? Cholera is spread by drinking water.
(* B H)
World Health Organization: Outbreak update - Cholera in Yemen, 25 August 2019
The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported 17 498 suspected cases and 12 associated deaths during epidemiological week 34 (19-25 August) of 2019. Twelve percent of cases were severe. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 1 January 2018 to 25 August 2019 is 972 226, with 1338 associated deaths (CFR 0.14%). Children under five represent 25% of total suspected cases during 2019. The outbreak has affected 22 of 23 governorates and 305 of 333 districts in Yemen.
From week 8 in 2019, the trend of weekly reported suspected cholera cases started increasing and reached to more than 29 500 cases in week 14. These were the maximum number of cases reported so far. The trend of suspected cases has been fluctuated over the past weeks. For the last weeks, an increase in number of reported cases was observed.
(* B H)
UN Children's Fund: UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report (August 2019)
Between January and August 2019, there have been 617,317 Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD)/Cholera suspected cases and 844 associated deaths.
UNICEF vaccinated the second dose of Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) in August, covering 81 per cent of the OCV campaign’s target.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-humanitarian-situation-report-august-2019
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pS)
Houthis continue breaching Hodeida ceasefire
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33357
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi mercenaries targeted several areas of Kilo-16 with medium machine-guns. US-Saudi forces targeted civilians' houses and properties in Ad-durayhimi district with artillery shells and medium and light machine-guns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8957
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi forces targeted At-tohayta district with heavy and medium machine-guns. US-Saudi mercenaries also targeted a farm in Kilo-16 with artillery shells and machine-guns
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8941
(A K pS)
Houthis continue to commit violations in Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13369
(A K pS)
Houthi Militias Target The Joint Forces
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13362
cp1c1 Am wichtigsten: Angriff auf Saudi Aramco: Deutsch / Most important: Saudi Aramco attack: German
(* A K P)
Macron, Merkel und Johnson machen Iran für Angriffe auf Ölanlagen verantwortlich
Gut eine Woche nach den Angriffen auf saudiarabische Ölanlagen haben Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU), der britische Premierminister Boris Johnson und Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung den Iran für die Luftangriffe auf Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien verantwortlich gemacht. Es gebe "keine andere plausible Erklärung" für die Attacken, erklärten die drei Staats- und Regierungschefs am Montag bei einem Treffen im Vorfeld der UN-Generaldebatte in New York. Sie warnten Teheran vor einer weiteren "Provokation".
"Für uns ist klar, dass der Iran die Verantwortung für den Angriff trägt", hieß es in der Erklärung. Zuvor hatten bereits die USA und Saudi-Arabien Teheran für die Attacken auf die Ölanlagen in Churais und Abkaik verantwortlich gemacht.
US-Außenminister Mike Pompeo dankte den drei Staats- und Regierungschefs im Kurzbotschaftendienst Twitter für die "Deutlichkeit", mit der sie die "alleinige Verantwortung des Iran" an den Attacken auf Saudi-Arabien benannt hätten.
Mein Kommentar: Lol. Die USA und auch die Saudis wissen: Auf die „Europäer“ ist Verlass.
Anmerkung Christian Reimann: Das darf doch wohl nicht wahr sein. Ohne jeden Beweis tut Kanzlerin Merkel das, was sie offenbar am liebsten macht: Den USA folgen.Es gäbe “keine andere Erklärung”. Das klingt nach alternativlos. Dabei könnten selbst Laien auf vielerlei alternative Erklärungsversuche für den Angriff auf die Ölanlagen kommen. Aber dann kommt wohl der Verdacht einer Verschwörungstheorie auf, oder?
Anmerkung Marco Wenzel: Doch, es gibt eine andere mögliche Erklärung: eine Operation unter falscher Flagge.
Und der Iran andererseits dürfte wohl kaum so draufgängerisch sein, die Saudis und damit implizit auch die USA dermaßen herauszufordern und ihren eigenen Untergang zu riskieren.
Wie also sollten 10 Drohnen unbemerkt etwa 1000 km über Saudi-Arabisches Gebiet geflogen und die Ölraffinerie in Brand gesetzt haben? Das ist unwahrscheinlich und wenn doch, dann müssten jetzt Köpfe in der Saudischen Armee wegen Unfähigkeit rollen.
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=55099#h01
Und
(A P)
Iran weist Verantwortung für Angriffe auf saudische Raffinerien zurück
Der Iran weist die Schuldzuweisung Deutschlands, Frankreichs und Großbritanniens für einen Angriffe auf wichtige Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien zurück.
cp1c2 Am wichtigsten: Angriff auf Saudi Aramco: Englisch / Most important: Saudi Aramco attack: English
(** B K P)
A PRECISION STRIKE ON US CREDIBILITY – SHATTERING A US PARADIGM
The precision attack on the Saudi ‘jewel in the crown’, crude-processing installation last week, is also a precision assault on Saudi credibility, on the believability of the US security ‘umbrella’, and a humiliation for Trump, and particularly to America’s image as a competent military and intelligence power.
Gulf States will be pursing their lips as they consider now their own vulnerabilities and question their reliance on that US umbrella. Even the Pentagon might be questioning, ‘what then – is the point to CentCom’ in light of what has happened? And above all, Israel will be experiencing a very chill wind sending shivers up the spine: Israelis cannot but be a tad struck in awe at the attack’s precise targeting and technical efficacy. Quite impressive – especially given that Saudi spent $65 billion on weaponry last year, to no good avail.
Facing this humiliation, the US Administration has been ‘blowing smoke’: tossing around red-herrings about the origin and launch of the UAVs and cruise missiles. ‘It can’t be AnsarAllah (the Houthis), because such an operation was sophisticated beyond their capabilities’. Apart from the obvious Orientalism to this assertion (for, if Hizbullah can manufacture smart drones and smart cruise missiles, why shouldn’t the Houthis be able so to do?), do the exact, individual contributions towards the strike on Abqaiq really matter? What is most telling is that the US – with all its massive resources in the Gulf – cannot provide the evidence from whence came these UAVs to Abqaiq.
Actually, the ambiguity about the strike modus operandi represents just another layer to the sophistication of the attack.
The US is ‘blowing smoke’ about launch sites mainly to divert from the very obvious (but embarrassing) fact that the raining down of missiles on Abqaiq, primordially owes to the Saudi war on Yemen (supported unreservedly by Trump). The Houthis have claimed the attack; they say they will demonstrate their weaponry (which certainly in the case of the Houthi Quds 1 cruise missile is no mere copy of the Iranian Soumar missile – see here), and promise to repeat their attacks in the near future.
What the precision strike has done is to shatter the ‘vessel’ of the US posing as somehow ‘guardian’ of the Gulf, and guarantor of the crude oil lifeblood feeding into the veins of a fragile world economy. This to say, it was a precision strike aimed at the prevailing paradigm – and it scored a direct hit. It exposed the hollowness of both claims. Anthony Cordesman writes, “the strikes on Saudi Arabia provide a clear strategic warning that the US era of air supremacy in the Gulf, and the near US monopoly on precision strike capability, is rapidly fading”.
Were the Iranians directly or indirectly involved? Well … it doesn’t really matter.
There is only a political answer. But for now, the US and MbS both, are in a stage of denial: the latter apparently believes that continuing with the partial sale of Aramco might solve his problems (though markets have just re-awoken to geo-political risk to assets, such as Aramco), and Trump seems still to believe that maximum pressure might still come up trumps.
For the rest of us, ‘the political’ is pretty obvious for Saudi Arabia: Accept defeat in Yemen, and with it, its corollary – engaging with Iran and Russia is a sine qua non for achieving any settlement. For sure it will be costly for MbS, both politically and financially. But what is the alternative? Wait upon further Abqaiqs? To be fair, there are reports that the al-Saud understand their situation now to be existential. We shall see.
And for Trump, the lesson surely is clear. The strike on Abqaiq could have been easily worse (with greater interruption to oil supplies). Oil markets and markets more generally have woken up to the geo-political risks to Trump’s maximum pressure tactics. And they are becoming nervous, as world trade falters – by Alastair Crooke
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/09/23/a-precision-strike-on-us-credibility-shattering-us-paradigm/ = https://southfront.org/a-precision-strike-on-us-credibility-shattering-a-us-paradigm/
(** B K P)
How Yemen’s Houthis are bringing down a Goliath
“It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation. We support ongoing investigations to establish further details.”
The statement above was not written by Franz Kafka. In fact, it was written by a Kafka derivative: Brussels-based European bureaucracy. The Merkel-Macron-Johnson trio, representing Germany, France and the UK, seems to know what no “ongoing investigation” has unearthed: that Tehran was definitively responsible for the twin aerial strikes on Saudi oil installations.
“There is no other plausible explanation” translates as the occultation of Yemen. Yemen only features as the pounding ground of a vicious Saudi war, de facto supported by Washington and London and conducted with US and UK weapons, which has generated a horrendous humanitarian crisis.
So Iran is the culprit, no evidence provided, end of story, even if the “investigation continues.”
Hassan Ali Al-Emad, Yemeni scholar and the son of a prominent tribal leader with ascendance over ten clans, begs to differ. “From a military perspective, nobody ever took our forces in Yemen seriously. Perhaps they started understanding it when our missiles hit Aramco.”
he confirmed: “Past Yemeni governments had missiles, but after 9/11 Yemen was banned from buying weapons from Russia. But we still had 400 missiles in warehouses in South Yemen. We used 200 Scuds – the rest is still there [laughs].”
Al-Emad breaks down Houthi weaponry into three categories: the old missile stock; cannibalized missiles using different spare parts (“transformation made in Yemen”); and those with new technology that use reverse engineering. He stressed: “We accept help from everybody,” which suggests that not only Tehran and Hezbollah are pitching in.
On the energy front, Persian Gulf energy traders that I have relied upon as trustworthy sources for two decades confirm that, contrary to Saudi Oil Minister Abdulazziz bin Salman’s spin, the damage from the Houthi attack on Abqaiq could last not only “months” but even years – by Pepe Escobar
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/09/article/how-yemens-houthis-are-bringing-down-a-goliath/
(** B K P)
How Holes in the Burning Saudi Oil Fields Narrative Could Draw the US Into a War With Iran
It is inconceivable to the United States that a “rag-tag” force like Yemen’s Houthis might, with home-made weapons, outdo the hundred-billion-dollar might and sophistication of the state-of-the-art systems Washington has lavished upon the Saudis.
Saudi and U.S. military analysts have presented satellite images of where the missiles landed in the oil fields, purporting to show that the drones/missiles came from the direction of Iran. However, some experts are already countering these claims, pointing out that the images show impact points that are indeed west-northwest, which is the opposite direction of Iran.
Despite providing no substantial evidence and citing so-called anonymous intelligence — you know, the same intelligence that, to justify war with Iraq, claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam was working with al-Qaeda — the corporate media has amplified and endorsed the Saudi and Trump administration’s claims to manufacture consent for an all-out war with Iran.
Indeed, while the media is choking up the airwaves with pro-war and anti-Iranian propaganda, what’s been lost or perhaps purposely left out from this coverage is who actually took responsibility for this attack and why.
Ansarullah has spent the last five years resisting the U.S./Saudi-backed bombardment of Yemen, which has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Perhaps if the media did their job in reporting these facts, it would be an embarrassment for the U.S. military machine. It would expose the utter failure of billions of dollars worth of Saudi and American military defense systems against a grassroots resistance movement taking on the Goliath of the U.S.-Saudi backed Coalition’s genocidal war against the Middle East’s now poorest country.
But this conflict goes further back than 2015. The U.S. has occupied Yemen in its pursuit of expanding its military empire under the guise of the war on terror. Since 2002, the U.S. has been drone bombing Yemen
Blaming Iran for an attack on the world’s largest oil processing site suits the interests of American allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, which have directed Trump’s foreign policy in the Middle East that has included isolating Iran.
The story presented to Western audiences by the mainstream corporate media is rationalized by a carefully crafted and false narrative that the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war against Yemen, which has dropped over 50,000 bombs on that country — bombs made and supplied by the USA– is to prevent an expanding Iran that is arming the Ansarullah Houthi movement.
But leaked internal documents show that many of these connections made by military intelligence were deliberately fabricated, and Yemenis are actually capable of manufacturing their own modern weapons.
Just as the U.S. claimed that all their interventions during the Cold War were to defend against Soviet aggression, now any region in the Middle East the Empire wants to expand, exploit and occupy is conveniently labeled an Iranian outpost, justifying more wars.
Beyond this, it is of course “inconceivable” to the United States that a “rag-tag” force like Yemen’s Ansarullah Houthis might with home-made weapons outdo the hundred-billion-dollar might and sophistication of the state-of-the-art systems Washington has lavished upon the Saudis. Almost as embarrassing as losing to the North Vietnamese — so that couldn’t be what happened.
For decades, manufacturing consent for war by using false pretexts has been seized by both parties, whether Democratic or Republican. Both have spread disinformation to demonize an entire nation in order to drum up support for war.
Now, with the Saudi oil fields burning, the disinformation campaign moves into high gear — ignoring or selectively reporting not just key physical evidence but also the whole context of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen that has given rise to the desperate measures to which the Houthis have been forced to turn to — a right to self defense under the Geneva conventions. – by Mnar Muhawesh
https://www.mintpressnews.com/holes-us-burning-saudi-oil-fields-narrative-spark-war-iran/261998/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NUoVvOl1-0
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Saudi War on Yemen Left the Kingdom Weak & Vulnerable
The Saudis have run out of options in their war against Yemen which began in 2015. The latest attack on Saudi oil infrastructure has demonstrated how this conflict can spread well within Saudi borders, threatening the Kingdom and its monarchical foundation. Notwithstanding the habit of pointing fingers at Iran, the Houthi statement about the attack hasn’t just confirmed who planned and executed the attack, but also reveals how this move recieved support from within Saudi Arabia itself, a fact that scared the House of Saud much more than the damage done to its oil infrastructure. The attack shows that the monarchy is vulnerable from both inside and outside. In a situation where the Kingdom can easily be hit where it hurts most, it’s clear that political rivals from within the Kingdom can go to any extent to weaken and eventually overthrow the Saudi royal family. The Saudi war in Yemen has thus already become a double threat, an albatross around the Saudi neck that Mohammad bin Salman finds almost impossible to get rid of.
In spite of Riyadh’s attempts to point fingers at Iran, there is no gainsaying that the Houthis in Yemen have developed their military capability over the last couple of years.
An although Trump did say they were ‘locked and loaded’, the US is far from eager to take a plunge into a new war in the Middle East. Notwithstanding affirmations, the US approach is cautious and unlikely to materialize in all-out support for a possible Saudi war on Iran at a time when the Kingdom has badly failed in winning its war against the Houthis.
Washington may indeed rush for a Saudi rescue, in the words of the US president, if the Saudis can financially afford it and will be willing to foot the bill.
The Abqaiq attack has shown that the entire Middle East’s production of over 18 million barrels of oil a day – including Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – can be easily knocked out, a possibility that regional states cannot stomach. As for Saudi Arabia, it can neither fight the war in Yemen, nor win it on its own – by Salman Rafi Sheikh
https://journal-neo.org/2019/09/24/saudi-war-on-yemen-left-the-kingdom-weak-vulnerable/
(* B K)
Film: Uncle Sam’s Missiles Fail Saudi Arabia? Patriot System Not Equipped to Battle Drone Attack!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJwc9Mq0po
My comment: Very interesting! Explained why Patriot did not work, and why Houthi drones could stay undetected.
(* B K)
WHY PATRIOT MISSILES ARE USELESS
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rushed to defend the reputation of the Patriot system.
“Look, anytime – we’ve seen air defense systems all around the world have mixed success. Some of the finest in the world don’t always pick things up. We want to work to make sure that infrastructure and resources are put in place such that attacks like this would be less successful than this one appears to have been. That’s certainly the case,” Pompeo said during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
However, the truth is that this was not the first time that Saudi Arabia’s Patriots have failed. Over the past years, Ansar Allah has carried out dozens of successful drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, targeting airports, military camps, oil infrastructure and even the Saudi capital, Riyadh. All these attacks were delivered from the ‘right direction’, but this did not help Saudi Arabia to repel them with anything that could be described as a high degree of success.
Multiple incidents involving Patriot missiles failing, malfunctioning or even returning to explode near the launch area do not add credibility to the Saudi Air Defense Forces and their Patriots. One of the most widely covered of such incidents happened on March 25, 2018, when at least 5 Patriot missiles missed, malfunctioned or exploded mid-air during the Saudi attempt to repel an Ansar Allah missile strike.
The repeated failures of Patriots to defend targets in Saudi Arabia already turned them into a meme at an international level.
It also should be noted that the Patriot was originally created to shoot down aircraft, not missiles or drones. The Patriot got the ballistic missile capability after the missile and system upgrade dubbed the PAC-2.
Another possible explanation of the inability of Saudi Arabia to protect its infrastructure from missile and drone attacks is that it lacks layered defenses that include long-range, short-range point defense systems and electronic warfare systems which are capable of repelling mixed attacks of this type.
All kinds of traditional air-defenses could struggle to repel mixed attacks massively involving relatively cheap drones and missiles. However, the air defense capabilities of some systems and the ability of some states to employ these systems does seem to be somewhat overestimated.
https://southfront.org/why-patriot-missiles-are-useless/
(* B K pS)
How far can Yemen’s Scud missiles go? - graphic
It remains unknown how many Scud missiles Houthi forces currently have in their arsenal but Yemen’s military was believed to have had 300 Scud missiles when the conflict began - most of which fell under control of Houthi rebels and forces allied with former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/how-far-can-yemen-s-scud-missiles-go-graphic-1.99858
My comment: As a reminder, from an UAE news site. Well, it had been 700 km in 2015 – and evidently, the Houthis had developped their capacities. – And: The UAE side here admits that the Houthis still had a plenty of Scud rockets, thus needing only few or little imports from Iran, to improve and remake.
(A P)
Film: MAKE NO MISTAKE - the West's blame game against Iran is a ruse, designed to dodge scrutiny over the Western supported, Saudi-led genocide in Yemen. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=405632630141812
(A K P)
Saudi oil attack: All the latest updates
President's comments come as Saudi Arabia says it's talking 'with friends and allies' about next steps after oil attack.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/saudi-oil-attacks-latest-updates-190916102800973.html
(A P)
Germany has no doubt Britain supports statement on Iran's role in Saudi oil field attack
Great Britain still supports a joint statement made with Germany and France on Iran’s responsibility in an attack on a Saudi Arabian oil field earlier this month, a spokesman for Berlin’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
(A E K)
Saudi crude loadings fall in September after attacks: trackers
Saudi Arabia’s crude exports dropped steeply following the Sept. 14 attacks and remain lower month-on-month, according to export figures, a tangible sign that supplies to the market are being curbed even as production recovers.
A report from tanker-tracking firm Petro-Logistics, seen by Reuters, said crude exports averaged 5.875 million barrels per day in the 10 days since the attacks, down 1.494 million bpd from shipments in the first 13 days of the month.
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco restores oil output earlier than expected: sources
Saudi Arabia has restored its oil production capacity to 11.3 million barrels per day, three sources briefed on Saudi Aramco’s operations told Reuters, maintaining a faster than expected recovery after the Sept. 14 attacks on its oil facilities.
Crude output from the Khurais field is now at 1.3 million bpd and the Abqaiq plant is currently at about 4.9 million bpd, the sources said. On Monday, sources had said Abqaiq production was about 3 million bpd.
(A K P)
Saudi Arabia says consulting on next steps after attack, waiting for inquiry results
Saudi Arabia is in consultation “with friends and allies about the next steps to take” after an attack on Sept. 14 on the world’s biggest crude oil processing facility, but is waiting for the findings of an investigation, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told reporters on Wednesday.
“The United Nations sent people to be part of the investigation, other countries have sent experts to be part of the investigation so when the team that’s investigating has concluded its investigations we will make the announcements publicly,” Jubeir told reporters on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.
and
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Saudi to consider 'all options' in response to attack on oil facilities: official
Saudi Arabia believes Iran conducted the recent attacks on its oil facilities and will consider a military response once its investigation is complete, the kingdom’s minister of state for foreign affairs said on Tuesday
“We want to mobilize international support, and we want to look at all options - diplomatic options, economic options and military options - and then make the decision,” Adel al-Jubeir said at a conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
“We want to avoid war. But at the same time we have to signal to the Iranians that ‘your behavior cannot continue’,” he added.
Jubeir said the United Nations was helping it identify the launch site for the Sept. 14 attacks, which temporarily knocked out over 5 percent of global oil production and sent petroleum prices spiking higher.
He said he expected the investigation to be completed “fairly soon” but suggested it would be weeks and not days.
(A E K)
Saudi central bank governor says attack on Aramco had no monetary impact
(A P)
FM statement strongly condemns E3 anti-Iran accusations
The Islamic Republic of Iran has strongly condemned and rejected the irresponsible claims made against it by Britain, France and Germany over the attacks by the Yemen on Saudi oil facilities.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Iranian foreign Ministry said that the E3 action in accusing Iran in a joint statement of being behind the recent attacks on Saudi Aramco oil facilities, for which the Yemeni forces have claimed responsibility, was a politically motivated move done at the request of Saudis.
The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned the accusations in the E3 statement as 'baseless', 'provocative' and 'highly counterproductive'
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/150415/FM-statement-strongly-condemns-E3-anti-Iran-accusations
(* A P)
Macron, Merkel and Johnson blame Iran for Saudi oil attack
European guarantors of the Iran nuclear deal issue joint rebuke of Tehran and urge 'dialogue.'
The leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Monday blamed Iran for an attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks on oil facilities on Saudi territory on September 14th, 2019 in Abqaiq and Khurais, and we reaffirm in this context our full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its population,” French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a joint statement after meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
“It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack,” the leaders said. “There is no other plausible explanation. We support ongoing investigations to establish further details.”
It was a particularly a sharp rebuke of Tehran by three European powers that have been struggling to preserve the Iran nuclear deal (known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) against enormous pressure from Washington.
The public calling out of Iran’s culpability will also likely further complicate a recent effort by Macron to defuse tensions over the nuclear deal
Comment by Trita Parsi: EU countries who help Saudi bomb Yemen to pieces, "condemn in the strongest terms" attack on Saudi oil facilities.
https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1176459730820194305
(A E K)
Oil eases as global demand concerns return, overshadowing Saudi supply doubts
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco IPO unlikely to happen this year after oil attacks: sources
Saudi Arabia is unlikely to list its state-owned oil giant Aramco this year after attacks this month on its facilities, two sources with direct knowledge of the company’s thinking said.
(A E K)
Oil prices fall due to weak economic data, Saudi output recovery
Oil prices fell on Tuesday after weak manufacturing data from Europe and Japan focused market attention on a gloomy outlook for demand and as Saudi Arabia could restore oil output faster than anticipated following attacks last week.
(* B K)
(from Sep. 17)
US Sponsored War: Formidable Yemeni Houthi Fighters Strike Back
Things aren’t going well for the US, NATO, Israel, Riyadh, and their jihadist proxies in Yemen.
They’re losing endless war to Ansarullah Houthi rebels, their capabilities much more sophisticated than earlier believed.
Houthis showed they can back threats with effective action. As long as Saudi warplanes terror-bomb Yemeni targets and blockade on the country remains in place, significant Houthi retaliation on strategic kingdom targets will likely continue.
Endless war cost Riyadh tens of billions of dollars, its economy adversely affected, its 2019 budget deficit expected to be about 7% of GDP, according to the IMF.
Will direct Trump regime/Houthi talks be held now, aiming to end years of war?
Whenever US negotiations are held, its promises are empty time and again — proving its officials can never be trusted.
If war-weary Saudis cease warmaking on Yemen, endless US war will likely continue — directly or indirectly with Pentagon/CIA controlled jihadist proxies, along with drone war.
If endless war continues, further Houthi attacks on strategic Saudi targets are likely, notably striking its oil producing and refining facilities – by Stephen Lendman
https://www.globalresearch.ca/formidable-yemeni-houthi-fighters/5689250
cp1d Am wichtigsten: Saudischer Ludtangriff tötet 16 / Most important: Saudi air raid killing 16
(* A K pH)
NAMES OF MARTYRS AND WOUNDED BY THE BRUTAL MASSACRE OF AGGRESSION IN AL-DHALI’ PROVINCE
A security source at Qataba district in Al-Dhali province announced the names of martyrs and wounded of the brutal massacre committed by the US-Saudi aggression which killed 16, including 7 children, 4 women, and 5 men.
and also here: https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171930
(** A K)
Yemen town mourns family of 15 killed in air strike
It took medics and residents of Qatabah in southern Yemen more than 12 hours to retrieve the bodies of the Al-Halimi family from under the rubble of their collapsed home.
They were buried on Wednesday in their village of Al-Fakhir, on the edge of the town ringed by mountains, as their loved ones voiced shock and anger.
"It's as if the whole village has been killed," Salem al-Halimi, a relative, told AFP.
"No one would have thought they would die this way. They were a peaceful family."
Abbas al-Halimi, 38, his wife and five children -- ranging from 11 years to just three months old -- were among those killed.
His brother and sister-in-law and their two children also lost their lives, along with three other relatives.
Medics told AFP a 16th person was killed outside the house.
According to rights activist Mahmoud al-Sheaiby, based in the province, the town is "witnessing non-stop and daily clashes".
Daleh is partly controlled by the rebels, who, according to a local official, seized Qatabah in May this year after fierce fighting.
Abbas and his brother worked in nearby fields growing coffee plants and the mild narcotic qat, banned in some countries but part of Yemeni culture for thousands of years.
On Tuesday morning, hours before the men headed to work and their children to school, air raids hit their home.
Nothing was left except a pile of wood and debris, a purple shirt visible in the rubble.
"They had nothing to do with the fighting," Salem al-Halimi said.
"They were a happy family, and they always avoided trouble and looked for safety.
"There's anger and shock. We want the truth behind what happened." – by Mohammed Al-Harissi
(* A K)
'Grief and Anger' in Yemen After US-Backed Saudi Bombing Kills Seven Children, Nine Others
The oil field strike, which killed nobody, drew widespread condemnation from leaders in Europe and the U.S., but thus far those leaders have been silent about the Yemen attack.
"Europe will not condemn this," tweeted Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft vice president Trita Parsi. "But a strike against an oil field in Saudi Arabia that killed no one, they condemned in 'strongest terms.'"
(** A K)
Huthi-Rebellen berichten von 16 Toten nach saudischem Luftangriff
Bei dem Bombardement eines Wohnhauses im Süden des Jemen sollen auch Frauen, Kinder und ein Sanitäter getötet worden sein
Die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärkoalition hat im Jemen nach Angaben der Huthi-Rebellen bei Luftangriffen mindestens 16 Menschen getötet, darunter sieben Kinder. Das Bündnis habe am Dienstag ein Wohnhaus in der Provinz Dali im Süden des Bürgerkriegslandes attackiert, sagte der Militärsprecher der Huthis, Jahia Sari.
Unter den Toten seien auch vier Frauen, zudem sei ein Sanitäter verwundet worden.
(* A K pH)
Initial Reports: 13 Martyrs in New War Crime of US-Saudi Aggression on Al-Dalea
Thirteen citizens were martyred on Tuesday in US-Saudi aggression raids on Al-Dalea governorate.
Almasirah Net correspondent reported that the aerial aggression targeted a citizen’s house in Hubail As-Samai area, Qatabah district, killing 13 citizens as an initial toll.
Our correspondent pointed out that rescue operations and recovery of victims are still continuing.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8949
Death Toll of US-Saudi Aggression Massacre in Al-Dhalea Rises to 16, Mostly Women and Children
The death toll of US-Saudi aggression airstrikes that targeting a citizen’s house in Al-Dalea governorate has rose to 16 martyrs, mostly women and children.
"The victims toll of the aggression airstrikes on the house of Abbas al-Halmi in Qatabah, Al-Dhalea governorate, is 16 martyrs, including 7 children, 4 women and 5 men, while one of the paramedics was wounded after targeting them with two airstrikes this morning," Armed forces spokesman Brigadier Yahya Sare’e said in a brief statement.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8950
(* A K)
Air strikes kill around 16 in Yemen's Houthi-controlled Dalea province - residents, media
Al-Masirah TV, run by the Houthis, said 16 people in one building - including seven children - died in strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition. There was no immediate comment from the coalition.
Two residents told Reuters 17 had died in the strikes on Qataba, a frontline town which lies on the main north-south route between Houthi-controlled Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden.
(* A K pH)
Yemen death toll rises to 16 civilians after US-Saudi massacre: 7 children 4 women 5 men By Saudi airstrike on their house in Kataba in the middle of Yemen. (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1176453184979722240
(** A K pH)
Crime flight aggressor bombed the home of Ali Hammoud al-Halmi and his brother Ahmed Hammoud al-Halmi in the area of Alnbijh of the administrative district of the province of Qal'ba and the martyrdom of all the family in the house are: 1 - Mr. Abbas Ali Hamoud al-Halmi, his wife and his five children 2 - Abdul Nasser Ali Hamoud al-Halmi and his wife and his three children 3 - the wife of Abdul Ghani Ali Hamoud al-Halmi pregnant ninth month.
Names, ages of victims (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2111554932473823
More photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2111706652458651
https://twitter.com/yemennotatarget/status/1176583746948141056
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1176530571452997635
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1176556951402110976
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157747788882425&set=pcb.10157747789512425&type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2423486487740589&set=a.461249683964289&type=3&theater
This is the only survivor, Yusera Abass Al Halimi, lost mother & father and all siblings!
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1176858083538157568
Films: https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1176816258102300672
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1176559235976638465
Group grave for the entire family who were killed at the morning, Few hours later the villagers digged a group grave for the entire family who killed by Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Qatabah District south of #Yemen and buried them all once amid grief and anger
https://twitter.com/MohammedHojily/status/1176610836586127360
(* A K pH)
Saudi airstrikes hit Yemen’s southwest, kill 16
Latest Saudi airstrikes have killed at least 16 people, 11 of them women and children, in southwestern Yemen.
Yemen’s al-Masirah TV reported that the aerial bombardment targeted a residential building in the province of Dhale on Tuesday.
Al-Masirah said other people were still trapped under the rubble.
One paramedic was also injured at the site.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/24/606986/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-airstrikes
(** A K)
7 children among 16 killed by air strikes in Yemen
Air strikes allegedly carried out by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen on Tuesday killed 16 people including seven children, an official and a doctor said.
Tuesday's air strikes on Qatabah, in southern Yemen's Daleh province, partly controlled by the rebels, marked the first major attack believed to have been carried out by the coalition since the Huthis' offer.
"Sixteen people, including women and children, were killed and nine others injured" in a raid targeting a home in Daleh, a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A doctor at Al Thawra hospital in nearby Ibb province, which received the bodies of those killed, said seven children and four women were among them.
The Huthi rebels condemned the coalition for its "continued aggression" against the Yemeni people.
"The aggressors do not understand the message of peace... but only messages of drones and of missile power," said a statement carried by the insurgents' Al-Masirah television.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7498863/7-children-16-killed-air-strikes-Yemen.html
and also https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/7-children-16-dead-yemen-air-strikes-190924122950086.html
(A K P)
Tehran Condemns Saudi Lethal Attack on Yemen
“Continued bombardment of residential complexes by Saudi Arabia which comes despite the Sana’a National Salvation government’s initiative to stop missile launches into Saudi Arabia in return for an end to the Saudi bombardment, that has also been welcomed by the international community, shows that the aggressors still keep beating on drums of war and insist on their strategic mistake in using a military approach in Yemen,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi stated on Tuesday
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980702001218
and also https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/09/25/2104334/iran-raps-saudi-war-crimes-in-yemen
(A K P)
Yemen: Save the Children Calls for Investigation into Killing of Five Children
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-save-children-calls-investigation-killing-five-children
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-september-25-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-september-24-2019-map-update/
(* B K P)
To End The War In Yemen, Saudi Arabia Must Put Aside Hubris And Revive Tribal Patronage
Saudi Arabia’s leadership needs to bring back the old Yemen hands and re-establish its influence with the tribes of northern Yemen. But before it does that it will need to first recognize the failure of its disastrous intervention- a difficult acknowledgment at a time when nationalism is being played up by the Saudi regime.
At a time when Saudi Arabia was pushing a nationalist agenda and was seeking to demonstrate its military might, diplomacy would have been considered a sign of weakness, and such calls were ignored.
In March 2018, when the Houthis launched multiple simultaneous missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, I was advising the government on the establishment of a national risk and resilience unit for the kingdom.
But while the Houthi missiles were starting to come in more regularly, the authorities did not overly worry about them, given the kingdom’s air defense systems’ apparent efficacy at intercepting them before they landed.
Through academic relations in Europe, I had naively suggested the possibility of initiating an indirect dialogue with Houthi leadership, under the assumption that backchannel communications were not already in place. Not only was the suggestion ignored, but it also led to questions as to my motivations and interests—as if trying to solve a national risk through dialogue was anathema, given the confidence that military might alone would be enough to crush an army of ragtag rebels fighting with AK47s.
Saudi Arabia can no longer afford this escalation to continue. For all his vocal support, Donald Trump is unlikely to risk a regional flare-up, and Saudi Arabia cannot afford to hit back at Iran if it turns out the attacks originated from Iranian territory.
As the first decade of the millennium was reaching its end however, two notable developments led to Saudi Arabia losing its grip on the north of Yemen.
Despite a significant loss of Saudi institutional memory on Yemeni affairs and a fratricidal war that has torn apart Yemen’s tribal and social fabric, there is a desperate need for Saudi Arabia to reimpose its influence. While it is understood that MBS’s brother Khaled is now in charge of the Yemen dossier, it is urgent to bring back the prominent Saudi experts who played an active role in the Special Committee.
For this to succeed, it will be fundamental for Saudi Arabia to guarantee the Houthis a place in the future government of Yemen and commit to reconstructing the civilian infrastructure that has been destroyed. Saudi Arabia will also need to provide guarantees that it will not support the establishment of Salafi schools in the Zaydi heartland of northern Yemen, while in return the Houthis will need to commit to stopping their cross-border attacks, and more importantly end their relationship with Iran and its affiliates – by Nicolas Dunais, an independent advisor to GCC governments on matters of economic development and security.
(* B H K)
A war crime. Expert report presents tragedies caused by the Siege of Taiz and says it is mass punishment and violation of international laws
The report of the Council of Human Rights's eminent international expert group says the Houthis' continued siege of Taiz is a collective punishment and a multifaceted violation of human rights, international and humanitarian laws.
The team's report, presented to the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, added that since it was expelled by the Yemeni armed forces and the supporting resistance from Taiz in July 2015, the group is trying to weaken the resistance and regain control of the city, and imposed on it, a siege and collective punishment of its inhabitants, but those attempts at which popular support were gained by the resistance and the army foiled them.
The siege imposed by the Houthi group and Saleh's forces has significantly affected Taiz in general and in particular on three directorates, including the lack of food and water commodities, the scarcity of medicines, the lack of health services, the decline in education and other forms of life, the report said.
The experts' report noted that the siege is not the only method used by the Houthis to subdue Taiz and regain control of it, as militias have imposed restrictions on humanitarian and relief work, and says in this direction, médecins sans frontières (MSF) said the facilitation of the transfer of humanitarian supplies from Sana'a to the center of the city Taiz is very limited by the Houthi authorities, causing significant delays in humanitarian operations. on numerous occasions, humanitarian and medical access to both the city center and surrounding areas has been refused or delayed. Hospitals lack basic medicines and basic supplies such as oxygen and fuel for generators. Fuel and oxygen are usually available in the local market, but hospitals can rarely buy it."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171948
(* B K P)
The Military Officials Who Knew Saudi Arabia Would Fail
Privately they've been saying for years that Riyadh can't win in Yemen and that we shouldn't have given the Houthis up.
While it’s seems axiomatic that most Americans suffer from historical amnesia, that’s not necessarily true for the U.S. military. And as America and Iran were sprinting towards a military confrontation last week, a recently retired senior U.S. military officer expounded on what he called “the bumbling, incompetent and feckless stupidity of it all.”
The target of the officer’s ire was not Donald Trump (whom he admires) or Mike Pompeo (who he doesn’t), but Saudi Arabia’s March 2015 decision to go to war against the Iranian-allied Houthi tribal movement in Yemen —“which is,” he argues, “how all of this nonsense got started in the first place.”
He explained: “We didn’t see the [Saudi] invasion [of Yemen] coming and we were shocked when it happened. But we were pretty blunt. We told them, ‘you can’t win and you’ll bankrupt your country. It’ll be a quagmire.’ And we were right.”
This officer’s “we-told-ya-so” narrative, as it turns out, is accurate.
“The Houthis were only nominally Iran’s surrogates,” a military officer told me at the time, “but they were also our quiet partners against al-Qaeda.” Yet back in 2015, because of the Saudi invasion (with support from nine other Arab states), the possibility that the Pentagon could count on Houthi backing was not only off the table, senior Pentagon officials predicted that the tribe would strengthen its ties with their Shia co-religionists in Iran—something that, prior to the Saudi invasion, it hadn’t wanted to do. That’s why key segments of the U.S. military thought the Saudi invasion was a mistake.
But that’s not how Senator John McCain saw it. McCain defended the Saudi invasion, linked it to Barack Obama’s decision to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, and said there was good reason that the Saudis had kept their planned intervention a secret.
Senior U.S. military officers scoffed at this, even as, given McCain’s stature as the arbiter of all-things-military, they kept their views private. “The reason the Saudis didn’t inform us of their plans,” a U.S. Central Command officer told me at the time, “is because they knew we would have told them exactly what we think—that it was a bad idea.”
“You know that popular map that you see on Twitter that shows that Iran is surrounded by U.S. bases?” the Pentagon civilian asks rhetorically. “Well, guess what? The Iranians have now surrounded Saudi Arabia. And so while we’ve ratcheted up the economic pressure, they’ve decided to do the same. Last week’s message was loud and clear—if we can’t market our oil, we’re going to make damn sure you can’t market yours.”
Left unsaid, but implied in this assessment, is what the official was careful not to say: that despite all of America’s saber rattling and Mike Pompeo’s bluster, the U.S. is playing an increasingly weak military hand—and it’s only getting weaker – by Mark Perry
My comment: Perry thinks Iran had committed the Aramco attacks. Anyway, he is a serious voice and a critic of US policy.
(* A K P)
Yemen 'peace initiative' still stands despite air strikes: rebels
Yemen's Huthi rebels said Wednesday their offer to halt all attacks on Saudi Arabia still stands despite new air strikes allegedly launched by a Riyadh-led coalition fighting the insurgents.
"The initiative is still on, and we are patient," Hisham Sharaf, the Huthis' foreign minister, told AFP.
"If they want peace, we are for peace. If they don't want peace, they know how we can hit them hard."
and
(* A K P)
Yemen Warns Saudis of Stepped-Up Attacks If Truce Offer Rejected
In an interview with Al Mayadeen on Tuesday, Foreign Minister of Yemen’s National Salvation Government Hisham Sharaf said a truce proposal put forward by the Yemeni forces was aimed at peace.
The plan offered by President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat indicates that Yemenis favor peace and an end of bloodshed, Sharaf added.
“If the aggressive (Saudi-led) coalition rejects the initiative launched by the president of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, we will have plans for response,” the foreign minister warned.
Sharaf said the Yemeni forces would offer an “olive branch” in peacetime, but in wartime, they deal such severe blows to the aggressors that the enemy would not even think of.
(* B C P)
Yemen: Unnatural States
Until 1918 what is now north Yemen was controlled by the Turks (Ottoman Empire) and it wasn’t until the 1930s that the Saudi family united most of the Arabian Peninsula as Saudi Arabia. That unification also meant the ancient Ottoman province of Yemen was split in two. The northern half was now part of Saudi Arabia while the southern portion, containing prosperous cities like Sanaa and Hodeida became North Yemen. This split the Yemeni Shia Arab population in half. Three decades later the growing oil wealth of Saudi Arabia meant the Saudi Shia tribes on the Yemen border were better off economically than their Yemeni kinsmen. The reduced enthusiasm for reuniting the Yemeni Shia. There was no such oil wealth in Yemen and the Yemeni Shia felt the Sunni majority were taking more than their fair share of what little oil income Yemen produced.
When the British left in the early 1960s, as part of a widespread abandonment of colonies by European nations, there was some unrest and fighting in the newly independent South Yemen. This was because Aden was much less religious and traditional with a better educated population and it was no surprise that Aden and some other South Yemen cities were dominated by local communists. From 1970 until the fall of European communism in 1989, South Yemen was a communist state, subsidized by the Soviet Union, and the only such one in the Arab world.
Most of that enthusiasm for communism was centered in Aden and its suburbs. This is where most of the South Yemen population lived and where an even larger proportion of its GDP came from. A few other coastal cities had the same type of population and political attitudes, giving the urban population control of politics as well as the economy. The tribal minority, out in the desert and semi-desert inland areas was much more religious and traditional. But over the centuries the urban and tribal populations had learned to get along and respect each other’s customs.
It was different in northern Yemen, where the urban population was not as dominant and the tribal population was economically better off and about as religious and conservative as their southern counterparts. The problem was the northern and southern tribes saw each other as “foreigners”. This is a common situation in tribal cultures, which includes the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Yet even then there was some enthusiasm for a united Yemen in the north and south.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union (and European communism) in 1991 the Russian subsidies stopped and unification was suddenly much more appealing. After a few years of haggling, and occasional fighting, Yemen was united by 1994. At that point there were still factions in the north and south who believed unity was overrated and two Yemens was the way to go.
https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20190925.aspx
My comment: My comment: A large article, looking like a broad overview, but spilled with propaganda. The parts on earlier history quoted here are better.
(* B K P)
Saudis Blame Iran for Aramco Strikes But Retaliate by Bombing Yemeni Civilians
The Saudi-led Coalition has used systematic economic strangulation as a weapon of war. This, to the many in Yemen who celebrated the Aramco attack, is sufficient justification for targeting the heart of Saudi Arabia’s economy.
Unlike the burning fields of neighboring Saudi Arabia, in Yemen scenes of massive fires have become commonplace, a reality that civilians do not accept but have come to expect.
The Coalition is estimated to have carried out at least 42 airstrikes in just a 24-hour period alone. By 2 a.m. on Sunday, local residents in the al-Sawad district of North Amran were living in horror as they sheltered in schools and mosques hoping to escape death from above as at least 12 Coalition airstrikes leveled their neighborhood. Thekra, Moamer, and Kubra — three young girls between the ages of three and eight — were among those who took refuge in a local mosque, only to be killed after Saudi warplanes brought it down over their heads.
In the village of al-Addi in the Harf Sufyan district, the air was suffused with the smell of charred bodies after a Saudi airstrike hit a car, instantly killing the two civilians inside. That attack was followed hours later by airstrikes targeting the nearby home of Ahmed Jimaie.
On Tuesday, 16 civilians, including four women and seven children, were killed when Saudi airstrikes hit the home of Abbas al-Halmi in Qataba, Al-Dali governorate.
Saudis blame Iran, punish Yemen
The Grand Mufti of Yemen, Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din, the highest religious authority in Yemen, laid blame on those who declared solidarity with Saudi Arabia following last week’s Aramco attacks but remain silent in the face of atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen.
These latest Saudi-led Coalition attacks came days after Yemen’s Houthis announced responsibility for a spate of retaliatory attacks against positions inside Saudi Arabia. It is unclear why the Coalition launched the ostensibly retaliatory attacks on Yemen, as they claim that it was Iran, not the Houthis, that carried out the oil-field attacks.
Many Yemenis see Aramco attack as justified last line of self-defense
For many, the Houthis’ setting fire to the Kingdom’s Aramco oil fields represented the last hope to quell Saudi attacks on Yemen. In a staggering show of solidarity on Sunday, an estimated 1,200 cars filled the streets of 70th Area, a neighborhood in southern Sana’a, to drop off food donations for families of victims of Saudi airstrikes. According to many of the families, the attack on Aramco is revenge for the blood of the estimated 100,000 people killed in the Saudi-led Coalition’s war in Yemen.
Indeed, the Coalition has used systematic economic strangulation as a weapon of war
However, many still doubt that the Houthis were capable of carrying out an attack of the scale and range of the one that struck Saudi Arabia — instead accusing Iran of orchestrating the attacks. Others await the results of an international investigation, but the Houthis, who comprise a major component of Yemen’s resistance to Saudi interference in their country, say the evidence that they carried out the attacks exists and that they will share it with the media.
The Houthis over the past two years have launched a series of sophisticated attacks on Saudi coalition targets deep inside the Kingdom, establishing a precedent for the most recent attacks – by Ahmed Abdulkareem
(A P)
Yemen to become Saudis’ Vietnam: ex-Iranian diplomat
Hamid Reza Asefi, a former Iranian diplomat, has said Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen will go on and Yemen will become the Saudis’ Vietnam.
One of Riyadh’s options is to concede defeat “but this would cost the Saudis dearly, given that they should then accept their political and military mistakes and I don’t see this in [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad] bin Salman’s small head,” Asefi said in an interview broadcast on TV on Monday night.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440483/Yemen-to-become-Saudis-Vietnam-ex-Iranian-diplomat
(A K P)
[Aden] Yemeni Govt. Dismisses Houthi Declaration of Ending Attacks against Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s internationally-recognized government said that the recent announcement by the Houthis that they were ending attacks against Saudi Arabia was another lie spewed by the Iran-backed terror militias.
Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi, in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, hinted that an international party had urged the Houthis to make such an announcement as part of a broader tactical scheme.
“It seems that there is an international party or body that has advised the Houthis to launch a fake initiative to achieve some tactical goals for them,” he said.
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33338
My comment: This simply is bullshit. This had been an offer of the kind: Don’t hurt me, then I will not hurt you”, which was to be tested. The Saudis evidently refused (look at cp16 here and at raids in Amran on Sept. 23.
(* B K P)
Situation Of Human Rights In Yemen: Report
Although happening thousands of miles from United States shores and hundreds of miles from Europe, the war in Yemen is closer to home than it might seem. Indeed, the US and UK actively enable the unlawful bombings of Yemeni civilians by Saudi/UAE-led Coalition forces. For decades, the US has provided Saudi Arabia and the UAE with arms and military training.
Despite years of credible reporting on Coalition abuses in Yemen—and in blatant contravention of US arms trade law and international law, the US continues to sell Saudi Arabia and the UAE weapons for use in Yemen.
https://sabanews.net/en/news3070586.htm = https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/situation-of-human-rights-in-yemen-2/
My remark: From the Houthi side.
(* B K P)
Illegal arms transfers to Saudi Arabia: The tip of the iceberg of British lawbreaking over Yemen
Britain is deeply culpable for the major erosion of international law in Yemen, and by extension, the entire framework of international peace
In a case brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade, the UK Court of Appeal recently ruled that the continued licencing of British arms sales to Saudi Arabia was unlawful.
British law bans the licensing of arms if there is a “clear risk” they could be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law; yet, Judge Terence Etherton noted that the government had “made no concluded assessments of whether the Saudi-led coalition had committed violations of international humanitarian law in the past, during the Yemen conflict, and made no attempt to do so”.
The court therefore ordered a review of the licences already granted, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox promised that no new licences would be granted in the interim
That the UK government should be so flagrantly violating its own laws in order to facilitate the bombardment of Yemen should come as no surprise. A willingness to breach and undermine international law has been a hallmark of Britain’s proxy war against Yemen from the very outset.
Yet, it is not simply the way the war is being conducted that is unlawful; the war itself is probably illegal. Under international law, as codified in Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, there are only two legal justifications for attacking another country. One is self-defence; the other is to tackle a threat to international peace and security, in which case the attack must be specifically authorised by the UN Security Council.
Neither of these two conditions pertain to Yemen, which had not attacked anyone else, nor been the subject of a UNSC resolution authorising military action against it. The legal case for the war on Yemen, then, rests entirely on fictional grounds: namely, the fiction that Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi is the country’s legitimate ruler.
Foreign delusions
To stake a claim to legitimacy purely on the delusions of your foreign supporters not only makes a mockery of the term, but risks seriously eroding the long-established right to self-determination. Any gang of powerful countries could declare someone the “leader” of a country, and then invade that country based on an “invitation” by their chosen puppet; indeed, we are now on the precipice of precisely this scenario in Venezuela.
As one academic study of the legality of the Yemen war concluded, “international recognition is a fickle barometer and inevitably introduces an element of subjectivity in the application of the legal framework”. It added that the invasion of Yemen “illustrates the indeterminacy of this doctrine and the risk of abuse … In the end, by failing to have the operation sanctioned by the UN Security Council, the intervening States … have undermined the primary role of the UN Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security, and set a dangerous precedent.”
Britain is deeply culpable for this major erosion of international law, and by extension, the entire framework of international peace. Its failure to abide by its own laws on arms exports is but the tip of the iceberg – by Dan Glazebrook
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A P)
Mohammed al-Houthi condemns UN silence on Saudi prevention of fuel vessel access to Yemen
Member of the Supreme Political Council Mohammed Ali al-Houthi had on Tuesday condemned the United Nations’ disregard for the oil derivatives crisis caused by the Saudis preventing oil ships from entering Hodeidah port.
In a tweet, al-Houthi asked: “Why is the United Nations ignoring the crisis that is taking place due to the prevention of oil ships’ access to Hodeidah by the US-British–Saudi-Emirati aggression, despite obtaining permits and subject to UN inspection?”
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Film: Frauenrechte in Zeiten des Krieges: zur Lage im Jemen
Nirgendwo auf der Welt ist die Diskriminierung von Frauen und Mädchen so schlimm wie im Jemen. Seit Jahren herrscht im Krieg im Land. Vor allem die Zivilbevölkerung leidet. Aktivistin Suha Basharen versucht in dieser anhaltend lebensfeindlichen Situation die Frauenrechte hochzuhalten.
https://www.dw.com/de/frauenrechte-in-zeiten-des-krieges-zur-lage-im-jemen/av-50579684
and English version:
(* B H)
Empowering women in Yemen's civil war
When it comes to gender equality, Yemen is ranked worst in the world, and women and girls have suffered massively in the country's five years of fighting. Yet CARE gender activist Suha Basharen sees glimmers of hope.
https://www.dw.com/en/empowering-women-in-yemens-civil-war/a-50586064
(B H)
Film: Enhanced Rural Resilience in Yemen (ERRY) - EU and WFP, FAO, ILO and UNDP
Within the joint programme Enhanced Rural Resilience in Yemen (ERRY), the EU and its implementing partners, the WFP, the FAO, the ILO and UNDP contribute to reduced vulnerability and strengthened resilience of crisis-affected communities in Yemen through the creation of sustainable livelihoods and improving access to basic services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQYODNximFo
(* B H)
Zwei Millionen Kinder gehen im Jemen nicht zur Schule
Zwei Millionen Kinder werden im Jemen nach Angaben des UN-Kinderhilfswerks (Unicef) am Schulbesuch gehindert. Grund dafür sei der aktuelle Bürgerkrieg.
Rund ein Viertel der zwei Millionen Kinder geht bereits seit der Eskalation des Konflikts im März 2015 nicht mehr in die Schule, wie Unicef am Mittwoch mitteilte. Weiteren 3,7 Millionen Kindern droht eine mangelnde Bildung, weil ihre Lehrer seit zwei Jahren nicht bezahlt wurden.
Der seit Jahren andauernde Konflikt habe das schon vorher fragile Schulsystem in dem Land weitgehend zerstört, erklärte Unicef-Vertreterin Sara Beysolow Nyanti anlässlich des offiziellen Schulbeginns im Jemen. Jede fünfte Schule sei nicht mehr benutzbar.
https://www.nau.ch/news/ausland/unicef-zwei-millionen-kinder-gehen-im-jemen-nicht-zur-schule-65589428 = https://www.vaterland.li/region/international/keine-schule-fuer-millionen-kinder-im-jemen;art102,399765
(* B H)
Two million children out of school in war-torn Yemen: UN
Two million children are out of school in war-torn Yemen, a fourth of whom have dropped out since the conflict escalated in March 2015, the UN children's agency said Wednesday.
The education of a further 3.7 million children is at risk as teachers' salaries have not been paid in more than two years, UNICEF said in a statement.
"Violence, displacement and attacks on schools are preventing many children from accessing school," said Sara Beysolow Nyanti, UNICEF representative in Yemen.
One in five schools in the country can no longer be used as a direct result of the conflict that has devastated Yemen's already fragile education system, the UN agency says.
"Children out of school face increased risks of all forms of exploitation including being forced to join the fighting, child labour and early marriage," Nyanti said.
"They lose the opportunity to develop and grow in a caring and stimulating environment, ultimately becoming trapped in a life of poverty and hardship."
(B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, remarks at ‘The Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen’ event at the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations
Amidst this devastation, I am often asked: is there any cause for hope at all?
The answer is yes – and for several reasons.
First, the broad commitment among Member States to find a political solution to this crisis. As Martin Griffiths often reminds us, your commitment to peace helped to facilitate concrete progress on the political track over the last year, including the Stockholm Agreement.
I have long said the best thing anyone can do to alleviate the suffering in Yemen is to end the war. And so, it is encouraging that this work continues despite the many challenges. Of course, there remains much to do, and we offer Marin our full support.
A second reason for optimism is the track record of more than 200 humanitarian agencies working through the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan. This year, agencies are reaching more than 12 million people every month
and https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/the-catastrophic-famine-in-yemen/ with remark of delegates
My comment: This is whistling in the dark.
(* B H)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: GIEWS Country Brief: Yemen 25-September-2019
Conflict continues to threaten agricultural livelihoods
Persistent conflict continues to seriously compromise all economic activities, including agricultural livelihoods. The supply of urea, seeds and fuel is particularly scarce in Aden, Hodeidah and Al Baidha governorates, while high input prices are reported across the whole country. High fuel prices are constraining agricultural activities, particularly those related to irrigated crops, with consequent increases in the share of rainfed crops which, in turn, bear lower yields. Hired agricultural labour tends to be replaced by unskilled family labour to cope with the increased costs of production. By replacing hired labour by family labour, livelihoods of many landless rural households relying on casual labour opportunities as their main source of income are imperilled.
Well below-average cereal harvest in 2019
Taking into account conflict-related constraints as well as outbreaks of pests, total cereal production in 2019 is forecast at 385 000 tonnes, about 12 percent below the previous year’s harvest and over 30 percent below the five-year average.
On average, total domestic cereal production covers less than 20 percent of the total utilization (food, feed and other uses). The country is largely dependent on food assistance and commercial imports to satisfy its domestic consumption requirement for wheat, the main staple. The share of domestic wheat production in total food utilization in the last ten years is between 5 to 10 percent, depending on the domestic harvest.
http://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country.jsp?code=YEM
(* B H K)
Air strikes maim, scar Yemen's children
Ismail Abdullah kicks a makeshift football, wrapped in pink plastic, with his right foot. A slight limp visible, he holds back as his cousins run forward in the sand.
Twelve-year-old Abdullah lost his left leg in an air strike three years ago. Yemen’s four and a half-year war means medical care is hard to find and he waited two years for a prosthetic.
In 2016 Abdullah, his parents and his eight siblings left their home in Harad, a town near the Saudi border in northwest Yemen, because of shelling. They moved in with his uncle nearby but on a September night, just before the Eid al-Adha religious holiday, an air strike hit.
“The strike was very sudden and felt like someone pulled my leg, but then I realized it was blown off,” Abdullah said. Two of his cousins were killed in the same strike.
“Before my leg was blown off, I had finished grades one and two. But since then there wasn’t a school close by and even right now, I don’t go to school.”
Thousands in Yemen have lost limbs because of strikes, shelling and landmines and have no access to prosthetics.
(* B H)
Norwegian Refugee Council: Yemenis welcome return of food aid in Sana’a
“During the last two months our suffering has been aggravated and many times I could not find food for my children,” says Juma’a Saleh, a mother of eight from Yemen’s capital city Sana’a. Juma’a is one of many residents celebrating the resumption of food distribution in the city, following a deal between the World Food Programme (WFP) and the authorities earlier this month.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) had been supporting people in war-stricken Sana’a with monthly food baskets consisting of flour, beans, cooking oil, sugar and salt, funded by WFP.
However, in June 2019, there was a disagreement between WFP and the authorities over the necessary conditions needed for the delivery of food aid. This led to WFP temporarily suspending food aid in Sana’a, and NRC was forced to stop its WFP-funded distributions.
Juma’a’s story
Juma’a is in her 40s and lives in a small house in Sana’a with her family. She has been struggling to eke out a decent living for her children since 2010 when her husband died after suffering from paralysis.
The suspension of food aid in June 2019 meant that Juma’a had to take some difficult decisions.
“During the last two months our suffering has been aggravated and many times I could not find food for my children,” she says. “I borrowed money from my neighbours but could not pay it back until now.”
“We had to prioritise buying food over spending money on medicines, so my daughter could not have medicine for her bladder and kidney condition.”
Thankfully, relief was at hand. Following a welcome agreement between WFP and the authorities, NRC resumed food distributions in Sana’a on 2 September 2019.
Juma’a recalls: “It was Eid day for us when our neighbours told us food distributions would resume. I felt happy to be receiving food baskets again.”
https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/september/yemenis-welcome-return-of-food-aid-in-sanaa/
(* B H)
World Food Programme: WFP Yemen Country Brief, August 2019
In early August, WFP signed an agreement in Sana’a with the National Authority for Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response (NAMCHA) detailing a new and independent beneficiary selection and biometric registration process. On 09 August, WFP released a statement announcing the resumption of humanitarian food assistance in Sana’a city affected by the partial suspension since 20 June. Dispatches to Sana’a city commenced on 13 August.
In August, the security situation in the southern governorates remained volatile.
https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000108296/download/?_ga=2.53932910.733498635.1569306934-1888070841.1546844545 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-country-brief-august-2019
(* B H)
ACAPS Yemen Crisis Impact Overview, June – August 2019
The Yemen Crisis Impact Overview is published every two months to provide decision makers with a short, accessible overview of key trends and emerging challenges that may affect humanitarian needs in Yemen. The product combines trends in key conflict and humanitarian data with daily media monitoring, secondary data review, and ongoing joint analysis with a broad spectrum of Yemen analysts. This report covers the period from June to August 2019.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/acaps-yemen-crisis-impact-overview-june-august-2019
and full document: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/20190925_yemen_crisis_impact_overview_june_august_2019.pdf
(B H)
World Food Programme: WFP Yemen Situation Report #8, August 2019
WFP distributed general food assistance to 12.43 million Yemeni people in August.
WFP signed an agreement with the Sana’a based authorities detailing a new and independent beneficiary selection and biometric registration process in early August.
WFP is facing a major funding shortfall of USD 601 million for the next six months (September 2019 – February 2020).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-situation-report-8-august-2019
(B H)
World Food Programme: European Union funding vital in sustaining WFP assistance in Yemen
The European Union (EU) has contributed nearly €100 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) operation in Yemen over the last 12 months, providing crucial funding and advocacy support as the agency has scaled up assistance to prevent famine in the war-torn country.
Since late 2018, WFP has massively expanded its operation in Yemen thanks to the commitment of donors including the EU which last year contributed €50 million to the scale-up. WFP is now providing food assistance to more than 12 million people each month – an increase of over 50 percent on last year. This year, the EU donated an additional €45 million to WFP’s life-saving operations in Yemen.
https://www.wfp.org/news/european-union-funding-vital-sustaining-wfp-assistance-yemen
(B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Third Reserve Allocation Dashboard 2019
The 3rd Reserve Allocation of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund in 2019 was launched on 8 September to provide short-term “lifeline” funding for critical humanitarian projects that will be forced to close in the coming weeks due to lack of funding.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-third-reserve-allocation-dashboard-2019
(* B H)
UN Children's Fund: UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report (August 2019)
Between January and August 2019, UNICEF treated 193,638 children (60 per cent of annual target) with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), through fixed and mobile Outpatient Therapeutic Programmes (OTPs).
In August, UNICEF provided safe drinking water to nearly 2.8 million people including host communities and internally displaced persons, through the operation and maintenance of the water supply systems.
Psychosocial support was provided to 24,673 people, including 10,905 children, in 16 governorates through a network of fixed and mobile child friendly spaces to help survivors overcome the immediate and limit longterm consequences of their exposure to violence.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-humanitarian-situation-report-august-2019
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
In Pictures: Living through the Yemen war as an IDP
Almost 3.6 million have been displaced since March 2015, with the figure including 53,000 families displaced since January 2019.
The living conditions inside refugee camps are very harsh. There is a lack of food, clean drinking water and electricity and only a few basic toilets.
Most of the displaced people in the refugee camps in the north of the country come from Saada and nearby villages on the border with Saudi Arabia.
Saada, a stronghold of the Houthi rebels, has been bombed heavily since 2015 and considered a military target by the Saudi-led coalition.
In the countryside around Abs, one of the poorest and most remote areas of the country, 200km from Saada, there are hundreds of tents between mountains and deserts.
After the start of the conflict, most of the men living in these camps lost their jobs, their homes and the possibility of maintaining their families.
Today, they live in the refugee camp in Abs, fighting every day to eat and have clean water.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/pictures-living-yemen-war-idp-190922193955589.html
(* B H)
UN evacuate over 3,000 Ethiopians from Yemen
The United Nations (UN) said on Monday that it has evacuated over 3,000 stranded Ethiopians from Yemen to their home country during the present year, the Turkish Anadolu News Agency reported.
The UN said that evacuation was done in voluntarily way.
Around 26 percent of the evacuated Ethiopians were children and five percent were women. They were evacuated from Sana’a and Aden airports.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33340
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 23 September 2019
UNHCR and partners continue to distribute non-food items (NFIs) and shelter materials to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by conflict and extreme weather. Distributions are actively underway in Sana’a, Dhamar and Amran governorates. During the reporting period, a total of 1,002 IDP, IDP returnee and vulnerable host community families received basic household kits and emergency shelters. More than half of the IDP families were from Hudaydah, while others originate from Taizz, Al Baydah and Marib.
The fifth cash assistance distribution for the year is being planned by the Sana’a field office for northern governorates. Over 20 million USD has already been disbursed to nearly one million IDP families.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-23-september-2019
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Houthis seize banks & foreign exchange firms in Yemen
After fully taking control of schools and hospitals in Yemen, the Houthi militias are tightening the grip on all of the country’s institutions, including banks and foreign exchange firms. The Houthi militias have suspended 6 foreign exchange firms and vowing to fine anyone dealing with these companies.
The Houthi militias ordered these companies to finalize all pending transactions under the supervision of pro-Houthi central bank on September 23-24, requesting from Yemenis to withdraw their remittances.
Banking sources ascribed the decision to the refusal of these foreign exchanges to pay mammoth sums of money to the Houthi militias.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13384
(A P)
Mass rallies honour Imam Zayd’s legacy and martyrdom
Mass demonstrations emphasize continuity between Imam Zayd's resistance and today
The northern city of Saada, witnessed on Wednesday morning, a mass rally in commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Zayd bin Ali (peace be upon him) on the 25th of the Islamic month of Muharram in the year 740 CE, under the slogan “By Right, Suppress Your Enemy.”
In spite of the continued raids of the US-Saudi aggression, the constantly fly of the aggression’s combat aircraft over the province and the lack of oil derivatives due to the siege, the demonstrators gathered in the main street, the largest streets of the city from various districts of the province, including far border districts.
https://www.uprising.today/mass-rallies-honour-imam-zayds-legacy-and-martyrdom/
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8965
(* A P)
Yemen's Houthi rebels force children out of school with fees
Education of millions of Yemeni children has been affected by civil war
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have started charging school fees in areas under their control, depriving children of an education and putting them at greater risk of exploitation and violence in the country's civil war, government officials, journalists and activists say.
In Sanaa, the Houthis are demanding up to 1,150 Yemeni riyals [Dh17] as registration fees and a monthly fee of 1,000 riyals, said Hooria Mashhour, Yemen’s former minister of human rights.
Education in Yemen is free and open to all children from the ages of 6 to 15 if they are enrolled in government-funded schools.
“According to my sources in Sanaa, the Houthis are justifying their demands for these fees by stating that it will be paid towards the transportation and allowance for volunteer teachers,” Mrs Mashhour told The National.
The additional charges are the “main reasons why children drop out of schools”, because their families cannot afford to pay them, she said.
“A Yemeni family consists of at least seven to eight members, these fees are too high to allow them an education,” Mrs Mashhour said.
In other Houthi-controlled areas, such as the southern province of Ibb, the rebels are demanding that “well off" families pay 1,000 riyals monthly, while students whose fathers were killed in the conflict are exempt from the fees, Saeed Al Batati, a Yemeni journalist, told The National.
The school fees could go up to 5,000 riyals for every student enrolled, according to Afrah Nasser, another Yemeni journalist.
“Sources say that Houthi rebels are charging 1,500 riyals for registration fees and the 5,000 riyals can be paid in installments,” Ms Nasser told The National.
More than half of Yemen’s teachers have not received their salaries for years – affecting 10,000 schools, a source at the Norwegian Refugee Council told The National.
“Support for teacher salaries is the most critical and urgent need for the upcoming school year,” the source said.
My comment: This is disgusting, it is causing serious harm to the children and their future. – But, at least Westeners should not be disgusted. Keep in mind, that Western-based International Money Fund had forced many countries to impose neoliberal “reforms”, including less public spending and introducing school fees. While abolishing school fees boosts schooling: https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/january-2010/abolishing-fees-boosts-african-schooling
(A P)
Riyadh Secures Release of Saudi National from Houthi Jails
Nasser al-Tharwi has been held by the militants for more than four years.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1917971/riyadh-secures-release-saudi-national-houthi-jails
(A K P)
The Houthis controlling Sana'a have begun contacting Ali Abdullah Saleh's era military pilots from different parts of Yemen luring them to return to service in the capital city.
Pilots told al-Mashehad news website on the condition of anonymity that the terrorist organization offered to train them and reemploy them as controllers of unmanned armed drones and later as pilots of the country's pre-war fleet of manned warplanes after repairing the damages they were subjected to by the Arab Coalition airstrikes.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33337
(A P)
Houthis change textbooks of primary education
The Houthis made major changes in textbooks of primary education, teachers in Sana’a said.
Sources in Sana’a quoted by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat Daily Newspaper, said that the Houthis rebels have changed textbooks of the subjects of the Holy Quran and Islamic Education.
Sources added that the Houthis-affiliated educational committee have amended textbooks of the Holy Quran for the second and fourth grades.
The changes included tafsir [interpretation] of Quranic verses from booklets written by the slain founder of the Houthis’ group, Hussein Badralddin Al-Houthi.
These citations that were added to schoolchildren’s textbooks are full of hatred, violence and praises of Prophet Mohammed’s descendants with family links to through his grandsons Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein. This praise is intended to suggest that the Houthis have the right to rule because of their alleged connection to the prophet’s family.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33339
My remark: As claimed by an anti-Houthi website.
(A K P)
Head of National Delegation Mocks Jubeir, Promises him more Humiliation
Mohammed Abdulsalam said in a tweet today, "When the Kingdom of Jubeir broke facing the rock of steadfastness of Yemen, the minister no longer a masterpiece of war. He is escaping to his masters the U.S. for help," stressing that Al-Jubeir will find only more humiliation.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8958
and also https://www.uprising.today/top-yemeni-diplomat-calls-saudi-fm-a-liar/
(A K P)
Yemeni forces won’t stand idly by against continued Saudi-led attacks: Ansarullah
Ansarullah politburo member Ali al-Qahoum told Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Tuesday that Yemeni soldiers and their allies are fairly committed to the truce, but will not stand idly by while the Saudi-led alliance continues to perpetrate crimes against Yemenis.
He added that whilst the Saudi-led coalition of aggression is pressing ahead with its crimes in Yemen, the international community behaves as if Yemeni people’s blood is worth nothing.
Qahoum noted that the opportunity is ripe for the Saudi-led coalition and the United States to review their calculations as Yemen is not a sitting duck for them.
(A P)
Houthis Brutally Torture Prisoner to Death
A prisoner was killed in a Houthi-controlled prison in the rebel-held capital Sana’a after enduring brutal torture conducted by the Iranian-backed rebels.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/21166
(* A E H)
Severe crisis in oil derivatives in Ibb governorate and 100% increase in transport prices
The province of Ibb is experiencing a severe crisis in oil derivatives for the second week in a row as the spread and emergence of sales of oil derivatives on the black market, at prices that reach the double of official price.
A number of car and vehicle owners said that the province of Ibb has been experiencing a severe crisis in oil derivatives since the beginning of last week, and the closure of all stations in the city.
The price of oil per gallon (20 liters) on the black market reached more than 23,000 riyals, amid its lack of various stations.
The lack of oil derivatives has led to a severe crisis in transportation,
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171894
(A K P)
Houthis: If Saudi continues to attack us, we will respond in deadly manner
If Saudi Arabia continues its air strikes, blockade and aggression against Yemen, the Houthis will respond in a “more painful, deadly and destructive”, the group’s leader warned on Friday.
Addressing Al-Masirah TV on the fifth anniversary of the 21 September Revolution, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi warned Saudi against the “ongoing shelling, blockade and aggression” in Yemen.
(* B K P)
Yemen Discusses Children Recruitment Before Human Rights Council
The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights submitted to the Human Rights Council in Geneva the files of more than 30,000 children recruited on the front lines by Houthi militias.
Yemen’s Minister of Human Rights Mohammed Askar said that the ministry had documented the names of over 30 thousand children recruited by the Houthis, which he described as a “destruction of the present and future of Yemen,” warning that its consequences are “catastrophic.”
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council, Askar explained the process of recruiting children in Yemen, where they are tempted with financial rewards exploiting the need of children and their families for money.
He pointed out that Houthis aim to brainwash children and create a more radical and violent generation after taking them from schools to barricades.
Hasna al-Bashiri, together with her two children, attended the Human Rights Council in Geneva and explained the Houthi threat to Yemen's children.
Bashiri told Asharq Al-Awsat that instead of finding health care and educational opportunities to build their homeland and move towards world peace, the children are learning how to handle guns.
A group of women briefed Chair of the UN NGO Committee Astrid Stuckelberger on the situation and showcased several images of dead children and others carrying guns inside their classrooms in Saada.
My comment: Promoted by the Hadi government, on a Saudi news site. The Saudis themselves have recruited child soldiers to fight in Yemen, especially from Sudan.
(A P)
Parliament Discusses Development & Oil Committee’s Report On Oil Derivatives Crisis
https://sabanews.net/en/news3070554.htm
(A K P)
Solemn Military Parade at Graduation Ceremony for 1,500 Officers from Military, Naval and Aviation Colleges
A ceremony was held on Monday in Sana'a to mark the graduation of the 52nd batch of the Military College, the 27th batch of the Naval College and the 34th batch of the Aviation and Air Defense College, in conjunction with the celebrations of the Yemeni People on the 5th anniversary of the September 21st revolution and the 57th anniversary of the glorious September 26th revolution (photo)
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8943
and
(* A K P)
Military graduation parade held in Sana’a
Parade coincides with celebrations for anniversary of 1962 and 2014 revolutions
A ceremony was held on Monday in Sana’a to mark the graduation of the 52nd batch of the Military College, the 27th batch of the Naval College and the 34th batch of the Aviation and Air Defence College, in conjunction with the celebrations of the Yemeni people on the fifth anniversary of the September 21 Revolution and the 57th anniversary of the September 26th Revolution that made Yemen a republic in 1962.
The Chief of Operations, Brigadier General Mohammad Al-Miqdad, conveyed to the graduates the greetings and congratulations of Leader of the Revolution Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, President Mahdi al-Mashat and the leadership of the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of Staff of the Army and wished the graduates success in their practical tasks.
https://www.uprising.today/military-graduation-parade-held-in-sanaa/
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4u7HYyI5O0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXcKU91WYY
And shorter film by AFP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyuTo4tXEwc
My comment: It’s simply nonsense that the Houthis should be “rebels” and a “non-state actor”.
cp6 Südjemen / Southern Yemen
(A P)
Tribes play an integral role in #Yemen during conflict. Tribes of Abyan’s Moodia district and local officials from government meet, publish statement in support of national institutions/state with multiple points of conclusions (Arabic).
https://twitter.com/ToEducate/status/1176867986403201025
(A P)
[Separatist leading figure] Ben Berek Questions: Why didn't the Legitimacy Pay the Military Forces their Salaries this Month
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13380
(A P)
Preparation in #Taiz and #Marib to celebrate the 57th anniversary of September 26. It is the day when Yemenis commemorate the end of the dark Imamate rule in #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1176893305776459777
(A K P)
Saudi mercenaries protest against lack of pay
Mercenary troops block key southern road
A number of Saudi-led coalition recruits loyal to Hadi’s government on Tuesday blocked off the road linking between Taiz city and al-Torba area, south of Taiz province.
According to sources, soldiers from the so-called 5th battalion of the 170th Air Defense Brigade in Taiz axis cut off the al-Dhabab road, in protest against the non-payment of their salaries since last July.
https://www.uprising.today/saudi-mercenaries-protest-against-lack-of-pay/
(* B K P)
A Destructive Civil War Lurks In Yemen’s South
Tensions between the government and separatists had simmered since the 2017 formation of the Southern Transitional Council, a body calling for southern Yemen’s secession from the north.
The latest armed confrontations between the two sides have added insult to injury in Yemen’s devastating civil war. Optimism that the presence of the Saudi-led coalition would prevent a separatist conflict in southern Yemen has given way to the reality that such a conflict has now begun. Multiple armed factions are now active in the region, including pro-government forces, STC fighters, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Outside players are fueling the crisis. The UAE stands by the STC, while Saudi Arabia backs the Yemeni government
The UAE’s support for the STC stems in part from its fear that the Islamist Islah Party has gained considerable clout within the Yemeni government and may wind up in control of the country if and when the civil war ends. But this is not the only thing motivating the Emiratis. Southern Yemen is home to considerable natural resources, including oil, and is strategically located at the junction of the Red and Arabian seas. The UAE is keen to maintain its influence in this critical part of the world and views the separatists as loyal clients who will reliably support Abu Dhabi’s interests.
The Saudis, by contrast, view the Yemeni government as a loyal client and their best chance to reestablish Yemen’s pre-war political order and contain the Houthi threat on the kingdom’s southern border. Southern secession would potentially leave the Houthis in a much stronger position and therefore would be antithetical to Saudi war aims.
Divergent Ambitions
The people of southern Yemen are far from unified in their feelings about independence. Some aspire to part from northern Yemen while others want to continue unity with north based on a federal system that would permit greater levels of regional autonomy. Some southerners even want to form a state that’s independent from a future South Yemen governed from Aden, in which case the south itself could be broken up into at least two states. Such a situation will have spillover effects on the peace efforts in Yemen, complicating efforts to reach a political settlement to its civil war.
Today, a considerable number of southerners feel that independence from the north is a stepping stone to stability and prosperity in in the south. But despite the STC’s prominence, southern Yemen is not united behind any single leadership and there is no consensus as to its future – by Khalid Al-Karimi
https://lobelog.com/a-destructive-civil-war-lurks-in-yemens-south/
(A P)
STC submits its report on August's incidents to int'l organizations
The Human Rights Department of the Southern Transitional Council issued a report on the violations committed in last August's incidents in Aden and the neighboring southern provinces.
The report was submitted in Geneva on Monday, at a symposium organized by the STC on the sidelines of the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The STC report included the ISIL terrorist bombing attack on Sheikh Othman police station which followed by a Houthi missile attack on a military parade of the Security Belt Forces in the al-Galaa camp in Aden.
The report also included a comprehensive statistical data on the gross violations of human rights perpetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood-linked presidential guard regiments.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13368
my comment: And of course omitting all separatis’ts and UAE’s crimes.
(A P)
Southern flag raising campaign in al-Ma'alla, Aden (Photos)
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13370
My comment: Separatists demonstrate they rule Aden.
(* B P)
Hadramout which is far from conflict. Has the UAE decided to engage it in its war against the legitimate government!
After remaining calm and its elites made sure to keep it out of the conflict for the last time. Hadramout, the largest oil exporter, seems to be facing a new and sensitive phase that will push it to the forefront of events and turn it into an additional field of conflict between the legitimate government and UAE, which is carrying out military operations in Yemen within the "Arab Alliance", which enters Yemen under the heading of support of the legitimate government and the end of the coup.
Over the past three days, Yemenis have turned their attention to Hadhramaut province after the killing of the commander of the coalition forces (Saudi nationality) last Thursday, and three of his companions by detonating an explosive device in the city of Shedbam.
Two days before the incident, Saudi Arabia's Okaz newspaper warned of moves by the so-called UAE-backed southern separatist Transitional Council to blow up the situation in Hadhramaut.
While UAE forces are based in Mukalla and pro-Government forces are deployed in the Hadhramaut coast, Saudi forces are present alongside the legitimate government forces supported by them in the areas of valley and desert of Hadhramaut, which is in contact with the kingdom's southern border.
This dangerous development was followed by the announcement by the governor of Hadhramaut province, the commander of the Second Military Region, that he had issued a decision to stop the export of oil through the ship chartered by the legitimate government after it arrived at the oil port of Dhabba.
These political and military developments have raised questions about the purpose of these moves at the moment, especially as the relationship between Yemeni legitimacy and the UAE has entered a critical phase of direct conflict.
Did Hadramout engaged into the conflict?
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171893
and
(A P)
Without the knowledge of the presidency and the government. Governor of Hadhramaut on an unannounced visit to Abu Dhabi
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171947
(A H P)
RESIDENTS IN ADEN COMPLAIN OF DRINKING WATER POLLUTED BY SEWAGE
The ctizens in Al-Mu’alla Directorate in Aden city confirmed that drinking water has become contaminated due to mixing with sewage.
The citizens said that they found the water pumped by Water Institution is black, and after the Institution representatives checked the water, they confirmed that the water mixed with sewag.
The districts of Aden have seen water cuts since the southern pro-Emirati Transitional Council tookover of the city.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/residents-in-aden-complain-of-drinking-water-polluted-by-sewage/
(A P)
Arrested his guard and looted his contents. Armed groups raid the house of General Nasser al-Nuba in Aden
According to the source, forces receiving instructions from the director of dismissed Aden police, and others belonging to the security belt loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, broke into the house of Major General Nasser al-Nuba, commander of the military police and a senior commander of the Southern Movement, in the Sawlaban neighborhood near the International airport, before arresting a number of security personnel and looting some of the contents.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171881
(A P)
The STC in the Centre of Attention of the NGOs
The Southern Transitional Council has recently become the centre of attention of international organizations operating in the capital, Aden in particular, and Yemen in general.
In the past two days, the leaders of the Southern Transitional Council have received several directors and representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13363
(A K P)
Commander of Al-Subaiha Security Belt: We Will Always Be the Protective Shield and Iron Belt for Our Capital, Aden
We are following the path of our martyrs till all goals and principles their sacrificed their bloods for are achieved. We will never drift one millimeter away from our pursuit of freedom whatever it costs us as our lives are not more precious than those of our martyrs. We are going on to restore and reconstruct our southern state and achieving the expectations of our southern people. We will fight under the flag of the south and its wise commandership represented in president Aidarous Al-Zubaidi. We will always be the protective shield and the iron belt for the security of our southern capital, Aden. We are ready for facing anyone who wants to disturb the stability and security of Aden.
My comment: Separatist militia boss tells Hadi government: Piss off.
(A K P)
Southern Resistance Launches Blitz Attack Against Muslim Brotherhood Militias in Ataq – Shabwa
(A P)
Local Leadership of Hadhramaut Asserts Support to Al-Bahasani in his Fight for the Governorate’s Rights
Local leadership of the Southern Transitional Council in Hadhramaut discussed escalation steps suggested by mobilization and escalation committee and asserted that citizens of Hadhramaut are willing to attend these events so that Hadhramaut can regain its rights from the corrupt authority.
The meeting supported the governor’s decision of stopping all oil exports and appreciated this patriotic step taken by Farag Salmeen Al-Bahasani and inviting all citizens to support the governor in that.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A H K P)
Film: Conference on the Humanitarian Situation Yemen, The Way Forward.
Conference to support the humanitarian response in Yemen and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. After five years of conflict, Yemen is experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Without the current large-scale international humanitarian efforts, many more Yemenis would face severe food insecurity and disease. A broad representation of donors must come together to fund the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan to reach those most vulnerable, while respecting international humanitarian principles. As the international community is working towards a comprehensive political solution that requires the full implementation the relevant UN resolution, the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to face serious challenges. By funding the Yemen Response, the international community can confront those challenges and make a significant and positive impact.
(A P)
To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council
During the 42nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, we write to you as a coalition of Yemeni, regional and international NGOs to call on your delegation to support a resolution extending and enhancing the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (GEE).
The conduct of the warring parties in Yemen continues to have a disastrous impact on the civilian population.
The GEE’s second report details a host of serious violations and abuses, including possible war crimes, committed by parties to the conflict over the past five years. The report examined indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, the use of antipersonnel landmines, arbitrary killings and detention, torture, enforced disappearances, child recruitment, sexual and gender-based violence, and impeding of access to humanitarian aid, amongst other abuses.
There is a “pervasive lack of accountability,” according to the GEE
We believe taking up the GEE’s recommendations would be in line with the Council’s responsibility to address situations of human rights violations, including gross and systematic violations, to advance accountability, and to prevent further human rights violations and abuses.
In addition, we urge all delegations to support a recommendation by the GEE itself to add language clarifying its mandate to collect and preserve evidence of alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights, serious violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes.
http://mwatana.org/en/to-permanent-representatives/
(A P)
Prisoners exchange negotiations resume
Despite earlier Saudi sabotage, negotiations continue in the hope of solution
Head of the Prisoners Affairs Committee in Sana’a, Abdulqader al-Mortada has announced about preliminary agreement to resume the prisoner exchange deal in Taiz province, after an earlier attempt that was foiled by the Saudi-led coalition.
“We agreed with the mediators in Taiz to resume the exchange process that had previously failed,” al-Mortada said in a tweet on Monday night
https://www.uprising.today/prisoners-exchange-negotiations-resume/
(* A P)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Emergency Relief Coordinator Thanks Saudi Arabia for $500 Million for United Nations Agencies in Yemen
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock today thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for $500 million in funding to the United Nations for the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.
“I wish to thank Saudi Arabia for their generous contribution. This money will allow United Nations agencies to save millions of lives in Yemen,” said Mr. Lowcock. “
My comment: Accepting this money, praising the Saudis who are the greatest perpetrators and killers in Yemen, just is disgusting. Look at cp1.
(A P)
Al-Hadrami discusses with UN Secretary-General the implications of the UAE's support for an armed rebellion in southern Yemen and its bombing of the army
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the repercussions of the UAE-backed armed rebellion in southern Yemen and its bombing of the army.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171926
(A P)
Khalid bin Salman Discusses Hodeidah Truce with UN Envoy
Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held talks in Jeddah on Monday with United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on the latest developments in the war-torn country.
In a tweet, the envoy said: “We discussed recent developments, including progress on de-escalation, Hodeidah and the political process. We exchanged constructive ideas of how to sustain the current momentum and help Yemen move ahead.”
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1917906/khalid-bin-salman-discusses-hodeidah-truce-un-envoy
Al-Hadrami met with the UN Secretary-General on Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
(A K P)
UN verurteilten Luftangriffe mit 22 Toten im Jemen
Die Vereinten Nationen haben zwei Luftangriffe mit insgesamt 22 getöteten Zivilisten im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen verurteilt. Solche "Tragödien" während der UN-Generalversammlung in New York seien "zutiefst beunruhigend", teilte die Koordinatorin für humanitäre Hilfe im Jemen, Lise Grande, am späten Dienstagabend mit.
https://www.sn.at/politik/weltpolitik/un-verurteilten-luftangriffe-mit-22-toten-im-jemen-76745794
(A K P)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen: Scores of people killed and wounded in Amran and Al Dhale’e
“We share our deepest condolences with the families of the killed and injured,” said Ms. Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen. “For these tragedies to have occurred during the UN General Assembly, when world leaders come together to advance peace and security, is profoundly disturbing.”
“This is the time when everyone should be finding ways to end this terrible war,” said Ms. Grande. “Instead, families are being forced to bury their loved ones and tend the wounded. This is heart-breaking and senseless.”
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/scores-people-killed-and-wounded-amran-and-al-dhale-e
My comment: Weak and senseless remarks. And the rest of UN and international community? The UNs hypocrisy is visible when comparing this reaction to the reaction on the Houthi attacks against Saudi oil installations, which not even injured a single person.
(A P)
"SAM" calls the Yemen's government for non-defense of human rights violators and justice for militia victims
The Geneva-based Organization for Rights and Freedoms has accused the Yemeni government of politicizing the human rights file and identifying perpetrators of human rights violations and war crimes in Yemen.
Tawfiq al-Hamidi, president of the Sam Organization, said the government's position on the group of eminent international experts of Yemen and its failure to deal positively with reports of violations "is not successful and inconsistent with the concept of international justice."
The head of the Geneva-based Sam organization noted that the government's position on experts and reports of human rights violations gave the Houthis the opportunity to appear as victims and that they are cooperating with the international community and are not afraid of international reports documenting human rights violations as if they were not the most Criminal party and violator in Yemen, all thanks to the government and its negative attitude.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171886
My comment: Yes, and no. The Houthis cannot be “the most Criminal party and violator in Yemen”, if, according to this UN report, the Saudi coalition is responsible for 67 % of all letal victims in Yemen.
(A P)
United Nations High-Level General Assembly meetings kick off in New York with the absence of The Yemeni President Hadi
Among the most prominent issues on the agenda of the high-level meeting, the war in Yemen for five years and the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict, and the recent development represented the targeting of the Saudi oil Aramco sites,
Perhaps the most notable absent face of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi
According to the state-run Saba news agency, the (newly appointed) [Hadi gov.] foreign minister has arrived in New York to represent Yemen at the UN General Assembly
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/171888
(A P)
[Houthi] Salvation Government Rejects Many Parts of the 2nd Report of International Experts Group on Yemen
The National Salvation Government confirmed on Wednesday that 2nd report of the International Expert Group on Yemen didn't show neutrality and was designed to serve the countries of aggression, "it just didn’t tell the truth," said an official of the Salvation Government.
The official noted that the 2nd report of the International Expert Group on Yemen did not address many of the war crimes committed by the countries of aggression and mercenaries since 26 March 2015.
The Salvation Government pointed out that the International Expert Group was unable to visit Yemen this year because of their inability to get permit from the countries leading the aggression, despite receiving all the cooperation from the Salvation Government
The statement of The Government of Salvation stated that "the 2nd report of the International Expert Group on Yemen ignored the assassination of the martyr President Saleh Al-Sammad; it is a flagrant violation of international law since the assassination was declared as part of a hit list with financial rewards. The report did not touch on the Saudi and UAE occupation to parts of the territory and islands of Yemen. It ignored the aggression's recruitment of children and the use of internationally prohibited weapons, especially cluster bombs."
"International Expert Group on Yemen made allegations of Salvation Government violations without evidence, citing sources in the coalition of aggression that haven't international credibility", the Salvation Government said in the statement. "We question the professional capacity of the UN Office of the High Commissioner in Yemen."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8961
and look also at https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/yemeni-unions-and-syndicates-refute-the-fallacies-of-the-un-hrs-report-on-yemen/
(A P)
Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen Exhibits at UN headquarters
The Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, is scheduled to showcase its development efforts in Yemen on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The program delegation, led by Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Yemen, distributed publications, brochures, and periodicals related to the program, in addition to a comprehensive oral explanation to all visitors of the exhibition in several languages.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973612
My comment: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
(A P)
[Hadi government] Yemeni Minister of Human Rights meets with President of Human Rights Council
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973069
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp1c
(* B E P)
Why The Saudis Are Lying About Their Oil Production
The stage was set for the Saudis’ latest lying extravaganza with the aerial attacks on its massive Abqaiq oil processing facility and Khurais oil field launched, according to various sources, by Houthi ‘rebels’ in Yemen or by Iranian operatives in Yemen or in Iran.
A number of interesting things happened from the Saudi Arabian side as the prices went up and then went back down again. The first of these, as OilPrice.com was informed repeatedly by senior oil traders throughout the day, was the lack of real understanding that senior Saudi officials seem to have on how the oil market works or any details of Saudi’s own oil industry.
“I used to think the Saudis thought all of us [oil traders] were idiots, with all the rubbish they used to come out with and thought we’d believe, but recently it’s occurred to me that they genuinely don’t know anything about the oil industry, so they don’t understand that other people actually do know what they’re talking about and this has also been one of the reasons for the constant delaying of the Aramco sale, by the way,” one senior oil trader based in Asia told OilPrice.com.
The Aramco sale to one side for another time (although OilPrice.com has exclusively previously highlighted all of the lies pertaining to it), one particularly striking comment came from Saudi Arabia’s new oil minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, just after the attacks. He stated that the Kingdom plans to restore its production capacity to 11 million bpd by the end of September and recover its full capacity of 12 million bpd two months later.
“It was extremely telling that he spoke of ‘capacity’ and later of ‘supply to the market’, as these are terms that Saudi tends to use in order to avoid talking about actual production, as capacity and supply are not the same thing at all as actual production at the wellheads,” said Energy Aspects’ Mallinson – by Simon Watkins
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Why-The-Saudis-Are-Lying-About-Their-Oil-Production.html
(B E P)
Attacks on Oil Facilities Threaten Fragile Saudi Economy
Kingdom, which earns two-thirds of its revenue from crude sales, lost half its production at a time when foreign investment was down and consumers suffered from low prices (paywalled)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/attacks-on-oil-facilities-threaten-fragile-saudi-economy-11569427859
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco seeks project finance loan of more than $1 billion: sources
Saudi Aramco has asked banks to submit proposals for a project finance loan of more than $1 billion, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia Rejects Interference in its Internal Policies, Says Saudi ambassador to the UN in Geneva before Human Rights Council Session
Saudi ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Wasil affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is pursuing well-established reform policies that conform to its basic principles and Islamic pillars, particularly with regard to women's rights and enhancing their role in the public life.
Dr. Al-Wasil stressed that the Kingdom enjoys a solid and independent judiciary system that handles all cases in accordance with the rulings of Islamic Sharia and the country's judicial regulations.
Before the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations said that "the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has listened with disapproval to the statement made by Australia, on behalf of a group of States, as it holds a number of misinformation and fallacies against my country. In this regard, we categorically reject interference of any state in the Kingdom's internal policies, as we emphasize the sovereignty and independence of its judicial institutions."
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973652
My comment: LOL. While Saudi Arabia interferes worldwide by spreading its Wahabism, and especially in Yemen, Syria, Libya by leading or fueling war.
(B P)
Film: In the long-marginalized region of #Qatif, the #SaudiNationalDay89 only signifies 89 years of bloodshed, sectarian discrimination, as shown by the Saudi Forces captured here dancing to celebrate the destruction of Hussainiyas in Awamia.
https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1176200788336623617
Film: Only in the most oppressive dictatorships is a peaceful dissident such as #SheikhNimr decapitated, and a year later, his portrait trampled in a mosque desecrated by Saudi Forces rejoicing in destroying his hometown...
https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1176267213776596993
(A P)
OIC SG takes part in an important int'l meeting in New York
Secretary General of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen took part today in the high-level meeting to launch an international call to protect religious freedom, organized by the United States diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York on the sidelines of the UN 74th general assembly session
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973081
My comment: How absurd is this??
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp1c. cp9a
(A H P)
Under Secretary Hale’s Participation in the Ministerial on the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
Today, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and UN OCHA co-hosted a multilateral conference on Yemen humanitarian assistance on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. The conference addressed the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and encouraged donors to fully fund the 2019 UN Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
The United States is one of the largest donors of humanitarian assistance to Yemen and remains committed to helping the people of Yemen while respecting international humanitarian principles. The U.S. government has provided over $2 billion in humanitarian assistance to Yemen since October 2015.
My comment: LOL.
(* B K P)
America Should Not Fight Saudi Arabia’s Wars
Though unfortunate, these attacks are likely a signal of Iranian anger at maximum pressure and might be an extension of the Saudi-led intervention in neighboring Yemen's civil war. Washington's max pressure campaign is backfiring and so is American military involvement in the Yemeni war and Sunni-Shiite fight. At this point, it is not yet proven whether the missiles and drones were launched from Iranian soil or Iranian-backed militias Yemen or Iraq. Regardless of their origins, the strikes were an attack on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, not America. Any U.S. military response would escalate, risking all-out war.
With a defense budget of $67.6 billion, Riyadh should defend itself. Instead of fighting Saudi Arabia’s wars, Washington should reserve our military for U.S. security and prosperity. Saudi Arabia’s national interests are not U.S. national interests—wise policymakers would separate the two when they collide.
No matter who ordered them, the attacks on Saudi Arabia were foolish and unnecessary. But so are Riyadh’s ongoing actions in Yemen and Washington’s maximum pressure campaign on Tehran
America is in the Middle East to counter international terrorism and to protect against major, long-term disruptions to oil flows that fuels the world economy. U.S. interests would be harmed if Iran and Saudi Arabia went to war—especially if it dragged the United States into the conflict.
No amount of military strikes will deter Iran backed into a corner with no options but risky, belligerent behavior, or total capitulation. There was no loss of life in the attacks, and Saudi Arabia will have its production capacity restored by the end of this month—its output will resume to pre-strike levels by late November.
Furthermore, no Americans were harmed, and the United States does not rely on Saudi oil to the same degree as we did in the past.
The attack on Saudi Arabia is a major warning sign that maximum pressure isn’t working.
Americans do not want another war in the Middle East. Maximum pressure has only made Iran lash out more and U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen does not help to further peace or human rights
My comment: Yes, escalating the situation and a war are not in the American interest, the author is right. But, let us be honest: The author never questions the „right“ of the US to interfere wordwide where ever real US „inetersts“ are at stake – taking for granted that the whole world is a space of US „interest“.
(* B K P)
The Larger Implications of the Oil Attacks in Saudi Arabia
One might ask why this is a concern for the US, given that domestic oil supplies are rapidly rising and American production has surpassed that of Saudi Arabia. In my forthcoming book Monsters to Destroy: Understanding the War on Terror, I argue that the US has long guaranteed the security of the kingdom. In exchange, the Saudi royals agreed to recycle substantial amounts of their oil profits to the US in the form of bank deposits and purchasing American treasuries. These inflows of US dollars allow American interest rates to remain low, even as the US runs a considerable trade and budget deficit. How does this benefit Americans? Lower interest rates allow US citizens to borrow cheaply to purchase homes, cars, education, and to start businesses. Without access to these inflows, it is possible that both the US government and its citizens would have to spend less and save more, all while paying higher taxes and raising interest rates. In short, the status quo where the US protects the Saudis and the Saudis recycle their profits provides substantial benefits for both sides.
However, as I argue in my book, this financial gain provided to Americans comes with a price. If the US wants to continue enjoying this relationship, it must provide the Kingdom with permanent protection. Already, Saudi concerns about the US’s ability to do so are growing.
The destruction of the Abqaiq facility may call the value of this security guarantee into further doubt. In this case, even though the US has a clear interest in protecting the kingdom’s oil infrastructure, it was unable to.
Raising doubt about Saudi stability at this point can only benefit the Iranians, harm the Saudis, and indirectly harm the US.
Although these scenarios sound bleak, there are a few reasons to believe that all may be well.
However, in the long term, this should not make Americans too comfortable. The Saudis are already beginning to look east as far as their energy sales are concerned. They are also increasingly viewing the Russians as a potential partner rather than an adversary. Further, China is now their biggest purchaser of oil. If the US cannot provide security, these other states that are aligned with Iran might be able to broker a peace in Yemen. If so, a day may come where the Saudis cease the ‘generosity’ they extend to the US. This strike, where the Saudis have been hurt and the US could not stop it, may give this relationship another push – by Navin Bapat
https://politicalviolenceataglance.org/2019/09/17/the-larger-implications-of-the-oil-attacks-in-saudi-arabia/ = https://isnblog.ethz.ch/security/the-larger-implications-of-the-oil-attacks-in-saudi-arabia
My comment: A really unmasking look at US interests in Saudi Arabia. That’s really worth for getting Yemeni children killed for.
(* A B K P)
The Saudi Coalition Slaughters More Yemenis With U.S. Support
Two more Saudi coalition airstrikes struck civilian targets in Yemen this week, killing at least seven people in an attack on a mosque in northwestern Yemen and as many as 16 killed in the bombing of a residential building in the southern province of Dhale.
The Houthis had previously said they would launch no further drone and missile attacks into Saudi Arabia if the Saudis stopped their attacks. These bombings were Riyadh’s answer.
Dozens of innocent civilians were killed in these attacks, but these Yemeni deaths still barely register in Western media. The war on Yemen will have been raging for four and a half years this week. For fifty-four months, the U.S. has armed, supported, and shielded the Saudi coalition as it commits thousands upon thousands of war crimes and creates the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and this president has gone out of his way to make sure the arms and support continue to flow.
While the war on Yemen has once again faded from view, the Saudi coalition continues to slaughter Yemeni civilians with impunity using U.S. weapons and assistance. Even as the U.S.-backed bombing campaign takes more lives, the president has the gall to go in front of the U.N. General Assembly and accuse Iran of fueling the war in Yemen when it is our government and the governments of our client states that are responsible. The same administration that is quick to blame Iran for everything in the region will never say anything against their beloved Saudi clients when they murder defenseless people in their homes and at prayer.
The current relationship with Riyadh is bad for the U.S. and it has been catastrophic for Yemen – by Daniel Larison
(* B K P)
Congress Is Helping Saudi Arabia Destabilize the Middle East. It Needs to Stop.
The September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities—an attack the United States, Britain, Germany and France all say Iran carried out—demonstrates how close the Middle East is to war. But the focus on Iranian aggression must not obscure Saudi Arabia’s own role in the worsening situation, including its disastrous involvement in the civil war in Yemen. Rushing to provide U.S. military support to Saudi Arabia now will send the absolute wrong signal to Riyadh, whose conduct over the past few years has damaged America’s global standing and threatened our security.
Congress is considering whether to end U.S. backing for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. It should suspend U.S. arms sales and other support for the coalition not only to help end the horrific conflict, but to make clear that Saudi Arabia must take steps to avoid a broader regional conflagration.
During my tenure, I faced a Saudi government in denial that 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi citizens and blind to the threat religious extremism posed to both of our countries. Then, as now, Saudi leaders refused to acknowledge dangers everyone else saw clearly. Now, unlike then, the danger emanating from Saudi Arabia comes not from radicalized citizens, but from the Saudi leadership itself.
The Trump administration long ago should have condemned the twin Saudi outrages of the war in Yemen and Khashoggi’s execution and curtailed U.S. military aid and other support. Instead, Trump has stood by a reckless Saudi leader
Suspending U.S. arms sales at this juncture also could help seize a brief window to end the war in Yemen by making clear to Saudi Arabia that it cannot prevail militarily in its conflict with the Houthis.
The stakes are too great for Congress to be cowed by calls for sympathy with Saudi Arabia after this month’s attacks. If Congress fails to act, U.S. arms will kill more innocent civilians in Yemen as the chance for peace dwindles, impunity for Khashoggi’s murder will embolden tyrants around the world, and the war in Yemen will continue empowering terrorists and destabilizing an already risky region – by Robert W. Jordan, U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2001 to 2003
(* B P)
Richard Black speaks again
The attack by the Yemeni Houthi against Saudi oil installations was unexpected as it was sudden and put the Westerners in front of a reality that they preferred to ignore. The Houthi of Yemen are not, that is, a tribe of cave-dwellers badly in tools that delude themselves to resist the most prepared Saudi and Western armies but disciplined soldiers full of ardor, experts of modern warfare and who can get remarkable results with the means that have available.
The astonishment that the Western chancelleries caught after the success of the Yemeni attack against ARAMCO installations makes us understand how the West in crisis overestimates itself and insists on looking at the rest of the world with the air of sufficiency of those who have not understood which turn the events really took.
The Saudi Arabia war against the Yemenis is a dirty proxy war on behalf of the United States, part of the Middle East remodeling planned well before 9/11 and started immediately after the 2001 attacks on American soil. To pay the price of this madness, which had and still has as its final target the destruction of Russia and the confinement of China, were the populations of once prosperous countries like Libya, Syria and Iraq that end up in the meat grinder of endless civil wars.
It is worth remembering once again how the Houthi attack has shown how difficult, if not impossible, to defend the thousands of kilometers of pipelines that cross the Saudi desert. The war against Iran, the war that the hawks of the American Deep State want strongly with their Israeli friends, would therefore not be a quiet morning walk but something full of terrible unknowns.
The West has few people trying to counter the insane and endless madness of American neocons. One of them is the Republican Richard Black, Virginia State Senator.
Senator Black cannot tell where exactly the drones that hit Saudi oil installations came from but they certainly not came from Iran.
In the end, the American people are tired of war, tired of the constant war that lasts for eighteen years. We can say that President Trump is right when he tries to avoid a new military adventure with results uncertain but potentially devastating.
Video interview with Senator Richard Black:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVIThSnA_Yc
http://www.pravdareport.com/opinion/142772-richard_black/
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
Siehe / Look at cp1c, cp9
(* B P)
Saudi-Iran de-escalation begins in Yemen
The precision attacks on the world’s most profitable company, Saudi Aramco, may open the door for new diplomacy on the Arabian peninsula
The arena for de-escalation, experts say, would be Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran support opposing sides in a years-long conflict.
“We are now alone and we must manage accordingly. Yesterday’s allies are no longer the same as they were … their claims to stand with us in times of crisis has been exposed,” read an op-ed in the Saudi government-aligned daily Okaz.
The critique likely refers not only to the administration of US President Donald Trump – who declined to attack Iran in response – but also to the allied United Arab Emirates, which has recently sought to engage with Iran and distance itself from the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.
Even China, a key importer of Saudi oil, has declined to get involved, the Okaz op-ed opined. “So who is left? The truth is no one will decisively intervene to stop Iran,” he wrote
“It is in the interest of Saudi Arabia to de-escalate with Iran,” said Nabeel Nowairah of the DC-based Gulf International Forum. Any retaliation to their Aramco attack “will face a larger response,” he added.
“I think Saudi Arabia realizes that the United States is not willing to go to war with Iran,” said Nowairah. The Iranians, on the other hand, have demonstrated the political will to use force, he added.
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/09/article/saudi-iran-de-escalation-begins-in-yemen/
(A P)
Iran's Rouhani Touts Gulf Peace Plan, Says It Would Start With U.S. Troops Leaving
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Middle East is burning in the flames of war, bloodshed, aggression, occupation and religious and sectarian fanaticism and extremism," Rouhani said.
Iran could help secure the Persian Gulf region and guarantee the flow of oil through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, Rouhani said — if, he added, those benefits extend to all countries equally. He invited countries in the region to join what he called the security coalition of HOPE — a rough acronym, he said, for the Hormuz Peace Endeavor.
Details about that coalition would be forthcoming, Rouhani said. But he summarized it by saying peace in the Persian Gulf can't be achieved through foreign intervention.
"The security of our region shall be provided when American troops pull out," Rouhani said. He added, "Security shall not be supplied with American weapons and intervention."
Rouhani said that 18 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, the U.S. has "failed to reduce acts of terrorism." He claimed credit for Iran in dismantling ISIS, saying it did so with the help of neighboring countries. And he said the solutions to the the Arabian Peninsula's conflicts must come from within the region.
"The security of Saudi Arabia shall be guaranteed with the termination of aggression to Yemen, rather than by inviting foreigners," he said.
Citing lingering clashes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, Rouhani said of the U.S., "such a government is clearly unable to resolve more sophisticated issues of today."
After calling on Saudi Arabia to end hostilities in Yemen and urging the U.S. to withdraw, Rouhani warned, "Our region is on the edge of collapse, as a single blunder can fuel a big fire."
Accusing the U.S. of "merciless economic terrorism" against his country, Rouhani said the current round of U.S. sanctions against Iran are meant to keep the country from participating in the global economy. The U.S., Rouhani said, "has resorted to international piracy by misusing the international banking system."
and also https://www.france24.com/en/20190925-rouhani-at-un-demands-saudis-end-war-in-yemen
(A E P)
US sanctions Chinese companies for Iran oil imports – Gulf tensions
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington has imposed new sanctions on certain Chinese entities and people who knowingly transferred oil from Iran in violation of curbs on Tehran.
(A P)
Russia: Sending Additional US Troops to Middle East Won’t Solve Problems
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said Wednesday that sending additional US troops to the Middle East and boosting Washington's military capabilities in the region would not help solve problems in the tense Gulf after the attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8970
(A P)
Iran’s Rouhani: Wherever US goes, terrorism expands
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has blasted the United States for sponsoring the terrorists who have been wreaking havoc across the Middle East, saying terrorism has only expanded in every country Washington has set foot.
In an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Tuesday, Rouhani expressed surprise at US President Donald Trump’s highly hostile accusations during his UN speech, in which he called Iran “the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
Trump also accused Iran of adopting a “menacing behavior” and claimed that the country was “fueling the tragic wars in both Syria and Yemen.”
In response, Rouhani said he was “amazed at the interpretations of Mr. Trump, vis-a-vis terrorism,” and that unlike the US president’s claims, “Wherever we have gone, we have defeated terrorism.”
“Today, America, unfortunately, is the supporter of terrorism in our region — and wherever America has set foot, terrorism has expanded in its wake," Rouhani said.
The Iranian chief executive also described Washington’s bombing campaign in Syria as an example of American terrorism in the region.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/25/607067/Iran-Hassan-Rouhani-terrorism
(A P)
Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron try to broker new talks between Iran and the US as they meet President Rouhani - as Donald Trump slams Tehran's 'blood lust' in UN speech
Germany and France held separate talks with Iran at the United Nations as US President Donald Trump accused Tehran of attacking a Saudi oil terminal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron of France both sat down separately with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Mrs Merkel told reporters in New York that it was 'unrealistic' to believe that US sanctions would be removed ahead of new talks with the Gulf state.
She said: 'I would naturally be happy if there were talks between the United States and Iran.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7500479/Merkel-Macron-try-broker-new-Iranian-talks-UN.html
(A P)
UN Secretary General: World can not handle new Gulf conflict
Antonio Guterres warns for nefarious consequences of open war in Persian Gulf
https://www.uprising.today/un-secretary-general-world-can-not-handle-new-gulf-conflict/
(A P)
‘Iran did it, A to Z’: Netanyahu blames Tehran for attack on Saudi oil
PM urges international community to back Trump’s pressure campaign, as European nations join US in accusing Islamic Republic of September 14 strike
“Britain, France and Germany have said Iran is responsible for the recent attack on Saudi Arabia,” the premier, who skipped the UN event to focus on coalition negotiations in Israel amid a political deadlock, said in an English-language video message. “Let me say on behalf of Israel, very simply: Iran did it, A to Z.”
“Israel will know how to defend itself against this type of aggression, and we call on all members of the international community to join President Trump’s effort to increase the pressure on Iran,” Netanyahu added. “That’s the only way to stop Iran’s aggression.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-did-it-a-to-z-netanyahu-blames-tehran-for-attack-on-saudi-oil/
My comment: War monger.
(* A P)
Iran's Rouhani says open to discuss small changes to 2015 deal if sanctions lifted
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he was open to discuss small changes, additions or amendments to a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers if the United States lifted sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic.
Rouhani told media in New York that he will be open to discuss with major powers “small changes, additions or amendments” to nuclear deal if sanctions were taken away.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has adopted an “economic pressure” policy towards Iran to force its leadership to renegotiate the accord, said on Tuesday that he had no intention of lifting sanctions on Iran.
“All nations have a duty to act. No responsible government should subsidies Iran’s bloodlust,” Trump said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly annual gathering of world leaders. “As long as Iran’s menacing behavior continues sanctions will not be lifted, they will be tightened.”
However, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, when asked by journalists whether Iran was open to changes in the nuclear pact, said:”No changes to the JCPOA (nuclear deal)”.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-un-talks-idUSKBN1W9267
My comment: The US president lamenting on „Iran’s bloodlust“ is really absurd.
(B P)
Our own historian @alsab3aani makes a key observation by asking why didn’t #MBS come to #UNGA to make his case against #Iran following #Abqaiq who he & his western backers blame on Iran
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1176601550468386819
(A P)
Film: Via @anaharoon #Saudi #MBS asked #Pakistan PM Omran Khan to speak with #Iran Pres Rouhani #NY #UNGA . Pakistan can play an important role here in ending this useless war
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1176660673369169920
(* A P)
Iran open to ‘permanent for permanent’ formula with US: Zarif
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran is open to the idea of a permanent for permanent machanism with the United States, which means Iran will agree to permanent inspections of its nuclear facilities if the US also agrees to permanently lift its sanctions against Iran -- measures that the two sides were supposed to take in 2023 under a multilateral nuclear deal prior to Washington’s withdrawal.
In an interview with CNN broadcast on Monday, Zarif confirmed an earlier offer, under which the Iranian Parliament would enshrine in law a fatwa (religious decree) by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei against nuclear weapons and sign the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in return for the US lifting all anti-Iran sanctions and ratifying the measure through Congress.
“That offer is still on the table provided that the US would also do what they are supposed to do in 2023 now and that is to lift the sanctions through US Congress,” he said.
“We are prepared, if President Trump is serious about permanent for permanent. Permanent peaceful nuclear program in Iran and permanent monitoring of Iranian nuclear facilities, as you said, through the most intrusive IAEA inspection mechanism that exists, in return for what he has said he is prepared to do and that is to go to Congress and have this ratified, which would mean Congress lifting the sanctions,” he added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/24/606982/Iran-Javad-Zarif-US-sanctions
My comment: The US is not interested in this, but in regime change. That’s the main problem.
(A K P)
Iranian President: US Military Power Humiliated by Yemenis' Success in Aramco Attack
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Riyadh and Washington feel embarrassed as Yemeni forces' success in destroying Saudi Arabia's oil facilities proved that the US missile defense shields are inefficient and useless.
"It's embarrassing that the basis for accusing Iran over the attack on Aramco is just the point that [they] do not want to admit that the Yemeni Army has the military capability to conduct missile and drone raids," Rouhani said in a meeting with a number of American media directors and senior figures at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980702001188
(* B K P)
Houthi Rebels are the Saudis' Problem
President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for the attack even before the flames in the Eastern Province were brought under control. He cited no intelligence, no proof, no intercepts, no declassified photography of an Iranian launch site. Nothing. We are just supposed to take his word for it. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, in his first press conference since May, meanwhile, said, "We are not seeking a conflict with Iran. We want to engage with Iran." That's decidedly different from the "locked and loaded" theme of both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Nobody wants us to attack Iran more than the Saudi royal family and Israel. They've been obsessed with Iran for decades and they want us to do their dirty work for them. This is nothing new. The Saudis, at least, expect us to do their bidding. That's why they spend billions of dollars on our weapons, finance our think tanks, lobby our politicians, and put out glossy magazines that you can find in any grocery store extolling the greatness of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
Let's not be fooled to think that the government of Iran, which has so much to lose in a fight with the United States, would launch an unprovoked attack on Saudi Arabia just for the heck of it. Let's not be fooled into thinking that it's up to us to avenge an attack on Saudi Arabia, no matter where it came from. It's not up to us to defend (and prop up) a reactionary royal family that readily and routinely executes (and in some cases even crucifies) its citizens, including women and children, for participating in peaceful pro-democracy protests.
We should tell the Saudis that they're on their own. Their diplomats should be engaging the Iranians, not ordering Trump to launch military strikes on Iran. They should be at the negotiating table. And, frankly, we don't need Saudi oil anymore. We have enough of our own – by John Kiriakou
(A P)
Nach Angriffen auf saudische Öl-Raffinerie: Iran soll zurück an den Verhandlungstisch
Die Europäer glauben, dass Iran saudische Ölanlagen angegriffen hat. Die wichtigsten Fragen und Antworten.
Mein Kommentar. Dieser angebliche Überblick strotzt von propagandistischen Aussagen. Zunächst: „Die Europäer“: Merkel, Macron und Johnson. Diese Anmerkung schreibt kein Afrikaner.
(* A P)
Attacke in Saudi-Arabien: Trump beschuldigt Iran und droht mit verschärften Sanktionen
16.40 Uhr: Nach US-Außenminister Mike Pompeo hat auch US-Präsident Donald Trump öffentlich den Iran für die Angriffe auf Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien verantwortlich gemacht und droht dem Land. Als Reaktion auf die Attacken des Iran in Saudi-Arabien habe die US-Regierung die Sanktionen gegen Teheran weiter verschärft, sagte Trump am Dienstag bei der Generaldebatte der UN-Vollversammlung in New York.
und
(A P)
Bei der UN-Vollversammlung sprechen die Führer der Welt
In seiner Rede machte der US-Präsident zudem den Iran für die Angriffe auf saudische Öl-Anlagen verantwortlich. Solange der Iran sein bedrohliches Verhalten fortsetze, würden die Sanktionen nicht aufgehoben, sondern verschärft, sagte Trump
Außerdem verteidigte er die Erhöhung des US-Militärhaushaltes und pries die Erfolge seiner bisherigen Amtszeit. Die USA seien die militärisch mächtigste Nation auf der Welt, sagte Trump. Er hoffe, dass diese militärische Stärke nicht zum Einsatz kommen müsse.
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel will sich noch am Dienstag in New York mit Irans Präsident Hassan Ruhani und auch US-Präsident Donald Trump treffen.
Der britische Premierminister Boris Johnson hat sich überraschend für ein neues und von US-Präsident Donald Trump ausgehandeltes Atomabkommen mit dem Iran ausgesprochen. Am Rande der UN-Vollversammlung in New York sagte Johnson dem US-Sender NBC: "Lasst uns einen besseren Deal machen." Dann fügte er hinzu: "Ich denke, es gibt einen Typen, der einen besseren Deal machen kann (...), und das ist der Präsident der Vereinigten Staaten. Ich hoffe, dass es einen Trump-Deal geben wird."
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WHAT IRAN AND THE US OFFER THEIR ALLIES: TEHRAN’S MULTIPLE MESSAGES
The alternately hot and cold tension between the US and Iran is evolving on the Middle Eastern stage where Tehran is hitting its enemies (on its own and with the help of its allies) without causing the death of a single US person so far. It is targeting strategic objectives in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf in response to the US unilateral sanctions that followed US withdrawal from the nuclear deal known as JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Iran aims to send multiple messages across borders to Saudi Arabia above all, and to the United States of America. Tehran is selecting, from its bank of objectives, specific targets whereby it is gradually increasing the damage and maximising the impact on its enemies.
The latest Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities required months of preparation due to its multi-purpose objectives. According to a well-informed source, “Iran has been testing – via the Houthis in Yemen – the US and Saudi Arabia’s weak defensive systems to find a hole since May this year when an Aramco facility was hit for the first time. The Houthis sent many drones to different parts of the country over the past five months. This was tactical reconnaissance to test radar capabilities and the safest route for hitting crude oil exports and forcing the end of the war in Yemen.
The attack on Saudi oil sent multiple messages: it showed the strength of Iran’s partners in the Middle East, ready to offer a plausible deniability by Iran when needed. It revealed a stage for Iran to hit its enemies.
The difference of attitude and support towards allies is enormous. Iran has managed to build a trustworthy chain of allies acting as a single body while the US bullies and humiliates its allies, most recently the Kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, while blackmailing these and other Arab leaders to buy US weapons.
In one way or another, US foreign policy and regime change plans have significantly contributed to consolidating this “Axis”, allowing Iran to take advantage of the US failure in many parts of the Middle East.
The Middle East is indeed suffering from the US-Iranian tension. It is hitting energy resources and navigation safety on tankers, and nobody can exclude an escalation that leads to an unwanted and “unplanned” war.
There will be no peace in the Middle East as long as the US illegal sanctions on Iran are in force. In fact, no peace can be reached at all as long as the US forces maintain a military presence in the Middle East, acting as a bully and an occupation force rather than a partner – by E. J. Magnier
https://ejmagnier.com/2019/09/23/what-iran-and-the-us-offer-their-allies-tehrans-multiple-messages/
My comment: Interesting ideas, but the author uncritically follows the main propaganda narrative: Iran was it.
(* B P)
Will More US Troops in Saudi Arabia Make America Great?
President Trump deserves credit for resisting the war cries from neocons like Sen. Lindsey Graham and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after last week’s attack on two Saudi oil facilities.
President Trump likely understands that a US war on Iran will be his undoing as president. Who knows, maybe that’s what his closest advisors want. But according to a Gallup poll just last month, only 18 percent of Americans were in favor of military action against Iran.
The message to Trump is pretty clear – war with Iran would be deeply unpopular - and it seems clear he understands the message.
Unfortunately, with pressure on President Trump to “do something” even as Iran has not been found to have been behind the attack, the president has settled on two measures - one pointless and the other dangerous. On Friday Trump announced yet even more sanctions on Iran, leaving many of us to wonder what is possibly left to sanction. He also announced a deployment of US military forces to Saudi Arabia of a “defensive nature.” Why should the military be sent to “defend” one of the wealthiest and most repressive countries on earth? It is hard to see how putting US servicemembers into harm’s way – into a war zone – to defend Saudi Arabia can in any way make America great again. I believe most Americans would agree.
Attempting to placate the neocons is a fool’s errand, because they are never satisfied even up to and including war. The tide is turning in America – and even in Washington – against Saudi Arabia – by Ron Paul
(A P)
US, Saudis can’t use Iran nuclear deal to conceal Yemen war failure
“The United States and Saudi Arabia, which have triggered wars in the region over the past few decades as their traces are visible in many war-inflicted countries, have reached the end of the line in the war against the oppressed Yemeni nation,” Ali Larijani addressed Parliament’s open session on Tuesday.
“They cannot drag their failure into the nuclear deal dispute with Iran,” he added.
Larijani criticized Washington and Riyadh officials for fomenting tensions in the Middle East region, saying it is not good to bully others instead of accepting the truth.
“If they think they can undermine the Iranian nation’s strong will by increasing troops in the Persian Gulf, they are wrong!”
“These troops themselves are the cause of insecurity and tension in the region,”
(A P)
Attacks on Iran will bring captivity and defeat, senior military official says
Enemies who try to attack Iran will face captivity and defeat, a senior Iranian military official said on Tuesday, a day after President Hassan Rouhani said Iran’s message to the world was “peace and stability”.
(A P)
U.S. demands to change nuclear deal unacceptable: Iranian official
U.S. demands to change a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers are unacceptable, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. “We will never renegotiate a deal that took us years to reach ... Iran’s leadership supports diplomacy but if Americans want to ease tension, they should lift sanctions and end pressure on Tehran,”
(B P)
Arab Analyst: Trump Like “Paper Tiger” against Iran
“Trump has been entangled in a real quagmire and the crisis with Iran proved that he is a tiger paper and he could not bring Iran to its knees,” Atwan wrote on Monday.
He added that Trump is afraid of Iran so deeply that he could not take revenge for the downing of the US spy drone in Persian Gulf, support Washington’s Saudi and UAE allies and prevent seizure of an intruder British oil tanker by Iran.
The maximum move made by the US to save face is imposing sanctions against Iran which have heavy costs for the US administration and they have already failed, Atwan wrote.
http://www.newnewss.net/arab-analyst-trump-like-paper-tiger-against-iran/
(A P)
'Iran is greater than its borders'
Iran is not limited to a “geographical location” as the Iran-backed factions around the region are “all Iran” now, high-ranking cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda said on Friday.
“Iran, today, is not only Iran and not limited to a geographical location. Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansarullah, Syria’s National Defence Forces, Palestine’s Islamic jihad and Hamas are all Iran,” the semi-official news agency ISNA quoted Alamolhoda as saying during a Friday prayer sermon.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2061288/3-iran-greater-borders/
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
Siehe / Look at cp2
(A P)
Jeremy Corbyn denounces Boris Johnson’s plan to militarily support Saudi Arabia
Britain’s Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson for saying that he might send British troops to Saudi Arabia in the confrontation with Iran.
“It really does beggar belief,” Corbyn told his party’s conference in Brighton yesterday, “that this week Boris Johnson is openly talking about sending troops to Saudi Arabia as part of the increasingly very dangerous confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in an apparent bid to appease Donald Trump. Have we learnt nothing?”
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
ADHRB Sends Information to US Federal Agencies on Human Rights Abusers in Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior
On 6 September 2019, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) sent letters to the United States (US) Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DoJ), Department of State (DoS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). These letters highlighted multiple individuals in Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) – including Brigadier Abdulaziz Mayoof al Rumaihi, Brigadier Mubarak bin Huwail al-Merri, Colonel Bassam Mohammed al-Muraj, Lt. Fawaz al-Sameem, Lt. Col. Adnan Bahar, and Major Maryam Al-Bardouli – who have been allegedly involved or complicit in gross violations of human rights (GVHR).
(* B P)
Russia Exploits The Saudi-UAE Divergence
While the United States hopes that Saudi Arabia and the UAE resolve their differences and present a united front against Iran, Russia regards the growing divergence between the Saudi and Emirati foreign policy agendas as a geopolitical opportunity. As the UAE’s policies towards Yemen, Syria, and Iran are not supported by either Riyadh or Washington, Russia is capitalizing on areas of overlap with the UAE in these theaters to strengthen the Moscow-Abu Dhabi strategic partnership. Russia’s soft pivot towards the UAE has been accompanied by parallel conciliatory gestures towards Saudi Arabia, which ensure that Moscow-Riyadh relations continue to improve, and that Russia can benefit from a future Saudi-UAE reconciliation.
In Yemen, Russia has maintained a policy of strategic non-alignment since the start of the Saudi-led military intervention in 2015 and has not overhauled this approach in response to recent developments. Russia’s policy in Yemen has drawn closer to the UAE’s in recent months as Moscow has established closer relations with the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Russia’s conciliatory gestures towards the STC are squarely aimed at strengthening Moscow’s relationship with the UAE.
On Syria, Russia views the UAE’s decision to re-establish diplomatic relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government as a positive harbinger for enhanced cooperation.
On Gulf security, Russia is treading more cautiously than in Yemen or Syria, as Moscow and Abu Dhabi disagree fundamentally on Iran’s role in regional affairs.
Russia’s shuttle diplomacy campaign also reveals Moscow’s desire to convince the UAE of the merits of its collective security plan in the Persian Gulf
At present, a “sustainable divergence” between Saudi Arabia and the UAE that preserves Abu Dhabi’s independent foreign policy and falls short of an outright rift is the optimal scenario from Moscow’s perspective.
If this outcome comes to fruition and Russia manages to preserve its improbable balancing act between Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, the resurgence of Moscow’s influence in the Gulf could endure for years to come – by Samuel Ramani
https://lobelog.com/russia-exploits-the-saudi-uae-divergence/
(A P)
Recording sent to Radha Stirling the day before Princess Latifa was captured reveals a woman determined to secure freedom for herself and her sister
From onboard Nostromo, after Latifa’s daring escape from Dubai, she contacted Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling and the two exchanged messages up until her capture. The messages showcase how determined the princess was to secure her freedom.
Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum had planned her second escape for seven years, enlisting the assistance of former French secret service agent Hervé Jaubert. Before her escape, she recorded a video testimony to be published if she was captured or killed. Lesser known though, is that she sent Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, WhatsApp voice messages after her escape from onboard Nostromo on the high seas. Although circulated with journalists immediately, Latifa’s video testimony was the central focus.
(* B E P)
Saudi Arabia and Qatar race to increase their influence in Somalia
While Qatar has declared that it will build a new seaport in Somalia, Saudi Arabia has recognised the passport of autonomous Somaliland, amplifying political and ethnic divisions in the country.
The modern scramble for Africa is intensifying and Arab nations have been the most active foreign players as well as fierce competitors in the region, especially after the beginning of the Qatar blockade by its Gulf neighbours in the summer of 2017.
The rift has exceeded the Gulf region and reached all the way to the Horn of Africa, most visible in Somalia, where the two blocks are clashing in a race to increase their influence.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have seen the Horn of Africa as a strategic point from where they can support their operations and agenda in Yemen.
On the contrary, although Qatar's presence does not include military presence, Doha exercises the soft power approach
While Qatar, along with its close ally Turkey, has been supporting the central government in Mogadishu, their Saudi and UAE opponents have backed the local governments in Somalia's federal states of Somaliland, Puntland as well as in Jubaland, which are all seeking independence from Somalia.
Karim observes that greater engagement of Gulf states opens up opportunities for local actors to bring in more investment and infrastructure development.
Investments and political support were also warmly welcomed by local governments in secessionist regions as they were more than happy that they have been able to attract powerful foreign players ready to back-up their struggle for independence.
For instance, the UAE has been one of the main investors in both Somaliland and Puntland.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2019/9/20/the-saudi-arabia-qatar-rift-over-somalia
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A K P)
Film: Saudis show off one of their Canadian-made LAVs during show of military might at National Day parade
https://twitter.com/anthonyfenton/status/1176221889816977408
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E P)
[Hadi gov.] PM admonishes C. bank governor to guard against currency devaluating practices by Houthi militia
Prime Minister Ma’een Abdulmalik has admonished the newly appointed governor of the central bank to guard against practices by the Sana’a-based Houthis that keep causing the Riyal to lose value.
my comment: While the Houthis blame the Hadi government for fueling inflation.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
EDUCATIONALIST IN ADEN: THERE IS NO COMPARISON BETWEEN SITUATION IN THE BESIEGED SANAA AND LIBERATED ADEN
There is no comparison between Sana’a, which has been in a war and siege for four and a half years, and Aden, which is a temporary capital of legitimacy and is experiencing insecurity, a sharp deterioration in services, and a borderless state of terror due to the multiplicity of armed groups. At the same time, Aden has witnessed war, destruction, assassinations, theft of land, shops and banking.
On the contrary, Sanaa, which still hosts various Yemenis from all governorates, lives without any racial secretions.This was narrated by Adeni educational educator, and a number of people who detail their visit to the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.
A prominent educationalist, Nidhal Muhammed Farea, said that there is no comparison between the situation in Aden and Sana’a. He explained his visit to Sana’a saying “This morning I and a group of young people from Aden wandered through the streets of Sana’a.
My remark: A piece of pro-Houthi propaganda.
(A P)
Yemen: Unnatural States
https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20190925.aspx
My comment: A large article, looking like a broad overview, but spilled with propaganda.
(A P)
Five years of Houthi troublemaking in Sana’a
It must be acknowledged that the former Yemen we knew, whether one of united Yemen or of two independent Yemens, is part of the distant past.
On September 21, 2014, the Houthis took control of Sana'a. Their action ended, albeit temporarily, any attempt to improve the situation of the Yemeni capital, especially because they do not have a viable political, economic, educational or cultural project.
All they had for the people of Yemen was turning a section of northern Yemen into an Iranian base and changing the nature of the society wherever they are towards more backwardness, radicalism and rejection of the other.
On this painful anniversary, all we can do is pray for the people of Sana'a and hope for quick relief from their suffering because they have become prisoners of ignorant thugs who have only one thing to offer: their so-called sarkha of “Death to America. Death to Israel. Damnation on the Jews.”
In other words, the unique purpose of their fight is to let Iran’s voice boom over the entire Arabian Peninsula, of which Yemen is an integral part.
https://thearabweekly.com/five-years-houthi-troublemaking-sanaa
(A P)
Rights group say Houthis continue to commit atrocities in Yemen
The symposium was held within the framework of the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council focusing on violations in Yemen.
Murad Al-Gharati, head of Tamkeen Development Foundation, said that human rights violations in Yemen would not stop as long as the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia controls the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and other Yemeni governorates, while having access to Yemeni state weapons.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1559361/saudi-arabia
(A P)
The Southern Transitional Council has not just parachuted into the Yemeni crisis
The STC's move was necessary to prove there are still people who want to protect Aden and prevent the return of the Houthis.
Aden, where to? This question becomes relevant after the capture of the city and its most important installations and government buildings by forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which took advantage of the failure of the Yemeni interim government, also known as the “legitimacy camp,” to provide adequate protection to it.
The interim government was supposed to be present in the interim capital, Aden, but it has shined only by its flagrant and irresponsible absence from the city, leaving it wide open for the return of the Houthis with the malicious complicity of al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood. Both of the latter would have preferred to see the stagnant status quo in Yemen go on until the day they could strike a deal with the Iran-sponsored Houthis.
In this sense, the move by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden can be seen as aimed at defending the “legitimacy camp,” or whatever was left of it, and a move to prevent the return of the Houthis to the capital of southern Yemen after their expulsion in 2015.
Let’s not forget that the Brotherhood played a major role in facilitating the expansion of the Houthis outside of Saada District after they overthrew the Saleh regime in 2011, hoping to take control of the country.
The Brotherhood never needed to openly ally itself with the Houthis. There were even public confrontations between the two sides. All that the Brotherhood had done was in the interest of Iran’s proxies, the Houthis.
My comment: Pro-separatist article, mixed with conspiracy theory.
(A P)
How to Deal With Iran After the Saudi Oil Attacks
The latest findings in the investigation of the September 14 attack on the Abqaiq and Khurais oilfields in eastern Saudi Arabia indicate that it was launched from Iranian territory and not by Tehran’s Houthi proxies from Yemen, as was initially alleged.
The attack appears to have been conducted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards via cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and was apparently launched from Ahvaz Air Base. According to CBS News, the attack was allegedly approved by the Iranian Supreme Leader on condition that Iran’s fingerprints be undetectable. After the strike, Tehran quickly labeled the Houthi rebels as responsible.
The attack should concern decision-makers in countries that are in a state of conflict with Iran, as it represents a leap in Iranian daring. Tehran’s willingness to swiftly turn its aggressive statements into action could indicate a shift in strategy.
Iran’s readiness for conflict is the culmination of the accumulated experience of its forces in the various fighting rounds in the wake of the so-called “Arab Spring.”
It is instructive to examine the pattern of Tehran’s actions from the moment the US tightened its sanctions on the Iranian oil sector.
In view of all this, it is hardly to be wondered at that Iran has chosen to be more bold.
Tehran’s decision to significantly disrupt Saudi Arabia’s oil output was meant to send several messages – by Dr. Doron Itzchakov, a Senior Research Associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies
https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/09/24/how-to-deal-with-iran-after-the-saudi-oil-attacks/
(A P)
Yemen embittered by Houthi terrorism
The Yemeni people have been suffering from the repercussions of the Houthi coup against the legitimate government for the past five years. The Houthi militias starved the Yemeni people and used the places of worship to promote the mullah doctrines and spread sectarian sedition among the Yemenis.
Between January 2016 and August 2019, the Houthi militias have fostered lawlessness, increasing the crime rate in the country. Abdel Basset Al-Shagie, director of the Marib-based Media Center, said 2,955 civilians were killed by the Houthis
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13364
(A P)
World can no longer turn blind eye to Houthi war crimes
Since the war in Yemen started more than four years ago, the world has been focusing on the human suffering caused by the coalition air strikes, which have been carried out mainly by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Although the tragic human suffering unintentionally caused by the airstrikes deserves to be given maximum attention, it is difficult to understand how such little attention has been given to the Houthis’ enormous crimes.
For more than four years, Houthi insurgents in Yemen, who are funded, trained, armed and controlled by Iran, have been committing atrocities and war crimes.
In July 2017, the Houthis targeted the holy city of Makkah with a ballistic missile that was, fortunately, intercepted by Saudi air defenses 69 kilometers before it reached its target.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1558781
(A P)
KSRelief Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Exploiting Yemen’s Humanitarian File
Spokesman of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr. Samer Aljetaily denied the existence of any shortages in providing humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said 2018 witnessed a surplus in funding, predicting a similar outcome for 2019. The surplus covers all Yemeni regions without exception.
The World Food Program had revealed that it has provided aid to some 12.4 million people throughout Yemen in August, including nine million in regions controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
This is the highest figure achieved by the agency since the eruption of the crisis in Yemen.
Aljetaily said: “This is the goal KSRelief has been seeking to achieve since its establishment. It wants to reach the greatest number of people as possible.”
(A P)
Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13379
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13383
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13376
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973721
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13372
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13366
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Siehe / Look at cp1d
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
Sep. 23: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1420248718125489/
Sep. 22: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1420247104792317/
(* A K pH)
Aerial Aggression Launches Over 150 Raids Since President Al-Mashat Truce
Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier Yahya Sare’e confirmed , on Wednesday, that the US-Saudi aggression launched more than 36 airstrikes during the past 12 hours.
The aerial aggression targeted Saada, mostly on Ketaf by 30 air raids. It launched 4 raids on Nehm district in Sana'a and two raids on Haradh district in Hajjah.
Since the truce was announced, the aggression has launched during the past four days about 150 raids. They resulted in killing 22 civilians, including women and children, and wounding 15 others, according to statistics of the United Nations.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8973
(A K pH)
In Hajjah, a civilian was killed and another one was injured with US-Saudi airstrikes on civilians' houses in Haradh district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8941
(A K pH)
Abdulsalam: New Crimes against Civilian Prove Aggression Insists on continuing aggressive war, unfair siege
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8944
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aerial aggression Target Sana’a, Amran and Hajjah, 11 Raids
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8946
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(* A K pS)
Two ballistic missiles fell this evening inside Amran governorate and Sa'ada governorate inside Yemen after being launched from Sanaa governorate, JFC announces
Pursuant to the statement issued on September 24, 2019 by the spokesman of the Joint Forces Command (JFC) of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen reporting that the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia fired a ballistic missile from a civilian platform in Harf Sufyan Directorate, Amran Governorate, Yemen, but fell afterwards in Saada Governorate, inside the Yemeni territory, the Spokesman of the Joint Forces Command (JFC) of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki Al-Malki stated that the Houthi militia fired two ballistic missiles this evening, Tuesday, corresponding to September 24, 2019, from a civilian platform in Sanaa Governorate, Yemen, but fell afterwards in Amran Governorate and Saada Governorate, inside the Yemeni territory.
Col. Al-Malki said the Houthi militia continued to violate international humanitarian law and bases of its norms by firing ballistic missiles which fall indiscriminately on civilians and civilian objects, directly affect housing complexes and threaten the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians inside Yemen.
He stressed that the Coalition's Joint Command continues to take strict and deterrent measures to neutralize and destroy these ballistic capabilities to protect civilians inside Yemen, as well as regional and international security.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973677
and
(A K pS)
Ballistic missile landed this afternoon inside Sa'ada governorate inside Yemen, JFC announces
The spokesman of the Joint Forces Command (JFC) of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki Al-Malki said that the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia fired a ballistic missile from a civilian platform in Harf Sufyan Directorate, Amran Governorate, Yemen, today afternoon corresponding to September 24, 2019, but fell afterwards in Saada Governorate, inside the Yemeni territory.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1973669
My comment: What a joke how the Saudis are lamenting now and even claim they would “destroy these ballistic capabilities to protect civilians inside Yemen”. These new attacks were the reply to two Saudi air aids, one killing 16, the other 7 civilians.
(* B K pS)
Combat drones usher in era of ‘war by remote’ in the Middle East
Drones are becoming widely available, increasingly technologically sophisticated and more affordable
UAVs in the hands of violent militias have become a critical element of asymmetric warfare
Michael Knights, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, has been following warfare in the Middle East for the last 20 years.
According to him, the region is now “seeing players from all sides using drones — whether they are a very small group such as (Daesh) terrorists or a group with Iranian support” such as Yemen’s Houthi militia.
The threat has been growing over the years, says Knights. “Almost everywhere you look nowadays, drones are being used for surveillance or for crashing into targets, drones that have explosives on them, or drones — the most recent versions — that drop bombs and are reusable.”
Furthermore, he says, with drones showing their growing value on the battlefield, more and more terror groups are turning to unmanned aircraft.
With the growing threat, Mekelberg said more countries need to step up their airspace security platform that detects, classifies, and mitigates all drone threats.
“Some countries have anti-drone systems, but drones are getting more advanced and sophisticated and lots of countries are not equipped to deal with it,” he said.
If recent developments are any guide, the world has yet to see the full capability of combat drones in the sprawling Middle East war theater.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1558666/middle-east
My comment: On a Saudi news site, quite a lot of propaganda is mixed here. There never was a Houthi attack against Mecca. – „UAVs in the hands of violent militias have become a critical element of asymmetric warfare“: In the hands of state actors like the USA they did as well.
(* B K pS)
Landmines Planted by Houthis Add to Suffering of Yemeni Civilians
Landmines planted by Houthi militias in Yemen continue to spread panic among the war-torn country’s citizens, especially that the Iran-backed group focused its usage of the explosives to civilian areas.
“The number of victims of Houthi-planted landmines exceeds 3,400, with the number of deaths going over 2,700, including 148 women, 279 children, and the number of injuries at 700, a large number of whom are children,” [Hadi gov.] Yemeni Human Rights Minister Mohamad Askar told Asharq Al-Awsat.
(* B K pS)
Media activists expose Houthis’ crimes in Taiz
A group of media activists have exposed on Sunday during a seminar in Taiz city a record of Houthis’ crimes committed during a five-year rebellion against citizens in Taiz.
Organizers of the seminar said that total civilian deaths in Taiz reached 1,291 where victims were killed mostly by random shells shot by the Houthis at residential areas throughout Taiz.
The death cases included 622 men, 157 women, 370 children and 143 elderlies.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33308
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(A P)
Yemeni football player refuses award from Islah member
Hossam al-Sawdi calls pro-Saudi functionary Tawakol Karman a "non-sponsor of peace"
One of Yemen’s junior football team players has refused to accept an award from Tawakol Karman, a leading activist of the Islah Party (Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and notable pro-Saudi organisation) and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2011.
According to the Aden Al-Ghad newspaper, which is loyal to the Saudi-led coalition, Hossam al-Sawdi surprised everyone by refusing Karman’s award, describing her as “non-sponsor of peace.”
https://www.uprising.today/yemeni-football-player-refuses-award-from-islah-member/
(C D)
The Origin of Coffee
Culturally, coffee is a major part of Ethiopian and Yemenite history. This cultural significance dates back as many as 14 centuries, which is when coffee was (or was not) discovered in Yemen (or Ethiopia... depending on who you ask). Whether coffee was first used in Ethiopia or Yemen is a topic of debate and each country has its own myths, legends, and facts about the beverage's origin.
Ethiopia's Coffee Origin Myth
The most popular legend of coffee in Ethiopia usually goes something like this:
Yemen's Coffee Origin Myths
Yemen also has a coffee origin myth (or two) as well as a well-founded stake in the beverage's actual history.
The first legend from Yemen is rather basic by comparison to the Kaldi myth. However, in an interesting twist, it attributes the origin of coffee to Ethiopia:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-origin-of-coffee-765180
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-578-yemen-war-mosaic-578
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-578 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-578:
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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