... gegen die Saudis – und mehr
Oct. 1, 2019: Stories scattered by war – Locals and power brokers in Yemen – Changing alliances at Aden – Socotra between Emiratis and Saudis –Among arm dealers – Houthi successes against Saudi Arabia – 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
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp1c Am wichtigsten: Angriff auf Saudi Aramco / Most important: Saudi Aramco attack
cp1d Huthis schalten saudische Söldnerbrigaden aus / Houthis override Saudi mercenaries’ brigades
cp2 Allgemein / General
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
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H)
Film: Stories Scattered by War
When we break down the larger story, known as “the war in Yemen” into smaller stories, we end up having the stories of individuals, individuals from flesh and blood who were stormed with events that changed their present and future forever. Then all the slogans raised by politicians are diminished especially those speeches about good and evil, right and wrong. This video features stories of some Yemenis that the war resulted into losing their loved ones, and losing their homes. It made them face poverty, displacement and the loss of dignity. The absent security that the video talks about includes physical security, psychological security, security of endangered moral values, and the security of a generation that is vulnerable to loss in a future that seems lost with the cycles of war. This video release is a collaboration between Al-Madaniya Magazine and YPC’s project (Rebuilding piece and security). The project was funded by the European Union
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUYW4sP9wpo
(** B K P)
Locals running rings around the power brokers
Farea al-Muslimi on how Yemenis are long adept at pursuing their own aims at the expense of their sponsors
Amid the ongoing war in Yemen, outside powers are still relying on local Yemenis to pursue their strategic aims in the country.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, the United States and Britain are all using the people on the ground to further their foreign policy aims, yet, like Bahabri the tea merchant, the Yemenis involved in the conflict have an impressive ability to twist the support of these external backers to their own interests.
Much of the political debate about Yemen revolves around proxy warfare. The layman’s assumption is that when outside powers engage in conflict with each other by backing rival domestic forces, the local agents are poor and weak and dependent on their sponsors. From this perspective, the foreign powers hold all the leverage and their proxies must obey, subsuming their local agendas to their patron’s goals.
Common thinking would also assume that proxy groups are expendable and can be sacrificed when the ‘big boys’ make deals to end the fighting – as appears the case with Donald Trump’s proposed withdrawal from northern Syria at the expense of US Kurdish partners on the ground.
The conflict in Yemen – partly civil war, partly proxy war, partly something else altogether – flips this perception of the patron-client relationship on its head.
The dynamics developed between Yemeni forces and their foreign patrons range from symbiotic to parasitic, in some instances with local and foreign interests aligning to advance both causes, in others the very dependence of the local forces on the foreign support neutralizing the vast power of the patron.
An example of how convoluted these relationships have grown over the past four years can be seen in the fierce fighting in the south of Yemen in August.
Pragmatism at work
The war in Yemen has been a humanitarian disaster, with nearly 100,000 dead and the country in a state of disintegration. Amid the chaos, many Yemeni groups have sought outside help, repositioning themselves when convenient to serve both immediate and long-term aims. When Saudi Arabia formed its war coalition, it brought together proxies with divergent interests, and sometimes blatant enmity, to address the immediate need of fighting the Houthis.
This alliance was not born out of loyalty to the Yemeni government or Saudi Arabia. Al-Zubaidi had previously been supported by Iran, but chafed at Tehran’s demand that he abandon ambitions for southern independence and work with the Houthis. Instead, al-Zubaidi joined the coalition and employed troops trained by Iran and Hezbollah to expel the Houthis from Al Dhale.
War aim mirage
Proxy wars are taking place in Yemen, this much is certain. But without unity of purpose it is difficult to achieve tangible steps towards settling the conflict, much less winning it. The disassociation between the aims of local forces and the foreign interests backing them has led to the dissolution of clear front lines.
The Saudis were the most powerful party when the war began. Today, their backing of the Yemeni president has left them exposed. The UAE, by contrast, gambled on a dark horse in the form of the Southern Transitional Council which has quickly become a pivotal force in the conflict. The war between the Yemeni president and the council in turn is putting stress on the alliance between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi – by Farea Al-Muslimi
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/twt/locals-running-rings-around-power-brokers
(** B K P)
Yemen: Aden's changing alliances erupt into four-year conflict's newest front
Fighting in the south between separatists and government forces points to why peace is even more elusive
More than four years in, Yemen’s conflict is now actually three wars in one: a fight between the Iran-backed northern Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition of Arab nations; a fight between both those parties and extremist elements such as al-Qaida and Islamic State; and belatedly, a fight between the STC, which wants a return to independence for south Yemen, and its former Yemeni government allies.
The Guardian was invited by the STC to see the situation on the ground in Aden. What we found was a complicated tangle of separatist militias and politicians trying to consolidate control in a situation where alliances that may still exist on paper do not mean anything in reality. A situation that will make it even harder to bring an end to a war which has already killed an estimated 100,000 people and sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The fighting also called the stability of the Saudi-led coalition into question after the reaction of the United Arab Emirates, its second-biggest member.
Many southerners say they were not happy with the creation of modern Yemen in 1994 and that the national government has consistently marginalised them.
“We have a difficult job to rebuild and make sure Aden is safe but we are ready to do so,” said Fadhel al-Gade, assistant secretary-general of the STC’s presidential council. “We are doing this for ourselves since others won’t.”
The STC may want independence but it is heavily reliant on its UAE patrons: one well-connected source in the city said the Emiratis came to the rescue with the airstrike against Hadi’s troops because the STC does not have the numbers to fight them off alone.
The UAE’s aim in Yemen as well as elsewhere in the region is to curb the power of political Islamist groups such as Yemen’s Islah, which it sees as a threat, and to gain control of the crucial Bab el-Mandeb strait which connects the Red Sea to the gulf of Aden – one of the world’s most important oil shipping channels. A protectorate of sorts in south Yemen fits both bills.
Maj Gen Ahmed Saeed bin Buraik said the UAE’s support in both the fight against the Houthis and Sunni extremists was welcome. As a former ruler of Hadramawt governorate, he was instrumental in driving al-Qaida out of the city of Mukalla before the STC was formed in 2017. “We won the support and trust of our friends in the UAE by making Yemen safer,” he said. “This is an equal partnership in every sense.”
The STC has strong local support in Aden and the surrounding Lahij, Abyan and Dhale governorates. It is very unlikey Hadi will try to retake the city again. In the rest of the south, however, the STC’s influence is not as strong, and a delicate negotiation must be struck with Hadi over central bank resources and maintaining government services: civil servants in Aden have not been paid their salaries for the past month.
Hadi, in turn, needs the STC to continue allowing his government to access Aden’s airport. De-escalation talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah in the past few weeks have concentrated on the need for the STC, Hadi and Islah to continue cooperating in the fight against the Houthis on several different fronts and giving space to STC voices inside the government.
Hadi and Islah’s seat of power is in the process of shifting to the dusty central city of Marib, which is rich in oil and gas reserves. In the past few years, Marib’s governor, Sultan al-Aradah, has succeeded in turning Marib into a wild west-style boom town where displaced people from elsewhere in the country have found relative safety
What happens next depends on whether the STC will try to shore up its position outside the city of Aden: most observers fear more clashes in Abyan province, the midpoint between Aden and government-loyal Shabwa.
The only certainty in the war-within-a-war is that more fighting will bring more civilian suffering – by Bethan McKernan, Photography by Achilleas Zavallis
(** B K P)
Socotra sheikh talks sovereignty in eastern Yemen
Later changed to
Island sheikh talks sovereignty in eastern Yemen
While the voices of secessionists and STC supporters are amplified over social media and in massive rallies in Aden, southerners who call for unity and national sovereignty are less likely to make headlines.
One such southerner is the chief sheikh of the island of Socotra, Issa Salem bin Yaqut, who concluded on Sept. 25 a weeklong trip to Washington, where he spoke with members of Congress about the situation in Yemen, especially in his region of influence: the Socotra archipelago and the eastern province of al-Mahra. Bin Yaqut spoke with Al-Monitor about some of the threats he sees in southern Yemen due to Saudi and Emirati presence.
Bin Yaqut, who supports the internationally recognized government of Hadi, is open in saying that the Saudi-led coalition lost its way in Yemen and has become a force for occupation. The role of the UAE in southern Yemen, he believes, is largely a destructive one. “We had considered the Emiratis allies who would help us remove the Houthis and reinstate the legitimate government,” bin Yaqut said, “but we see that it is the UAE that is attacking the Yemeni army.”
“Today we see the reality of [UAE Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Zayed and his policies. … We wish that the Emiratis and the Saudis would respect themselves and not get involved in our internal affairs.” A recent joint statement by the sheikhs of al-Mahra and Socotra, distributed at a Sept. 23 round table at the Gulf International Forum in Washington, demands the immediate withdrawal of Saudi Arabia and the UAE from Yemen.
“There is a group of Emiratis who have an active role in Socotra,” bin Yaqut said. “They delude people that they will start development projects for them and build roads for them and give them villas, but they do the opposite. … Each time they come to Socotra, instability comes with them.”
Bin Yaqut explained that the UAE no longer has an overt military presence on Socotra, but Saudi Arabia does. “[Saudi Arabia] has tanks and personnel on the island, but the role of the Saudis is a silent one. They are present and can be observed, but they don’t interfere in local affairs. … The Saudis go from their military camps to their private quarters. They don’t address you or talk to you.” Bin Yaqut added that the Emiratis, however, work discreetly to recruit locals to join the STC.
The sheikh echoed rumors that Emiratis have purchased tracts of land on Socotra, including coastal areas and nature preserves that were not meant to be sold. He said that these areas have not yet been built on, but that there is concern among locals about effects on Socotra’s delicate ecosystem.
The mainland province of al-Mahra is also feeling the impact of foreign interference. According to the recent statement by local sheikhs, Saudi forces in al-Mahra have transformed civil establishments into military bases, such as Ghayda airport and Nishtun port, and have arbitrarily detained and forcibly kidnapped locals, sometimes transporting them outside of Yemen. As bin Yaqut pointed out, “There is no justification for [this]. What do they want? There are no Islamic State members in al-Mahra or any extremist groups.”
A common opinion among southerners and one shared by bin Yaqut is that Saudi Arabia has plans to extract oil and natural gas in al-Mahra and build pipelines from their borders to the Arabian Sea.
Bin Yaqut concluded, “No matter how much they come here and try to occupy us, the Yemeni people will not submit and will not bow down to anyone but God himself. It is true that they are the ones with power and money and weapons … but we will fight them with stones. … Yemen has been around for thousands of years, and a country that has been around for 50 years is coming to occupy it? No way. No one will stand for that.” – by Hannah Porter
(** B K P)
Among Arms Dealers
For the second time since Saudi Arabia and the UAE began bombing Yemen, the world’s biggest arms fair came to London last month. The biennial Defence and Security Equipment International Fair (DSEI) was denounced by both the mayor of London and Newham Council.
At the ExCeL exhibition centre in Canning Town, 1700 companies were displaying their wares. British soldiers – ‘military escort officers’ – looked after delegations from all over the world.
‘Strike with creativity’ was emblazoned on the wall above the Raytheon stall. Raytheon manufactures its Paveway laser-guided bombs in the US and the UK, at factories in Harlow and Glenrothes. Paveway fragments have been found in the wreckage of schools, hospitals and markets across Yemen.
When I mentioned the Paveway, the Raytheon salesman clammed up and ushered me towards his colleague in the communications department. He answered my questions on the use of Raytheon’s weapons in Yemen with corporate boilerplate: ‘We rely on the government to make assessments.’ I asked how he felt about his company’s involvement in the deaths of civilians in Yemen. ‘I can tell you I certainly didn’t kill anybody,’ he said irritably, before correcting himself. ‘I’d like to thank you for your time,’ he said, and rushed away to close himself behind a door marked ‘staff only’.
BAE Systems, the UK’s largest arms company, occupied an enormous area of the conference floor. BAE – ‘Advantage where it counts’ – builds weapons for the UK military but is also commissioned by the MoD to supply the Saudi Royal Air Force with planes, bombs and more than six thousand engineers to keep the sorties over Yemen going. BAE staff were surprisingly willing to discuss the reality of the business. One compared the company’s sales to Saudi Arabia with the US gun trade.
Alan Clark, Margaret Thatcher’s defence minister in the late 1980s, wrote in his diaries that Britain’s export controls were ‘high sounding’ but ‘so imprecise and so obviously drafted with the objective of flexibility in either direction – elasticity, shall I say – as to make them fair game [and] elusive of definition’. But in office, ministers maintain the charade.
According to Rachael Gordon, BAE’s communications manager, the company has told its investors that it can continue to meet Saudi orders for planes and bombs. Despite the Court of Appeal’s judgment that ministers had acted unlawfully, it did not actually order the government to ban sales. Instead, a messy compromise was reached: new licences would be prohibited but existing licences are still valid.
Jonathan Newman, a social anthropologist studying the relationship between markets and ethics in the defence sector, told me that ‘these people don’t talk to each other about the ethics of their trade. Ethics are either deferred onto government regulations or processed privately with family and friends. Everyone here is just chasing numbers. We have become number people. Some of the worst horrors of the last hundred years have been projects driven by work targets.’
Last March, three months before the courts found that his department had been routinely breaking the law by approving arms licences to Saudi Arabia, a senior manager at the Export Control Joint Unit compared. In order to sell their products, defence companies need to sell threats. At the BAE annual meeting in June, the chairman, Roger Carr, spoke gravely of Yemeni terrorists hiding in the civilian population, and Saudi Arabia’s duty to protect its citizens. ‘Our belief is that if you supply first class equipment you are the encouragement for people to stop fighting,’ he told shareholders. This is peddling war as peace. If Britain’s £23 billion defence sector increased global security, it would not be growing so fast. But there appears no end in sight for violent innovation – by Arron Merat
https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2019/october/among-arms-dealers
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pS)
Joint forces foil Houthi infiltration attempts in al-Faza, Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13427
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi forces targeted several areas of Baet Al-Fakih district with artillery shells and machineguns. The mercenaries also targeted different areas of Kilo 16 with machineguns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9071
(A K pS)
Yemeni gov't asks UN to intervene to end blockade of Hodeidah
Yemen's government on Tuesday called on the United Nations to immediately intervene to end the blockade of food aid to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
Yemen's Minister of Local Administration Abdul-Raqeeb Fatih demanded UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande instantly put direct pressure on the Houthi fighters to allow the flow of relief and food aid into the Durayhmi district of Hodeidah.
Fatih, who also chairs Yemen's High Relief Committee, strongly condemned the Houthi acts that prevented the World Food Program from delivering food to the residents in Durayhmi.
My comment: This seems to be a strange charade. Hodeidah harbour is lamost blocked by the Saudi coalition since several years now, and Durayhmi is beleaguered and blocked by the anti-Houthi militia.
(A K pS)
National Army thwarts several infiltrations by Houthi militia in Hodeidah
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, an old woman and a man were injured with US-Saudi forces' gunshots in At-tohayta district. US-Saudi mercenaries targeted Engineering College and civilians' houses in 50th St. in Al-Hale district with heavy and medium arms. US-Saudi forces targeted several areas eastern Hais district with 12 artillery shells.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9051
and also, with film: https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/aggression-continues-breaching-swedish-agreement-targeting-civilians-in-hodeidah/
(A K pS)
Houthi Militias Continue Ignoring the UN and the International Community
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13425
(A K pS)
Houthi militia sets up new sites south of Hodeidah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/09/30/houthi-militia-sets-up-new-sites-south-of-hodeidah/
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33452
cp1c Am wichtigsten: Angriff auf Saudi Aramco / Most important: Saudi Aramco attack
(A K P)
Iran’s Zangeneh: Saudis exaggerating damage from Aramco attack
Iran’s Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh says the impact on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities from Yemeni attacks on Sept. 14 has been blown out of proportion.
“I never believed that with this attack half of the oil production of Saudi Arabia was made unavailable,” Zangeneh said Wednesday upon arrival in Moscow for a meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).
“I think Saudi Arabia has resorted to political exaggeration about this in order to say that the energy security of the world has been put in danger,” he added
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/02/607672/Iran-Saudi-Arabia-Zangeneh-Aramco-attack-Moscow
(* B K P)
No, the Saudi Oil Attacks Were Not 'False Flag'
The first and obvious point about the drone/missile attacks on the Saudi refinery and oilfield is that they were indisputably the work of Yemen’s Houthi militia, as stated clearly by their spokesman Yahia Sarie, albeit apparently involving some local assistance. This has been well argued elsewhere, both in principle and practice – as missiles approaching from the Northern sector had no chance of avoiding detection.
It certainly appears that the US coalition fighting against Yemen is loathed to admit that the Yemeni resistance has developed and built the capacity to hit back so effectively in what has been an entirely one-sided war. While the Houthi forces and their former Saleh allies have been effective in fighting UAE backed forces on the ground, their ability to counter the Saudi air campaign has been effectively zero. No Iranian-made MANPADS for them.
It has mostly been overlooked that the Saudi’s air-borne so-called “intervention in the Yemeni civil war” was a criminal war of aggression as well as of cowardice. That most of the victims – apart from buildings and weapons stores – were innocent civilians, gives legitimacy to almost anything the Yemeni resistance may now choose to do as self-defense. It has stood and watched helplessly for four years as the West’s high-tech weaponry devastated its society while the sponsors shed crocodile tears over the emaciated victims of the NATO starvation siege.
So we should not doubt the Yemeni claims, nor the timing of their strike on the Aramco facility, for which there had been warnings; seven weeks earlier when similar explosive-laden drones targeted the Shaybah natural gas facility just south of the UAE border, another came down in Dammam near the Aramco plant. This report from PBS has no difficulty in ascribing that strike to the Houthis, citing their latest drone technology with a range of 1500 kilometers but without remote targeting.
At the time it seemed as though the Houthi’s action was working directly against Iran’s interests – at least so far as the accompanying information war was concerned.
With this in mind when the strike on Aramco was launched, this was the question I cannot yet answer: why does it look so like a false flag attack by Iran’s enemies? It has all the characteristics of false flag attacks, of which those oil tanker strikes are a perfect example; no radar or satellite information to identify the missile or other device responsible; investigations launched which come up with confirmation of the false claims based on flimsy evidence and ambiguous video or satellite photos; blame laid against the party being targeted by the US coalition regardless of its denials of responsibility.
Further evidence that the Houthi attack has been manipulated to suit the agenda of the US coalition comes from examining “cui bono” – as Southfront has done here – by David Macilwain
(* B K P)
THE ATTACK ON THE OIL PRODUCTION CENTERS WAS MERELY A REHEARSAL
The problem here is that the attacks exposed the weakness and vulnerability of Saudi Arabia’s military infrastructure, despite the massive amounts of money spent on it over the course of many decades. They showed up two principal failures: of the Kingdom’s US-supplied Patriot and other air and missile defence systems (as Vladimir Putin was quick to point out when he suggested Riyadh buy Russian S-400s instead); and of the extensive US training programmes for Saudi personnel and commanders — including several princes from the ruling family — aimed at teaching them to use all those weapons effectively.
By sending its specialists to operate Saudi Arabia’s air defence systems, the US is trying to make up for these two failures and partially assuage Saudi anger about them. But in the process, it also conveys the message that Saudi Arabia’s own forces are incompetent and incapable of defending their country.
It cannot be ruled out that the Americans want to embroil Saudi Arabia and the UAE in a war with Iran – as they did with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the 1980s — in order to weaken all sides and acquire control of their massive financial and oil resources for decades to come.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/the-attack-on-the-oil-production-centers-was-merely-a-rehearsal/
(B K)
Just thought about this. #Abqaiq plant is rigged with hundreds of cameras so why didn’t the #Saudi government release extensive videos of the attack? (film)
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1178767258732113920
cp1d Huthis schalten saudische Söldnerbrigaden aus / Houthis override Saudi mercenaries’ brigades
(* B K P)
Schwere Niederlage für das saudische Militär?
Bei Militärs und Sicherheitskreisen in den USA beliebte Internetseiten haben die mit Videoaufnahmen belegten Berichte am Wochenende aufgegriffen. Die von Houthi-Journalisten (oder -Kämpfern) aufgenommenen Bilder zeigen die Kapitulation saudischer Truppen und fabrikneu wirkende Kettenfahrzeuge amerikanischer Fertigung, die unter anderem mit schweren Gatling-Maschinengewehren für die Luftabwehr bestückt sind. Anscheinend haben die Houthi dieses Gerät weitgehend unbeschädigt und einsatzbereit erbeutet.
Daneben sind Houthi-Sanitäter zu sehen, die verwundete Gefangene versorgen. Darin liegt offenkundig eine Botschaft an die Welt: Während die Saudis und ihre Verbündeten mit Unterstützung der Amerikaner seit vier Jahren gnadenlos zivile Ziele zerstören, Tausende Zivilisten getötet und Millionen in eine Hungerkrise getrieben haben, zeigen die Houthi strategische Kompetenz und Menschlichkeit in der Kriegsführung (Link).
Inzwischen wurden die Berichte von westlichen Medien wie der «BBC» und der «Washington Post» aufgegriffen. Die Post kommentierte die – nicht aus eigenen Quellen bestätigten – Informationen mit der Überlegung, die bei dem Hinterhalt anscheinend demonstrierten Fähigkeiten der Houthi würden deren Behauptung untermauern, den Drohnen- und Cruise Missile-Angriff auf saudische Ölanlagen vom 14. September durchgeführt zu haben. Laut verschiedenen Quellen haben die Saudis inzwischen um einen partiellen Waffenstillstand mit den Houthis nachgesucht (Link).
Anscheinend haben die Houthis den Angriff in Najran seit Monaten geduldig durch Späh- und Kommando-Operationen vorbereitet. Der Nahost-Experte Juan Cole hebt hervor, dass die Mehrheit der Bevölkerung von Najran schiitischen Stämmen angehört. Der Professor an der University of Michigan vermutet, dass diese Einheimischen die brutale Kampagne des sunnitisch-fundamentalistischen Königshauses im Jemen zunehmend kritisch betrachten. Deshalb haben saudische Grenzbewohner womöglich die Houthi unterstützt haben (Link). Diese Entwicklung könnte die Stabilität Saudi Arabiens gefährden – von Andreas Mink
https://www.tachles.ch/artikel/news/schwere-niederlage-fuer-das-saudische-militaer
(** A B K pH)
Three Saudi bases, over 150 square kilometers taken in 2nd phase of Najran offensive: Yemen Army
The spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces says three Saudi military bases and more than 150 square kilometers of land have been taken during the second phase of a recent large-scale military offensive carried out by Yemeni Army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees in the kingdom’s southern border region of Najran.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Sana’a on Tuesday evening, Brigadier General Yahya Saree said video footage recorded by Yemeni forces on the second phase of Victory from God Almighty Operation attests to their full control over the Saudi military sites and seizure of considerable amounts of munitions. The offensive also resulted in the death and injury of at least 200 Saudi-led coalition soldiers.
Saree added that the second phase of the operation was launched on September 3, and that more than 150 square kilometers were purged from the presence of Saudi troopers and Saudi-sponsored Yemeni militiamen loyal to Yemen's former pro-Saudi president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. More than 120 armored vehicles were destroyed and seized in the process as well.
He said Yemeni missile defense units carried out six operations in the military campaign, most notably against Najran Regional Airport, while domestically-manufactured Yemeni combat drones struck positions inside Najran on 16 different occasions.
Yemeni air defense units were also able to counter forty attacks by Saudi Apache helicopters, and that Saudi warplanes launched more than 600 raids in retaliation, Saree pointed out.
The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces went on to say that Yemeni soldiers and their allies managed to wrest control over al-Fara'a and al-Sooh areas, and reached the highlands overlooking the city of Najran, located 844 kilometers (524 miles) south of the Saudi capital Riyadh.
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9068
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072897.htm
(* A K pH)
Film: Scenes from the second phase of Operation #Victory_from_Allah (2) with the liberation of large areas within the axis of #Najran inside #SaudiArabia Massive military armored vehicles loss, full stores of weapon as spoils, military sites controlled by #Yemen armed forces!
https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1179108438774833153
(* A K)
Film: Shireen Al-Ademi on AJE on Houthi reports of advances in Najran, Saudi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtiUpmqdx8Y
(* A K)
Audio: 9/30/19 Nasser Arrabyee on the Houthi Attack on Saudi Forces
Nasser Arrabyee is back with an important update from Yemen, where Houthi forces are now claiming to have captured thousands of Saudi soldiers in a battle in August. They likely view this as leverage in a possible peace negotiation, but Scott fears that it could also provoke President Trump into supporting America’s allies, the Saudis, in an even more violent retribution than what is already being carried out.
Discussed on the show:
“Yemen’s Houthi rebels release Saudi attack video” (Al Jazeera)
“Saudi Arabia has sent messages to Iran’s president: Iran government” (Reuters)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/9-30-19-nasser-arrabyee-on-the-houthi-attack-on-saudi-forces/
(* B K P)
Verzögerte Siegesfeier
Die jemenitische Regierung dementiert verspätet die Erfolgsmeldungen der Houthi vom Wochenende, die Tausende Gefangene gemacht haben wollen. Tatsächlich scheint der Großangriff der Rebellen auf saudischem Boden schon Wochen zurückzuliegen.
Der Propaganda-Gegenschlag kam mit leichter Verzögerung. Am Montag meldete sich Moammar al Eryani, Informationsminister der jemenitischen Regierung, über Twitter zu Wort. Dort bezichtigte er die Houthi-Rebellen der Lüge. Sie würden sich mit „falschen Siegen“ schmücken, um die eigene politische und militärische Erfolglosigkeit zu überdecken und die Moral ihrer Kämpfer zu stärken, twitterte Eryan
Einen Beweis für die Zahlen der Houthi lieferten die Bilder jedoch nicht. Ihre Echtheit konnte auch nicht abschließend bestätigt werden. Doch nach allem, was zu dem Vorfall in Erfahrung zu bringen ist, muss sich eher der jemenitische Informationsminister vorwerfen lassen, die Öffentlichkeit zu täuschen. Mehrere unabhängige Beobachter aus dem Jemen und dem Ausland äußerten die Einschätzung, es sei unwahrscheinlich, dass die ausgestrahlten Fernsehbilder Fälschungen sind.
Ein jemenitischer Kämpfer der Anti-Houthi-Koalition, der an einer nördlichen Front im Einsatz ist, hatte außerdem in einer Sprachnachricht die Meldung der Houthi bestätigt, laut der sich drei Brigaden ergeben haben. Am Montag berichtete ein jemenitischer Sicherheitsfachmann in der von den Houthi kontrollierten Hauptstadt Sanaa am Telefon, dort seien schon seit Wochen unbestätigte Berichte über einen erfolgreichen Großangriff der Houthi umgegangen. Er hat keine Zweifel daran, dass die von Iran geförderten Rebellen den saudischen Streitkräften tatsächlich eine „herbe Demütigung“ zugefügt haben. „Die Houthi haben anscheinend eine Weile gebraucht, um das Bildmaterial für sie vorteilhaft aufzuarbeiten“, vermutet er. Der Angriff sei noch vor der spektakulären Sabotageattacke gegen saudische Ölanlagen vom 14. September geführt worden – von Christoph Ehrhardt
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Tausende Gefangene?
Ist der Krieg im Jemen für Saudi-Arabien viel kostspieliger als offiziell von Riad behauptet? Propaganda der Huthi-Rebellen lässt das vermuten.
In ihrem Guerillakrieg gegen Saudi-Arabien wollen die jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen mehr als 500 gegnerische Kämpfer getötet oder verletzt und mehr als 2.000 gefangen genommen haben. Darunter seien saudische und jemenitische Staatsangehörige sowie Kämpfer anderer Nationalitäten.
Am Wochenende veröffentlichten sie auf ihrer Website al-Masirah TV Videoaufnahmen einer den Huthi zufolge noch laufenden Großoffensive im Grenzgebiet zwischen Jemen und Saudi-Arabien mit dem Namen „Sieg von Gott“. Das etwa einstündige Propagandavideo zeigt Kämpfe in einem unwegsamen, bergigen Gelände, das den Angaben nach nahe der südsaudischen Stadt Nadschran liegt. Jeden Treffer feindlicher Ziele begleiten die Huthi-Kämpfer mit der aus dem Iran bekannten Parole „Tod für Amerika, Tod für Israel“.
Von unabhängiger Seite konnten die Angaben über die Großoffensive der Huthi bislang nicht bestätigt werden. Die saudische Regierung äußerte sich nicht. Sollten die Angaben stimmen, wäre dies für die politische Führung in Riad ein herber Gesichtsverlust.
Hohe Opferzahlen in den eigenen Reihen würden auch in der saudischen Bevölkerung für Unmut sorgen und den Druck auf die Führung um Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman erhöhen, den Krieg im Jemen zu beenden.
https://taz.de/Krieg-im-Jemen/!5626679/
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Scenes of Saudi War Prisoners in 2nd Phase of Victory from Allah Operation
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9069
Film: First time footage, #Saudi army prisoners #POW, during 2nd phase of #Yemen large scale defensive op, #Najran front. 2,000+ total prisoners including many #Saudi soldiers & military commanders!
https://twitter.com/mamashami/status/1179090128125517824
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Film by Almasirah TV, 45 min., in Arabic
#Yemeni forces invade & occupy #Saudi territories. The video showing Yemen forces inside Saudi land capturing Saudi soldiers and weaponry.
https://twitter.com/Almasirah_Live/status/1179078917904306176
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Film: Yemen's army releases footage of devastating assault on Saudi troops
If things carry on like this, Yemen's army and Houthi Ansarullah forces could be marching on Riyadh very soon.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1585288018280686
My comment: This claim is nonsense.
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NYT & WSJ employ some of the most experienced, best paid foreign affairs journalists in the world. Yet we are still waiting, after 3 days, for American press to admit to the Houthi battlefield victory over Saudi IN Saudi. The Editors hoping for counter narrative to emerge.
https://twitter.com/Shepardofmaine/status/1178809543809228800
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Houthi Rebels Trounce Saudi Force Amid Concerns Over The Kingdom's Military Competence
A top U.S. Army advisor to the Saudis had previously described high casualty rates and a worrying lack of capacity in the country's National Guard.
On Sept. 29 and 30, 2019, the Houthi-aligned Al Masirah television channel broadcast footage from the reported battle, showing the Yemeni rebels firing anti-tank guided missiles and other weapons at a convoy consisting of LAV-25 light armored vehicles, M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) vehicles, as well as various types of mine-protected or otherwise armored trucks and unarmored Toyota pickup trucks. Additional footage shows allegedly Saudi personnel, as well as possible foreign mercenaries under Saudi direction, surrendering
It has been, so far, impossible to verify the Houthis claims that they killed or wounded 500 Saudi-aligned troops and captured 2,000 more. At the time of writing, Saudi Arabia has declined to respond in any way to the Houthi's claims.
The credibility of Houthi claims, in general, has seen significant challenges recently after the group claimed responsibility for a series of unprecedented suicide drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing facility and Khurais oil field earlier in September. There has been a growing body of evidence that suggests that these attacks did not originate in Yemen. That the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels have released their own clearly fabricated "evidence" to support their claims has only further called them into question.
At the same time, however, there are many details available already that lend weight to their claims with regards to fighting in or around Najran, even if the Houthi's assertions about the total number of Saudi casualties, and personnel and equipment they captured, remain dubious. The presence of LAV-25s, for example, strongly indicates that members of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) were among those in the convoy that the Houthis attacked.
It's not clear how many similar issues may plague the regular Saudi armed forces, but other reports strongly suggest that Muth's experiences were not out of the ordinary for U.S. advisors working in the Kingdom. In 2017, the general officer had noted that there could be difficulties in convincing senior SANG and other Saudi military leadership to adopt reforms and ensure those directives got carried out at lower echelons. He also said he had laid out a number of goals to try to make sure the SANG, at least, would have self-sustaining mechanisms for handling attrition in regards to both manpower and materiel.
The Saudis have "to anticipate many years out, knowing that this [the fight against the Houthis] is not gonna end any time soon," he said. "And if you're rotating people in and out, brigades every year, you've gotta anticipate those requirements, anticipate the training needs, and get that on the calendar, and then force everyone to do that."
This latest battle, coupled with Muth's past comments about the quality of the SANG, only underscores the concerns about the general capabilities of the Saudi armed forces, more broadly. These have been front and center since the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais. Saudi air defenses proved ineffectual in defending at all against the suicide drones and missiles. It's fair to say that the dated point defense systems available to the Saudis may not have been able to repel the attacks, at all, something The War Zone has analyzed in-depth since those attacks, but it remains unclear how well prepared those personnel were for any threats, to begin with.
The Saudis have the largest force of LAV-25s, and other associated variants of that 8x8 wheeled design, in the world, with more than 1,900 examples in total
Whatever the case, there seems to be a growing danger that Saudi Arabia may find itself as a center of a larger regional conflict, one that it appears to be largely unprepared for. The incident in or around Najran shows that the country may not even be able to guarantee security along its southern border against a more limited opponent after more than four years of heavy fighting – by Joseph Trevithick (films, photos)
More films: https://twitter.com/Hetar_ander/status/1178736058965606401
https://twitter.com/Ruptly/status/1178755128981098497
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1178768319085793282
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Yemen’s Houthis Say they Invaded Saudi Arabia, Captured Thousands of Troops in Najran
Yemen is an informational black hole in which all sorts of allegations are made that later turn out to be bunkum. So no one who knows the place would want to take at face value a breathless news release from the Helpers of God movement in Sana’a, otherwise known as the Houthis. We do not have any confirmation yet, and although reporters asked the Saudis to respond, Riyadh is mum.
The Houthi spokesman said that the movement had been infiltrating Najran province for some months, and finally sprang the encirclement of the Saudi military facilities, from which they also captured large numbers of weapons.
If the Houthi claims are even partially true, it underlines the weakness of Saudi security yet again, in the wake of the drone attacks on their Abqaiq petroleum processing plant in the Eastern Province, which initially knocked out about half of their petroleum exports.
As Human Rights Watch noted, Najran province, like the Eastern Province, has a Shiite majority, but these are Ismaili Shiites. Of the province’s some 600,000 inhabitants, perhaps 400,000 are Ismailis. They had been relatively loyal to Saudi Arabia and had fought the Houthis, despite Saudi Wahhabi animus against Shiites. I’m just wondering, though, if the long Yemen war on their doorstep has disillusioned them. It is just speculation, but I’m thinking the Houthis couldn’t have infiltrated Najran unless the locals had averted their eyes – by Juan Cole
https://www.juancole.com/2019/09/houthis-captured-thousands.html
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Hundreds of dead Saudi fighters still lying on Najran battlefields
Riyadh refused to allow Red Cross to extract and bury bodies
Head of the Prisoners’ Affairs Committee Abdulqader al-Mortada on Saturday revealed the fate of hundreds of bodies of Saudi-led coalition troops who were killed in the large-scale operation of the army and Popular Committees in Najran axis.
“Hundreds of bodies of the enemy fighters are still lying in the mountains and valleys in the Najran axis after the operation Nasr Min Allah, al-Mortada said in a tweet on Saturday night.
“The aggression coalition forces did not allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to pull them out.”
https://www.uprising.today/hundreds-of-dead-saudi-fighters-still-lying-on-najran-battlefields/
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[Houthi gov.] Defense Minister to US-Saudi Forces: You will See what You Can’t Imagine
Defense Minister, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser Al-Atefi, has vowed the countries of aggression defeat and lose, saying "we are speaking from a position of strength, and we have prepared what we can, you have the money, we have the men, and you will see what you can't imagine from the Army and Popular Committees, and the free and honorable people of Yemen."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9054
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Houthi militia media reports about "Kataf" is misleading, doesn't deserve a response from the coalition, Spokesman for the Coalition Forces reports
Colonel Turki al-Maliki, the Spokesman for the Coalition Forces for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen, confirmed that the allegations made by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia have nothing to do with the truth, and regretted the fact that some international channels are taking the media as a source for them.
Creating events and misleading public opinion, both inside and outside Yemen, citing the Houthi militia's claims about "kataf" and saying that they are incorrect, indicating that it is inappropriate for the coalition to respond to such claims.
Colonel al-Maliki said during the regular conference of the Joint Forces Command here today that the coalition has nothing to hide and therefore, what the Houthi media broadcasted, is just a play, pointing out that the total losses of the Houthi terrorist militias affiliated to Iran in the period between 16 September 2019 to 30 September 2019 has amounted to 421 equipment and weapons, as well as the killing of 881 of those Houthi militias. https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1975949
And, CNN: https://us.cnn.com/2019/09/30/middleeast/saudi-coalition-denies-houthi-claim-intl/index.html
My comment: LOL. In every war, own defeats are downplayed. But as so often, the Saudis extremely exaggerate.
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Film: This is some of the vehicles captured by Yemeni fighters in the recent major operation against the Saudi forces in Najran south Saudi Arabia. And this is how Yemeni fighters have been arming themselves over the last 5 years of Saudi aggression&blockade
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1179023396375597059
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La confusion règne encore autour de l’attaque houthie à la frontière saoudienne
La capture présumée de plus d’un millier de soldats de la coalition par les houthis constituerait un coup dur pour Riyad.
Le flou persiste toutefois quant à la date et la localisation exactes de l’attaque. De nombreux observateurs ont fait part de leurs doutes quant à la capacité des houthis de mener une telle opération. Alimentant un peu plus la confusion, le porte-parole de la coalition, le colonel Turki al-Maliki, a dénoncé devant des journalistes lundi « une campagne de presse trompeuse » des houthis qui « ne vaut même pas une réaction ». Il a également affirmé que la coalition avait déjoué un attentat des houthis fin août à Kitaf, dans la province de Saada, dans le nord-ouest du Yémen, le long de la frontière avec l’Arabie saoudite. Pour Fatima Alasrar, chercheuse au Middle East Institute, « il y a pléthore de raisons pour lesquelles les houthis ont décidé de divulguer cette information maintenant, et d’induire tout le monde en erreur en faisant croire que cela s’est déroulé en Arabie saoudite et non au Yémen ». « Les houthis tentent de contrôler leur image d’acteur indépendant de l’Iran », estime-t-elle avant d’ajouter que « l’ironie est que l’Iran pourrait leur avoir conseillé de publier cette propagande pour renforcer l’image des rebelles ».
Contexte agité
Selon l’Agence France Presse, un responsable yéménite a confirmé lundi sous couvert d’anonymat qu’environ 200 combattants des forces loyalistes ont été tués et plus de 1 000 capturés lors de l’attaque. Il a également souligné que le nombre de prisonniers est « inférieur » à celui annoncé par les houthis, estimant qu’il était « proche de 1 300 soldats », incluant 280 blessés. « Le gouvernement yéménite a eu recours à une milice et non à l’armée régulière », rapporte Fatima Alasrar. « Selon les rumeurs, le commandant n’aurait eu aucune expérience en stratégie. Certains ont soupçonné qu’il avait collaboré avec les houthis, bien que cela puisse sembler être tiré par les cheveux ; cela s’est produit à de nombreuses reprises par le passé », note-t-elle.
« Quelle que soit la crédibilité exacte des revendications des houthis, cette histoire rappelle que l’Arabie saoudite fait face à une menace directement à sa frontière », observe pour L’OLJ Elana DeLozier, chercheuse au Washington Institute for Near East Policy. « Nous entendons le plus souvent parler de drones et de missiles lancés par les houthis sur le territoire saoudien, mais il y a aussi un jeu au sol à la frontière », poursuit-elle.
My comment: Giving more space to anti-Houthi sources.
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
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MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON OCTOBER 2, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-october-2-2019-map-update/
SECOND STAGE OF YEMENI FORCES’ ADVANCE ON BORDER WITH SAUDI ARABIA (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/second-stage-of-yemeni-forces-advance-on-border-with-saudi-arabia-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON OCTOBER 1, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-october-1-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-september-30-2019-map-update/
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MBS must shelve his vicious war in Yemen
More attacks on Saudi Arabia appear inevitable unless it agrees to stop war against Houthi rebels
Never underestimate the power of blowback. Right now, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), the de facto ruler of the House of Saud, is staring at it, an ominous abyss opened by the Houthis in Yemen.
As I reported before, increasingly daring Houthi operations inside Saudi Arabia can only be successful with solid, on-the-ground intelligence.
As for the captured, ragged Saudi soldiers, Mohamed Al-Bukhaiti, who is part of Ansarallah’s political wing, confirms they are mostly takfiris – true believers who think they see among their fellow Muslims legions of apostates, deserving of the death penalty – and jihadis.
In Beirut, I spent a long time in detailed conversations with Hassan Ali Al-Emad, scholar, politician and the son of an influential Yemeni shaykh dominating 12 tribes. Originally a Zaydi himself, Al-Emad with the help of other Yemeni sources confirmed that the main actors are in fact the Houthi movement – and not only the Houthi tribe, which is only one tribe among many Zaydi tribes in north Yemen. The capital Sana’a was taken over by the Houthi movement, and not only the Houthi tribe.
This is essential to understand the fact that most of north Yemen has by now adhered to the Houthi movement – which also happens to double as the government of north Yemen. It’s not far-fetched to project that the Houthi movement may end up uniting the overwhelming majority of Yemen against the House of Saud.
What MBZ is up to
Al-Emad was keen to point out that among the dizzyingly complex Yemeni tribal mosaic, the only unifying factor is the fight against a foreign invader – and in this case serial bomber, responsible since 2015 for provoking the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world according to the UN. I remarked to Al-Emad that the Yemeni tribal pattern was much like Afghanistan’s. He visibly enjoyed the comparison.
Al-Emad also confirmed that mercenaries fighting in south Yemen are joining the Houthi movement en masse. That will pose even more challenges for the so-called “coalition” that’s been bombing Yemen since 2015, which is now reduced to the House of Saud after the UAE opted for “talks.”
On the ground, the situation is actually even murkier. The Houthis – supported by Iran – may be fighting Riyadh, but they are also fighting al-Qaeda remnants and a few Daesh jihadis. The House of Saud creates the illusion they are doing the same. In fact, they do nothing.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s “government,” led by President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, remains an inefficient fiction. Basically the only thing Hadi does is to support the Southern Transitional Council to fight the Houthis.
The desert holds all secrets
Trying to decode the Yemeni puzzle is like being immersed in a Jorge Luis Borges labyrinth of mirrors. Actually a pyramid of mirrors.
The fact that the barbarians of the House of Saud are aiming to destroy Arabia Felix – the seat of a fabulous, millennia-old desert civilization and store of knowledge – speaks volumes about our tawdry times. True Yemenis see right through it.
In more prosaic terms, after the spectacular, game-changing attack on Abqaiq, the Houthi movement, via President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat, offered a ceasefire to MBS. His entourage only accepted a “partial” stop to the relentless bombing campaign. So more daring operations, complete with drone swarms and Quds-1 missiles, are inevitable.
The opposition sees the internal Saudi dynamics as MBS being Trump’s man in Riyadh – because of the oil angle – while the CIA, like Khashoggi, would rather deal with a constitutional monarchy and have its own asset in command.
Total instability reigns. The only certainty is that the Houthi movement’s increasingly sophisticated offensive will continue to be deployed inside Saudi Arabia, unless MBS shelves his vicious war. Otherwise, he’d better start booking a one-way ticket to London – by Pepe Escobar
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/10/article/mbs-must-shelve-his-vicious-war-in-yemen/
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“Selling weapons to Saudi Arabia to bomb Yemen is against international law”
UN reports on the war in Yemen demonstrate that Saudi Arabia is engaged in attacks on civilians in that country. In this context, France must stop selling arms to the Saudis and respect its international commitments, asks, in a tribune to the “World”, a collective of specialists in international law.
There are not only attacks whose victims are civilians: the blockade imposed on Yemen by the coalition leads to a famine that affects mainly the civilian population while IHL prohibits “the use of famine against civilians as a method war, “ as the UN Group of Experts rightly pointed out. The recent information disseminated by the Disclose investigation site on the activity of French warships in the blockade confirms the importance of France’s involvement
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We need justice for Yemen – and justice for Khashoggi
Jamal’s tragic, horrifying murder has contributed to a global awakening against Saudi abuses in the region and expanded the scope of the antiwar movement in Yemen and beyond. Thus, while the war in Yemen and murder of Jamal seem to be separate issues, the recklessness and cruelty of the leader behind both atrocities have made them inextricably linked – by Tawakkol Karman
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/30/we-need-justice-yemen-justice-khashoggi/
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Entscheidende Wende im Jemenkrieg
Zu beobachten sind eine saudische Armee in Auflösung und auf der anderen Seite jemenitische Streitkräfte, die trotz saudischen Dauerbombardements zu äußerst komplexen und effektiven Operationen in der Lage sind. In noch viel stärkerem Maße, als die Angriffe auf die saudischen Ölanlagen am 14. September, für die die Huthis die Verantwortung übernommen haben, deutet die massive saudische Niederlage am Boden auf eine entscheidende Wende im Jemen-Krieg hin.
Auf die dokumentierten Geschehnisse reagierte ein Sprecher der saudischen Kriegskoalition mit einem lahmen Dementi und der Behauptung, es seien dagegen 1500 Huthi-Kämpfer getötet worden. Diese pure Behauptung ohne jeden Beleg wirft noch einmal ein Schlaglicht darauf, dass sich die Niederlage Riads nicht mehr kaschieren lässt.
Noch vor wenigen Jahren hatte der damalige deutsche Verteidigungsminister Thomas de Maizière Saudi-Arabien als "Stabilitätsanker in der Region" bezeichnet. Inzwischen ist Saudi-Arabien zum Sorgenkind des Westens in der Region geworden.
Ähnlich wie in Syrien, wo man selbst von Kritikern Assads hört, dass man einem Regime Change aufgrund der bedrohlichen Systemalternativen des IS und der Al-Kaida skeptisch gegenübersteht, hat Riad im Laufe des Krieges den Huthis Kräfte zugeführt, die gerade dort die einzige Versicherung gegen eine immer bedrohlichere wahhabitisch-islamistische Unterdrückung sehen.
So ist bereits der Vormarsch der Huthis vor der Eroberung der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Saana undenkbar ohne den Widerstand gegen die von den Saudis geförderte Al-Kaida im Land. Auch die Unterstützung iranischer Militärberater für die Huthis im Jemen ist nicht verstehbar ohne den Vernichtungskrieg Saudi-Arabiens, bei dem gerade auch die wenigen landwirtschaftlich nutzbaren Flächen des Jemen durch Riad bombardiert werden.
Gleich einem Zauberlehrling wird der saudische Kronprinz nun die Geister, die er rief, auch im eigenen Land nicht mehr los.
"Uneingeschränkte Solidarität" mit Riad
Vor dem Hintergrund der Erosion der Diktatur in Riad ist die Erklärung vom 23. September 2019, in der Großbritannien, Frankreich und Deutschland anlässlich der Angriffe auf die saudischen Ölanlagen nicht nur dem Iran - ohne jeglichen Beleg allein aufgrund von Plausibilitätsannahmen - die Verantwortung zuschieben, sondern dem saudischen Herrscherhaus auch noch "uneingeschränkte Solidarität" zusichern, besonders pikant. London, Paris und Berlin übernehmen damit nicht nur die Eskalationsstrategie von US-Präsident Donald Trump, sondern sie haben sich auch noch in die Hände des Hasardeurs Mohammed bin Salman begeben, der keinen Waffenstillstand eingehen kann, da dann seine Stellung innerhalb des saudischen Herrscherhauses gefährdet würde und der daher auf eine Ausweitung des Krieges auf den Iran setzt.
Zu wichtig ist für das deutsche Kapital Saudi-Arabien nicht als Rohstofflieferant, sondern als Anlageplatz, als dass man Riad im Regen stehen lassen würde – von Sevim Dagdelen, MdB
https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Entscheidende-Wende-im-Jemenkrieg-4544215.html
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Yemen endgame?
A number of recent events show that the Houthis are capable of inflicting major damage on Saudi Arabia if the stalemate drags on.
The moves are, apparently, not going unnoticed in Riyadh. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told American outlet CBS that he looked upon a Houthi ceasefire offer as “a positive step to push for ... active political dialogue”. He also said in the same interview that the solution to his country’s stand-off with Iran lay in a “non-military solution”.
Perhaps these realisations have emerged after it dawned upon the powers that be in Riyadh that the war in Yemen is nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, and a simple victory is out of the question if the current situation continues. From here, the Saudis should reach out to the Houthis and respond to their ceasefire offer; such an opportunity to end this atrocious campaign must not be lost. Moreover, a settlement in Yemen may help create the groundwork for direct Saudi-Iranian talks to bring peace and stability to the region.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1508512/yemen-endgame
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Amnesty International calls on Yemen, Saudi Arabia and UAE governments to cooperate fully with panel of experts
After more than five years of armed conflict in Yemen, all parties continue to commit serious abuses, including war crimes, said Richard Alam, campaign sought by Amnesty International's Yemen team. Amnesty International has documented many of these violations and we have called on all parties to the conflict to abide by international law and refrain from committing violations.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172168
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Yemen Is Now Saudi Arabia’s “Vietnam War”
Something does not appear right in Saudi Arabia. Although the Wahhabi Kingdom has a technological, demographical and economical advantage over Yemen, it has completely failed to break the Yemeni resistance, headed by the Houthi-led Ansarullah Movement. The Ansarullah Movement has not just been on the defensive against Saudi Arabia’s advancements, but has also taken the fight directly to them despite the Kingdom controlling the seas and the high skies.
Although Saudi Arabia has the fifth biggest military budget in the world, ahead of even Russia, France and the United Kingdom, it has not been able to dislodge the Ansarullah Movement from power.
Saudi Arabia has mobilized about 150,000 of its soldiers and mostly Sudanese mercenaries, and has used hundreds of jets with U.S.-provided weapons to attack Yemen and its infrastructure because of their defiance in not being subjugated to Riyadh’s demands.
One is not motivated to unnecessarily die for the sake of money, but are willing to take the risk of dying, two very different things. It is for this reason, on Saturday, the Ansarullah Movement captured over a thousand soldiers from the Saudi Coalition, mostly low-ranking soldiers and Sudanese mercenaries, but also some high-ranking officers, when they were surrounded and ambushed. The mercenaries are willing to fight for money, but not die in vain, which is why they surrendered en masse when flanked by the Ansarullah fighters.
Well, comparisons with Vietnam can certainly begin to be drawn now. It is much deeper than the analogy of David and Goliath, as by all means, the odds should be further into Riyadh’s favor rather than Goliath’s was against David.
Saudi Arabia has used all their political leverage in the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, invested billions into a costly war that it had no reason to intervene in and suffered a dramatic defeat. How could the Ansarullah Movement with limited resources and on the verge of starvation do this? It was concluded by Riyadh that the only explanation for this embarrassment is that Iran orchestrated the attack against Aramco and captured the thousands of soldiers. This bares resemblance to when the U.S. refused that the Vietnamese were defeating them, and credited the Vietnamese victory directly to the Soviet Union and China, rather than the Vietnamese people.
Riyadh diverting attention away from the Ansarullah movement helps them save face as they can accredit the victories to a rival anti-U.S. and anti-Israel regional power, Iran. Therefore, this can help legitimize a U.S. intervention in Yemen as Saudi-Iranian relations are traditionally poor over theocratical, geopolitical and economic reasons.
If Saudi Arabia is to avoid further economic risk and military embarrassments, it would be in the primary interest of Saudi Arabia to disengage in Yemen and accept its losses on this front in the wider Saudi-Iranian geopolitical rivalry – by Paul Antonopoulos
https://www.globalresearch.ca/yemen-saudi-arabia-vietnam-war/5690710
(* B K)
Krisenreporterin im Jemen - Wie eine "Taschenlampe in der Dunkelheit"
Der Jemen wird seit Jahren vom Krieg verwüstet und von unterschiedlichen Interessen zerrissen. Wie kann man aus einem solchen Land berichten? Ein arabische Journalistin erzählt.
Wer glaubt, Frauen hätten es als Journalistinnen im arabischen Raum besonders schwer, erntet von Safa al Ahmad genervte Blicke. Die saudische Investigativ-Reporterin ist überzeugt: "Als Journalistin habe ich eine Super-Power." Männer könnten im arabischen Raum oft nur mit Männern reden. "Als Frau kann ich mit Männern und Frauen reden. Ich werde nach Hause eingeladen und bekomme mit, wie die Menschen leben und unter dem Bürgerkrieg leiden", sagt al Ahmad.
Al Ahmad gehört zu den wenigen unabhängigen Journalisten, denen es gelungen ist, in den Jemen einzureisen – allen Widrigkeiten zum Trotz. Sie hat dazu beigetragen, den Jemen-Konflikt einem breiten Publikum der BBC bekannt zu machen. Dafür flog sie nach Dschibuti und setzte mit dem Schiff Richtung Jemen über. Als neutrale Journalistin, wie sie betont, und ohne den Einfluss von lokalen Akteuren oder von den Großmächten Saudi-Arabien, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate oder Iran.
Im Gespräch berichtet Safa al Ahmad über ihre Arbeit im Jemen
heute.de: Was tun Sie, um neutral zu bleiben?
Al Ahmad: Ich bemühe mich um Ausgewogenheit und um Transparenz. Aber die Berichterstattung in Krisengebieten gleicht einer Taschenlampe in der Dunkelheit: Du siehst nur das direkt vor dir. Das, wohin das Licht fällt. Die Dimensionen des Bürgerkrieges bleiben oft verschleiert und vertrackt.
https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/reporterin-im-jemen-berichten-aus-krisengebiet-100.html
(* B K P)
Hard-to-Beat Houthis Force Saudi Coalition to Rethink Yemen War
A flurry of recent developments, including Saudi Arabia’s reported agreement to a partial cease-fire in Yemen, are recognition that the Houthis remain an obstinate enemy that’s gaining in military sophistication.
Their claims to have carried out Sept. 14 drone and missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities were rejected by most observers, who concluded the sophisticated strikes were launched by Iran. But as the hottest frontline in the proxy tussle between the Middle East’s preeminent Sunni and Shiite Muslim powers, the war across Saudi Arabia’s southern border is posing an ever greater threat to the kingdom.
“The Iranians have never taken the Saudis seriously,” said Kamran Bokhari, founding director of the Center for Global Policy in Washington. “The war in Yemen only confirmed their view. The fact that Tehran engaged in this unprecedented attack speaks volumes of how weak it sees Riyadh.”
While many of their military claims are exaggerated, the Houthis have come a long way since the early months of the war
The attacks on the Saudi oil facilities have now spurred efforts to end the conflict.
The Saudi cease-fire reported on Friday followed a visit to the region by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, who said Washington was talking with the Houthis. The rebels had themselves declared a halt to drone and rocket strikes a week earlier.
The Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration was trying to cajole Saudi Arabia into negotiations with rebel leaders, as concerns over a broader conflict with Iran grew. In a CBS interview Sunday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he wanted a peaceful resolution, though Iranian involvement was complicating the task.
Bullet Shower
Building a peace process will require addressing regional and sectarian rifts that widened during the war. Thousands of militias must be disarmed, while the Houthis have to agree to share power – by Mohammed Hatem and Glen Carey
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/hard-to-beat-houthis-force-saudi-coalition-to-rethink-yemen-war-1.1324548 = https://news.yahoo.com/hard-beat-houthis-force-saudi-095015201.html?guccounter=1
(* B H P)
Film: These are the children of the abducted, their memories full of pain.They remember how #Houthis abducted their fathers from their homes,how they insulted their families,and how they prevented prison visits. Their heartbreak & pain is rarely reflected in international media.
https://twitter.com/maldhabyani/status/1178747739250798592
(* B K P)
Yemen Mourns Its Civilians Again
With President Trump now joining the circle of war-criminals-in-chief, there will be no trial in The Hague. This is yet another opportunity to hold a murderous president to account for killing civilians and acts of official assassination that are patently illegal under International Law. Even the UN has said in a new report that the US is complicit in Saudi war crimes in Yemen.
Nothing is politically toxic about America’s involvement in the Saudi-led war on Yemen. America owns the war and the escalation - and the consequences. The Americans had all the answers during the Obama administration.
Even at the United Nations no one (except for a few members) is going to question the illegality of escalation and the daily killing of civilians, much less take a very different path against the United States and Saudi Arabia. It marks such an incredible betrayal of the international community and the awesome responsibility that they must shoulder, especially in the UN Charter sphere.
This is an accurate recounting of the real situation in Yemen - destroy them and don’t help them, also destabilize and spread extremists to everywhere. Far from bringing “freedom and democracy” to that country, the US-backed and Saudi-led conflict has sowed chaos and death. It is a recipe for targeting civilian objects and costing people their lives - without thinking about regional security or diplomatic and political consequences, things that the Americans and the Saudis never think about.
In light of the Tuesday massacre and his Muslim travel ban, however, it is evident that President Trump wants to play a significant role in the instability of Yemen
Corporate media not only fails to acknowledge this, but also does not rationally examine the criminality of the US-backed and Saudi-led war. It is easy to forget, and important to remember, that few in Washington are willing to accept such realities.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980708001280
(* B K P)
The U.S.-Iran Off Ramp Goes Through Yemen
If both the United States and Iran wish escape the cycle of provocation and escalation in which they currently find themselves, they should begin by ending their involvement in the war they are already fighting in Yemen. Terminating involvement in what started as a local revolt and turned into a proxy war, in which each country sponsors an opposing belligerent, would demonstrate a mutual desire to back away from the prospect of direct armed confrontation. It is also the right thing to do, given the instability, destruction, and loss of human life the war has caused in the Middle East’s most fragile country.
The United States and Iran can end support for their proxies in Yemen—Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, respectively—and afford themselves a face-saving off-ramp from direct confrontation while also disengaging from an arena of ongoing miscalculation, mistrust, and ill-informed escalations. There would be several benefits to doing so.
Finally, the war Yemen is the central arena wherein the United States and Iran are engaged in regular, indirect confrontation, risking missteps and miscalculations that could spiral into direct war.
Yemen is the most promising area for an initial de-escalation in U.S.-Iranian tensions, since neither country sacrifices any major geo-strategic interest nor forsakes any leverage in any future bi-lateral negotiations – by Kevin L. Schwartz
https://lobelog.com/the-u-s-iran-off-ramp-goes-through-yemen/
My comment: There is little Iranian engagement in Yemen, compared to the US. This article could give the impression as if both countries would be equally engaged – That’s far from true.
(B P)
"Hieg" questions Houthis' announcement of release of prisoners from [Hadi] government side
The head of the prisoners' committee in the Government of legitimacy ,Hadi Hieg, questioned the Houthis' announcement of the release of prisoners from the government side.
"There are no figures yet issued by the Red Cross," Hieg said in a press release sent to Al-Masdar Online.
He added that "The Houthi group has already said that it will release 350, and backed down and said that it released 50 former prisoners and then said 9 also released them earlier and then said that it released one person, until the Cross said that 290 people were released according to the Red Cross."
"The person released by the group, as well as others, were released in a partial exchange," he said.
He added that the government of Legitimacy and the coalition have already released more than 110 children who were fighting in the ranks of the Houthis and were captured by the army forces on many fronts of the fighting, and these prisoners were handed over to their families through the International Red Cross, without publishing it on the media."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172174
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(B H)
In a survey conducted by PTI @Rasha7Rasha , surveying 255 women coffee farmers in #Yemen, challenges they raised included lack of technical support in crop farming, unpaid work, inaccessibility to markets, & social norms restricting #women. (infographic)
https://twitter.com/Peace_Track/status/1179110235795005441
(B H)
Film: National Oncology Center in Aden triggers a distress call
National Oncology Center in the southern province of Aden in Yemen, launched a distress call for authorities and relevant organizations, to provide the necessary medical services and supply the center with necessary equipments and medical supplies and medicines to perform their service amid the large influx of patients from different governorates next to Aden, and the head of the National Center for Oncology in Aden Governorate, Amani Saleh, assured that the center desperately needs support, while it lacks all of rectifiers of health services that is available in the lowest oncology centers in any Arab country, pointing that the center takes laboratory solutions and chemotherapy from donations from the charity against cancer to adults and children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydSMlxW_5bA
(B H)
UN Children's Fund, WASH Cluster: Yemen - Humanitarian Dashboard (January - August 2019)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-dashboard-january-august-2019
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Registered Persons of Concern Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Jordan (excluding SYR and IRQ) (30 September 2019)
14,720 from Yemen
(B H)
World Food Programme: WFP Djibouti Country Brief, August 2019
Djibouti hosts 30,189* refugees from Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea and Ethiopia who reside in settlements. WFP provides assistance to 23,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers living in Ali Addeh, Holl Holl and Markazi camps in form of in-kind general distributions, nutrition support and a cash transfer component as part of the general distribution.
https://reliefweb.int/report/djibouti/wfp-djibouti-country-brief-august-2019
(B H)
More than 30 camps and houses were swept away and destroyed by flooding in al-Jafina area in Marib governorate, displacing dozens of families. (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1179123315979382785
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: UNHCR Somalia: Operational Update (1-31 August 2019)
13,241 refugees from Yemen
Since 8 December 2014, a total of 37,844 Somalis spontaneously returned (1,377 in 2019) from Yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/unhcr-somalia-operational-update-1-31-august-2019
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 27 September 2019
On 19 September, UNHCR Field Office Sana’a led a monitoring mission to Khamir and Houth districts, in Amran Governorate.
The CCCM and Shelter co-leads conducted joint monitoring visits to Saber IDP hosting site in Lahj and Saudi Technical institute in Aden to assess the needs of displaced families.
UNHCR and partners continue to assist over 1,660 families displaced by conflict and floods across the country with NFIs and shelter kits.
On 19 September, UNHCR and INTERSOS conducted a joint monitoring visit to assess the situation of unaccompanied children and children-at-risk at the government-sponsored Attakafol Social Solidarity Centre in Ashsha’ab area.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-27-september-2019
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Jordan: UNHCR Operational Update, September 2019
14,703 from Yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/jordan-unhcr-operational-update-september-2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/unhcr-jordan-factsheet-september-2019
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(B P)
That is how many prisoners released by Houthis appear. Paralysed! Mothers of Abductees Association @abducteesmother documented 709 torture cases of which 22 died as a result,1442 abducted civilians including 114 women, & 563 families of abductees extorted by Houthis during 2018 (photo)
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1179319338169458688
(B P)
Film (Arabic): Fear of promulgating Shia religious celebrations and changing the national identity
After the Houthi group took control of the Yemeni capital Sana'a and a number of other provinces, the group worked to spread the Shia sect in the country by reviving religious celebrations of this doctrine, which did not exist in the country before the Houthis took control, according to observers who showed that these celebrations are alien to Yemeni society and aim to change its identity by imposing these beliefs, warning against imposing these customs and beliefs on the Yemeni people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SGzCCo2jMo
(A P)
Brecht Jonkers: Yemen’s Resistance to Continue Despite Assasinations
Brecht Jonkers, journalist, says the martyrdom of Sayyid Ibrahim al-Houthi, will not breakdown the resistance of Yemeni freedom fighters.
In an exclusive interview with FNA, Brecht Jonkers said Sayyid Ibrahim al-Houthi was martyred “for the cause of the Yemeni nation and the defence of Islam... on the field of battle.”
Brecht Jonkers is a Muslim historian, analyst and journalist from Belgium. He is specialized in Arab history, Islamic studies, geopolitical analysis and the study of imperialism. He currently works as Chief Editor of Yemen Resistance Watch.
Below is the full text of the interview: https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980709001183
(A P)
Houthi militia inserts sectarianism to school curricula
Since its coup on 21 September 2014, the Iran-backed Houthi militia embarked on a systematic process of destroying education in Yemen.
Yemeni educators collectively said the added sectarianism to school curricula in Houthi-run areas will work to block and remold the minds of youth. Iran-backed Houthis continue to carry out crimes against local schools in areas they run.
On that note, school sources in Sanaa, who requested anonymity, reported Houthis implementing a wide range of changes in curriculums, especially those concerning primary and elementary teaching. Some of the subjects which witnessed the most alterations were Islamic and Quranic studies.
Shockingly, Houthis have cancelled all sports and art classes and has reshaped curricula in a way designed to aid its agenda and create more cannon fodder to recruit and deploy to battlefronts. All schools in Houthi-run territory, short and simple, have been flooded with and coerced into adopting coup-styled education material.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has described the Houthis’ takeover of the school education systems as a broad brainwashing scheme conducted on a large-scale with very serious long-term negative impact.
A government official explained how dangerous the Houthi move is, noting that the Houthification of schools has been moving rapidly in areas under the militia’s control.
Houthification of education is implemented through administering sectarian teachings imported from Iran. According to 2010 statistics, this allows the brainwashing of some 5 million students.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/01/houthi-militia-inserts-sectarianism-to-school-curricula/
My remark: By a pro-Hadi government website.
(A T)
Unidentified militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in eastern Sana’a city, al Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, on October 1. Al Houthi fighters cordoned off the area and set up checkpoints around the city following the blast.[1]
(* B K P)
Yemen's Houthi rebels: Who are they and what do they want?
Much is made of reported Iranian support for the Yemeni rebels in international relations — yet the movement has its own homegrown, anti-imperial roots. DW examines the group's history, activities and alliances.
Houthi rebels inspect the damage after Saudi-led strikes on the Yemeni presidential palace in December 2017
The Houthi movement, named after the family it is associated with, emerged from Yemen's northern province Saada, bordering Saudi Arabia, and has been locked in an increasingly complex war. Backed by the US, the Saudi-led coalition have been their most recent and main enemy.
Their influence has grown since first challenging former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2004, taking then-capital Sanaa and much of the north by 2014.
While the war in Yemen has had a broader regional dynamic, frequent references to the group by Saudi Arabia and its allies as a mere Iranian proxy do not tell the whole story.
Reported Iranian support
Saudi's western allies have accused Iran of directing, arming and financially supporting the movement, an accusation Houthi supporters frequently deny.
Tehran's rhetoric has been firmly pro-Houthi. Experts point to Iranian designs and technology being used in Houthi missile attacks and drone designs, while various sources have claimed missiles and small arms are shipped overland through Oman, though the evidence chain is patchy.
The UN Panel of Experts on Yemen found Iran has supplied the Houthis with donations of fuel to raise revenue for their campaign, but no direct financial or military link has been found.
Peter Salisbury, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group told DW: "If Iran has been directly supporting the Houthis, as most people believe, it has been able to sustain at least a degree of plausible deniability."
Military capabilities
A hybrid range of forces make up the military element of the Houthis, otherwise referred to as Ansar Allah, with some 60 per cent of the former Yemeni army loyal to Saleh having allied with the group.
How did they get here?
The Houthis emerged in the 1980s, forming a broad tribal alliance in Yemen's north based on a revival of Zaydism, a branch of Shia Islam, in opposition to an expanding Salafism.
They were also motivated by what they saw as Saleh's economic discrimination of the north.
What is Zaydism and the Houthi ideology?
The Houthis' political ideology is heavily anti-imperial, reserving a particular animosity for Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia – by Tom Allinson
https://www.dw.com/en/yemens-houthi-rebels-who-are-they-and-what-do-they-want/a-50667558
(* B P)
The Houthis replace 211 educators and subject the entire educational administration to their conduct
The media officer of the Yemeni teachers' union, Yahya Al-Yana’ee, revealed that the Houthi militia dismissed 211 administrators from the Ministry of Education's office in Sanaa, replacing them with Houthi elements.
Al- Yana’ee said in a statement to "Al-Masdar Online" that "the Houthi militia by the decision of dismissal issued today by the official of the so-called educational department of Yahya al-Houthi has replaced all the administrative staff of the educational sector in its areas of control with elements of its educational department."
Al- Yana’ee said the Houthis' continued process of bringing education under their control is aimed at transforming the fabric of Yemeni society in their favor by "considering that the change in education often determines the shape of any future and potential demographic change."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172173
My remark: As claimed by a pro-Hadi government news site.
(A P)
Foreign Minister of Yemen sets out details of new peace plan
President Mahdi Al-Mashat's proposed peace deal explained in detail
Yemeni Foreign Minister, Hisham Sharaf, explained all the points of the peace initiative launched by President Mahdi Al-Mashat to stop targeting Saudi territory, stressing that Sana’a is ready for dialogue with the internal and external parties to resolve the crisis.
Minister Sharaf stressed: “We are committed not to target facilities and targets available to us in the Kingdom and the UAE and not only in the Kingdom and therefore we have given them a space of time and we wait this space of time and sent what is useful to our initiative to all countries of the world.”
In an exclusive interview with Al-Alam TV, he further stressed that the country is stronger than before, warning the countries of the coalition of aggression with the risk of not benefiting from the peace initiative. He explained that targeting Aramco is part of the military plans drawn up by Yemeni forces to strike the Saudi depth.
https://www.uprising.today/foreign-minister-of-yemen-sets-out-details-of-new-peace-plan/
and
(A P)
Agency: Houthis expel UN official from Sanaa airport on the back of experts report
Officials say Yemen's Houthi rebels have denied entry to the top U.N. human rights official and ordered his plane to take off from the capital, Sanaa, shortly after landing.
The development followed a damning report by experts commissioned by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights detailing abuses by all parties in Yemen's civil war, including sexual violence against women in rebel-run prisons.
The officials told The Associated Press that after the OHCHR representative, Elobaid Ahmed Elobaid, landed in Sanaa on Monday, rebel security officers boarded the plane, withdrew his travel permit, and ordered the plane to leave.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172179
and
(A P)
Yemeni rebels deny entry, turn back top UN rights official
Officials say Yemen’s Houthi rebels have denied entry to the top U.N. human rights official and ordered his plane to take off from the capital, Sanaa, shortly after landing.
The development followed a damning report by experts commissioned by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights detailing abuses by all parties in Yemen’s civil war, including sexual violence against women in rebel-run prisons.
The officials told The Associated Press that after the OHCHR representative, Elobaid Ahmed Elobaid, landed in Sanaa on Monday, rebel security officers boarded the plane, withdrew his travel permit, and ordered the plane to leave.
https://apnews.com/9e146c898e484dba854dcd74e8a2168f
and Hadi government reaction: http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/01/govt-condemns-houthi-turning-back-of-top-un-rights-official-from-sanaa-airport/
(A P)
Foreign Minister: Yemeni government provides all facilities for UN agencies
Minister Hisham Sharif stresses exemplary work of National Salvation Government in cooperating with UN and other organisations
(A P)
Cabinet Approves Phase I Plan For National Vision Implementation
The Cabinet in its Monday meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Abdulaziz bin Habtoor, approved the draft of first phase plan 2019-2020 for the implementation of the national vision for building the modern Yemeni state.
The plan, which was prepared by the Executive Office for National Vision Management and Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, aims to restore confidence in the State and its institutions in serving and caring for the society and organizing governmental work according to modern management methods.
The preparation of the plan was based on key references, including the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen, the National Vision 2030, and the legislation and laws in force.
In the meeting, the Cabinet highly commended the great efforts made by the Vision Executive Office, the Planning Ministry and the phase I plan’s preparing team.
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072552.htm
My comment: In times of war, this does not make much sense. Reach peace or at least an end of war first, and a form of good governance (the Houthi rule is very far apart from this) second, and start Phase I then.
(A P)
Houthi: Ibn Salman’s Optimism To Stop War As Positive
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, member of Supreme Political Council welcomed comments by Ibn Salman on stopping the war in Yemen.
“The optimism of Mohammed Bin Salman on stopping the war is positive,” Mohammed Al-Houthi said .
Turning the opening into meaningful negotiations requires “seriousness and dealing realistically” with the situation, he said.
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072554.htm
and also https://www.uprising.today/mohammed-al-houthi-cautiously-welcomes-saudi-crown-princes-remarks/
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/houthis-welcome-bin-salman-s-remarks-on-yemen-war-end/1598676
(B P)
Houthis force Sana'a banks to share information
Houthis have imposed on Sanaa banks to share the personal information of their clients with the militia's intelligence agencies, banking sources said.
The theocratic militia has frozen the accounts of many oppositionists on no legal grounds.
The militia has been detaining the manager of a major bank, IBY, since he refused many transactions involving money laundering that the militia had demanded his bank to process
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33449
My remark: As claimed by an anti-Houthi news site
(* A H P)
Houthis sell food aids in Ibb
The Houthis officials in Ibb have plundered humanitarian food aids and sold it to local markets, local sources in Ibb confirmed.
Citizens who spoke to the Alsahwa Net said that the Houthis officials force aid organizations to dispense food aids under supervision of the Houthis local affiliates.
This enabled the Houthis local affiliates to distribute the food aids solely to their family members or associates, according to the local sources.
Social media users circulated photos and videos documenting sales of food aids with seals of the UN World Food Program (WFP) shown on the food stuff in the central market of Ibb city.
Other sources said that the Houthis leaders who were given large portion of the food aids, have sold their share to the local markets of Ibb.
Few days ago, a Houthi security official in Ibb, looted cooking oil and other food aid
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33451
My remark: As claimed by an anti-Houthi news site; this sounds rather probable nevertheless.
(A P)
Parliament Praises Great Victories of Army and Popular Committees
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9052
(A P)
Information Minister: Yemeni victory in Najran forces Saudis to negotiate
Daifallah al-Shami: Only option for Riyadh is accepting peace initiative
Minister of Information in the National Salvation Government Daifallah al-Shami has on Saturday said the Yemeni army’s operation in Najran axis, named “Nasr Min Allah”, has limited the options available for Saudi-led coalition to a “single option.”
https://www.uprising.today/information-minister-yemeni-victory-in-najran-forces-saudis-to-negotiate/
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P)
Who Are Yemen’s Separatists?
Meanwhile, with nominal international attention, the separatists in South Yemen are accumulating military power and political strength. Who are these separatists? Why do they want to secede? And is it even a viable proposition?
The Southern Transitional Council
The major separatist force in South Yemen is the Southern Transitional Council (STC). It is based in the provisional capital Aden and led by the city’s former governor Aidarous al-Zubaidi.
The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was established in May 2017 as a political movement striving to separate the southern part of the country from the north.
Since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, the UAE has taken a clear stance against the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood across the Arab world. In Yemen, the UAE supports the separatists in the south to prevent the Islamist Islah party, a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s main ally, from emerging as the alternative to the Houthis, as Hadi does not enjoy wide support in Yemen.
Al-Zubaidi was the commander of southern armed groups fighting alongside the Saudi-led coalition and Hadi’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis.
Al-Zubaidi subsequently broke away from the president and formed the 26-member STC with the apparent support of the UAE, when Hadi dismissed him as the governor of Aden, accusing him of disloyalty. In the intervening two years, the STC has de facto controlled the governorates of Aden, Lahj, Abyan, al-Dhalia and part of Shebwa, challenging the authority of both Hadi and the Houthis.
The STC’s Security Belt Forces, which are estimated to number around 90,000 fighters, seized Aden from pro-Hadi forces in early August 2019. In typical Yemeni style, the defeated forces have not been disarmed or detained. At least 38 people were killed in three days of fighting, before the Saudi-led coalition and the UAE mediated the return of the city to government-loyalist control.
Is separation realistic?
The southern separatists are stronger than ever before, taking advantage of the ongoing war against the Houthis in the north to bolster their position. But is separation a realistic and achievable goal?
https://fanack.com/yemen/history-past-to-present/who-are-yemens-separatists/
(A K P)
The commander of the UAE-backed Shabwani Elite Second Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Salem al Buhar, stated on October 1 that his troops were ready to expel all foreign forces from Shabwah governorate in southern Yemen. An official of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government previously stated in late September that the Hadi government would establish an interim capital in Shabwah governorate.[2]
(A P)
Fine artist tortured to death by STC militants in Aden
Mohammed Qayed Saleh Shater, 34 years old, a fine artist died shortly after his release from detention from separation militants-run prison in Aden, the victim’s brother, Noah Sahter, confirmed.
Shater was detained about three months ago at a security checkpoint run by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), pro-separation militants while on his way to Aden city, his brother said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33467
(A E P)
Hadhramaut.. Oil exports resume after government meets local authority's demands
Hadramout Governor Maj. Gen. Faraj al-Bahssani announced Monday evening that oil exports from the province will be resumed after the government responded to key demands announced by the local authority.
The governor said in a statement, a copy of which was receivedby Al-Masdar online, that the oil tanker leased by the Yemeni government was allowed to enter the oil p
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172169
referring to
(A E P)
Implementation of 60 projects underway in Hadhramout
The implementation of 60 development projects is underway in Yemen’s eastern province of Hadhramout.
The $25 million projects cover power, higher education, vocational training, road constructions, water supplies and sports.
The projects are funded from the revenues of local oil production.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/01/implementation-of-60-projects-underway-in-hadhramout/
(A P)
Yemen's foreign ministry supported by Qatar
A senior diplomat revealed that the Qatari regime provides the Yemeni ministry of foreign affairs with millions of dollars in addition to exposing widespread corruption in the diplomatic corps.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13424
My comment: as claimed by the separatists’ news site. The hadi government is a paradise of corruption – but Qatar really is not needed for this.
(A P)
Investigation into corruption of Yemen's Embassy in Egypt starts
A Yemeni commission of inquiry arrived in Cairo to investigate corruption cases and other abuses in Yemen 's Embassy in Egypt perpetrated by the ambassador, Mohamed Marem
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13423
(A P)
Hadi Reiterates Commitment to Peace References, Warns of Looming Iran Threat
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi reiterated his government’s commitment to the three terms of reference for peace and ending the Houthi-led insurgency. He also warned against the dangers imposed by Iran’s expansionist ambitions in the region.
Hadi’s remarks were made during a Monday meeting in Riyadh with US Ambassador to Yemen Christopher Henzel.
Hadi and Henzel discussed key developments in Yemen.
The president also repeated his early 2012 warning against Iran’s expansion in the region which is being carried out in Yemen through Houthi proxy militias.
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33450
My comment: And told his very old stories to the ambassador.
(A P)
Mahrah protesters accuse Hadi of abetting Saudi crimes
Official Ahmed Balhaf calls for worldwide awareness of the fate of Mahrah's inhabitants
An official of external communication for the Mahrah province protests, Ahmed Balhaf, said that the Saudi-backed exiled government of Hadi is ignoring Saudi Arabia’s abuses and practices against residents of the province.
Balhaf accused the government of Hadi of helping and enabling Riyadh’s forces in occupying the province and spreading of security chaos and anarchy.
https://www.uprising.today/mahrah-protesters-accuse-hadi-of-abetting-saudi-crimes/
(A P)
Separatist mercenaries abduct entire family in Aden
Personal dispute turns into tragedy as UAE-backed mercenaries raid civilian housing
A whole family, including women and children, were abducted after their home was broken into by UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council militias in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, local sources reported on Monday.
https://www.uprising.today/separatist-mercenaries-abduct-entire-family-in-aden/
(A K P)
Al-Sayed: We Are Facing an Enemy with Massive Media Tools and Uses the Fifth Que to Divide the Southern Revolution.
Brigadier Abd Al-Latif Al-Sayed, commander of Security Belt and SWAT Teams Forces in Abian, warned against plans of Muslim Brotherhood terrorist militias to destroy the southern revolution.
Al-Sayed asserted that special teams are recruited, trained and funded by external powers to fight the southern people and spread chaos. He indicated that some of these teams work in the south under nicknames and websites that look southern but actually work against the south.
He also indicated that they create fake pages to raise conflicts among the southern citizens and to hinder establishing security in Aden and other southern governorates.
My comment: Separatist militia’s propaganda.
(A E P)
Network of Corruption Run by “Galal and Al-Essa” to Robe 776 Million Dollars of Oil Revenues in Hadhramaut
Hany Mashour, a political analyst, indicated that nearly 776 million dollars of oil revenues in Hadhramaut were robbed by a corruption network run by Galal Hady and Ahmed Al-Essa.
In a tweet on tweeter, Mashour said: “What the Yemeni Government says through its media tools, dominated by Al-Eslah party, to avoid paying oil revenues in Hadhramaut will not pass in silence.
My comment: By a pro-separatist news site. This really could be true – the Hadi government is a swamp of corruption.
(A P)
Injured of War Protest Against Closing Passports and Immigration Office in Aden
Recent events in Aden that led STC to control the city and expelling the legitimacy troops out of them. this led the legitimacy to close all facilities including immigration and passports office.
Closing the office stooped all processes of issuing official travel documents and halting citizens’ efforts either to travel for study or to receive medical treatment.
My comment: From the official separatist news site. They occupied Aden and now blame Hadi government for not working anymore there. Well, it’s up to you now, folks, this is separatists’ own failure now.
This is how the Houthi side reports:
(A P)
TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL PROHIBITS THE ISSUANCE OF PASSPORTS FOR THE WOUNDED AND PATIENTS IN ADEN
The Southern Transitional Council and the Hadi government prevent issuing passports to their wounded forces despite their serious injuries in the clashes they fought alongside the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of war wounded and people have severe medical conditions in Aden,
on Sunday, a protest against the suspension of work in the immigration services and civil status in the province.
The protesters demanded the re-issuance of passports, so they could travel for treatment abroad.
They also held the transitional government and the Hadi government responsible for what the wounded whom their medical situation get worse , as well as citizens suffering from infectious diseases.
The protesters considered the closure of the Passports Department in the city of Aden by the Transitional Council is political and flagrant decision of human right.
(A P)
In Response to Legitimacy Speech in UN … Ben Farid: You Are a Punch of Thieves and Invaders
Ben Farid addressed the legitimacy minister saying: “You and you alone robbed the south. You are occupying our country and fragile notions of legitimacy. You are not ashamed of talking about expelled legitimacy that doesn’t listen to millions of citizens saying “This is our land and we demand independence”.
He added: “Shame on you when you talk in UN about international conventions while your are a punch of thieves and invaders”.
My remark: Separatists blaming the Hadi government.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
Iranian Speaker: No Need to Mediators for Yemen Talks
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani underlined that resolution of the crisis in Yemen through talks does not need mediators, addressing the Saudi-led coalition.
"A while ago, we said that the Syrian issue should be resolved through talks but certain regional states considered the military solution as the final option; now, the same countries view talks as the solution to Yemen issue and introduce mediators, while there is no need to mediators and they need to take action," Larijani said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday evening.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980710000254
My comment: I do not think so.
(A P)
Eight Army’s Prisoners Freed In Exchange Deal: Abdulqader Al-Mortada
the deal took place through a tribal mediation between the Saudi-led coalition mercenaries and the army in Jawf province and West Coast front
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072539.htm
(A P)
President Al-Mashat Meets The UN Envoy For Yemen
At the meeting, the president – affirmed Yemen’s commitment to comprehensive peace through political solutions to end the suffering of the Yemeni people and restore stability to Yemen and the region.
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072901.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9072
(A P)
Yemen rebel leader meets UN envoy in efforts to revive talks
The leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels has met with U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths in the capital Sanaa to discuss reviving peace talks to end the country's four-year-old stalemated war.
and
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik to Griffiths: US-Saudi Aggression Ought to Take up President Al-Mashat’s Peace Initiative
Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi assured to the UN envoy who is visiting Sana'a that the initiative presented by the President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahadi Al-Mashat, demonstrates the Yemenis keenness to stability and comprehensive political dialogue. "It is important that the other side benefit from it by stopping their aggression and lift their siege," Sayyed Abdulmalik warned.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9067
and also https://sabanews.net/en/news3072893.htm
(A P)
UN-Beauftragter Griffiths trifft Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen
Der UN-Sonderbeauftragte für den Jemen, Martin Griffiths, ist zu einem zweitägigen Besuch in dem Bürgerkriegsland eingetroffen. Dort hätten ihn am Dienstag Vertreter der schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen empfangen.
https://www.greenpeace-magazin.de/ticker/un-beauftragter-griffiths-trifft-huthi-rebellen-im-jemen
(A P)
THE SPECIAL ENVOY FOR YEMEN ARRIVES IN SANA’A
The Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has just arrived in Sana’a for a two-day visit.
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/special-envoy-yemen-arrives-sana%E2%80%99
(A P)
Iran Condemns Saudi Arabia for Trying to Distract Attention from Massacre of Yemenis
“The Saudi child-killer regime is trying to distract attention from its support for terrorist groups, bombing of Yemen and other blatant violations of international law,” Dehqani said, addressing the UN Security Council
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980709000507
(A P)
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council Introduction to country reports of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner addresses by Ms. Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights: Yemen, Cambodia and Georgia
The conflict has turned Yemen into the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with the population trapped in a relentless armed conflict and other forms of violence, entailing serious violations and abuses of human rights as well as international humanitarian law.
On 10 September, the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen reported to you that “all the parties [to the conflict] are responsible for numerous violations of human rights, of international law and humanitarian law,” and that “some of these violations may constitute war crimes.”
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
Mohammed bin Salman
How Saudi Arabia's crown prince rose to power
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, is transforming and modernising a deeply conservative country.
Yet at the same time, he has dragged Saudi Arabia into a war in Yemen, and locked up women’s rights protesters, Islamic clerics and bloggers. He is also widely suspected of being behind the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul a year ago.
So just who is the man they call MBS?
Born on 31 August 1985, Mohammed bin Salman grew up, like nearly all the estimated 5,000 senior Saudi princes, in a closeted world of extraordinary comfort and privilege.
As one of 13 children, his childhood was a walled and well-guarded Riyadh palace in the Madher neighbourhood. Servants, cooks, drivers and other expatriate employees catered to his every whim.
One of those who tutored him in his early years, in the mid-1990s, was Rachid Sekkai, who now works for the BBC. He has described being collected from home each day in a chauffeured car to bring him to the palace (photos)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/lLGBQVCUCZ/mohammed_bin_salman
(* B K P)
Saudi Crown Prince Is Suddenly Keen on Peace in Yemen and Dialogue with Iran
The interview with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin-Salman aired by the American CBS channel on Sunday was noteworthy in three respects.
First, he spoke and behaved like Saudi Arabia’s absolute ruler. He barely mentioned his father King Salman and accepted responsibility for the murder of Jamal Kashoggi in his capacity as the country’s chief executive in charge of its three million state employees.
Second, he was unusually conciliatory towards Iran and its allies, completely abandoning the hawkish escalatory tone that has characterized most if not all his previous interviews.
Third, the man who launched the Yemen war and pledged to continue waging it in the name of ‘legitimacy’ insisted he was open to any effort to bring it to a peaceful end, and that he prefers a political solution to a military one.
The most plausible explanation for this sudden outbreak of dovishness is that the Saudi Crown prince feels betrayed and deceived by his Western allies, especially the US. They left him standing alone to face a succession of Iranian or Iranian-backed attacks and failed to retaliate after key Saudi oil facilities were targeted three times in succession — including the very nerve center of its petroleum industry in Abqeiq and Khreis, slashing its output by half.
He had also clearly begun trying to find go-betweens to mediate with Iran.
Five years after starting the war in Yemen, Muhammad Bin-Salman has apparently come to understand that he can never win it. Not only that, but the tables have turned and the Houthis have moved from the defensive to the offensive.
Meanwhile, the prince lost his wager that the US and/or Israel would launch a military assault on Iran.
Perhaps the most serious consequence of the Yemen war for the Saudi state is the undermining of its image, prestige and authority, not only in the Arab and Islamic worlds but increasingly among its own citizens.
If Muhammad Bin-Salman’s professed preference for peace and dialogue is his new strategic approach and reflects a serious policy reappraisal, that has to be welcomed. The Iranians and the Houthis should reciprocate without delay.
That would not only spare everyone in the region much further bloodshed and destruction but also help pull Saudi Arabia out of the trap into which the US and Israel have lured it – by Abdel Bari Atwan
https://ahtribune.com/world/north-africa-south-west-asia/al-saud/3533-riyadh-on-the-retreat.html
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia Under Siege: Is the Kingdom Quietly Crumbling?
Saudi authorities have been silent about the Houthi claims of a cross-border raid, but worrying reports are leaking out of the country.
Something is rotten in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prince Mohammad bin Salman, also known as MbS, was once the promising young face of the Arab monarchy. Now he’s racking up foreign-policy defeats abroad—and facing disturbing murmurs at home.
With his problems closing in, the crown prince may try one last gambit: a pivot from Washington to Tehran. But it’s risky, and he doesn’t have much room to maneuver.
“Various Saudis I've spoken to raise the possibility that what is happening could be at the hands of elements inside the Saudi government that want to embarrass MbS because they see him as putting Saudi Arabia in a corner,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute. “If you were a Saudi, and you were concerned about the future of your country, I don’t think it’s difficult to draw the conclusion that MbS is your first obstacle.”
It was impossible to verify whether three brigades—equal to thousands of soldiers—were actually routed, or where the battle took place. And most of the prisoners were dressed in civilian clothes.
“Some reports say that these are Pakistani mercenaries hired by the Saudis. I hear these are Yemeni soldiers who are part of the coalition forces. And the Houthis’ record on truth is pretty disputable, and pretty miserable,” claimed Randa Slim, founding director of the Initiative for Track II Dialogues at the Middle East Institute.
But the footage released by the Houthis showed images of a clear Saudi humiliation: hundreds of soldiers dropping their weapons in surrender, Houthi fighters joyriding in U.S.-made armored cars, and expensive military equipment in flames. One crewman, his pants stained with bodily fluids, surrendered his tank to Houthi soldiers armed only with rifles.
"The Houthis follow a model of negotiating from a position of strength, which is not unique to Iran, but Iran wields it better than almost any other actor in the Middle East," explained Foundation for the Defense of Democracies senior fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu. “You lay out conditions that you know are suboptimal for the adversary, but you induce them to want to take those conditions because of military conditions you have also created that impact the adversary’s calculus.”
Saudi authorities have been silent about the Houthi claims, but worrying reports are leaking out of the country.
It soon became clear that that military retaliation wasn’t coming, either by the United States or by Saudi Arabia.
A year after the assassination of Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi forces, the kingdom continues to lose friends in Washington, DC. The Abqaiq attack set off a wide backlash against the idea of going to war for Saudi Arabia – by Matthew Petti
(* B K P)
Mohammed bin Salman’s Many Victims Deserve Justice
It has now been a year since Khashoggi was assassinated and the perpetrators of that crime have not faced any real penalties. The war on Yemen continues to rage after more than four and a half years after the Saudi-led intervention began, and the war criminals responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands have not been held accountable for their many atrocities. As Karman says, all of these terrible acts can be traced back to the crown prince who ordered the murder and launched the war. He is not the only one responsible for these crimes, but he is their architect, and he should be treated accordingly. Not only should the U.S. be cutting off military support and weapons to his government, but he should be treated as the war criminal and abusive despot that he is.
The crown prince’s recent interview with 60 Minutes was not quite as indulgent and celebratory as their embarrassing 2018 interview, but it still lets Mohammed bin Salman off the hook. In light of what happened over the year and a half that separated the two interviews, the crown prince should have been questioned much more aggressively and pointedly about his government’s crimes in Yemen.
The discussion of Yemen, such as it was, was extremely superficial and completely failed to challenge the crown prince for his role in escalating and continuing the conflict. Norah O’Donnell’s summary of the loss of life caused by the war woefully understates the costs of the war.
Regrettably, the crown prince’s latest high-profile interview is an example of how some Western media outlets still fail to report on the war on Yemen accurately after all these years – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/mohammed-bin-salmans-many-victims-deserve-justice/
(* B P)
Bin Salman ready to recognize Israel if US helps him defeat Iran: Documentary
A new documentary has revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — also known as MbS — had promised US President Donald Trump to recognize Israel and normalize ties with the regime if the United States helped him “defeat Iran and take control of the Middle East.”
According to PBS documentary 'The Crown Prince,' which was broadcast on Saturday, the kingdom’s de facto ruler made the pledge in a meeting with President Trump during his visit to Riyadh in May 2017.
Martin Smith, the presenter of the documentary, said that bin Salman had asked Trump to ensure “the United States’ assistance in defeating Iran while supporting the prince’s ambitions to become the key player in the Middle East.”
In return, bin Salman offered to help Trump and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, solve the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli regime has been conducting extensive diplomatic negotiations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab governments over the past months in a bid to convince them to establish diplomatic relations with the regime more than half a century after the Six-Day War which saw Israel occupy the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
The kingdom has expanded secret ties with Israel under the young crown prince, who has made it clear that he and the Israelis stand on the same front to counter Iran and its growing influence in the Middle East.
(* B E P)
As backlash fears fade, major firms are returning to Saudi Arabia a year after Khashoggi’s killing
When Saudi Arabia hosted its high-profile investment conference just weeks after Jamal Khashoggi’s killing last October, top executives from some of the world’s biggest financial companies begged off, skipping the event over fears negative publicity could tarnish their company’s brands.
A year later, human rights advocates say the kingdom has yet to deliver justice, failing to hold senior Saudi officials responsible for The Washington Post columnist’s killing or to even reveal the location of his body. But business leaders have been far more forgiving.
In a few weeks, senior executives from blue-chip firms including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and BlackRock will be returning to the kingdom for the conference, dubbed “Davos in the Desert,” according to an attendees list reviewed by The Washington Post.
More than 150 executives have confirmed their attendance, the list shows, including more than 40 executives representing U.S. companies. The head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund was attending, along with other executives who represent major banks, tech companies, business conglomerates and defense contractors in India, the Middle East Europe and the United States.
Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is also expected to attend, leading a U.S. delegation, according to a person briefed on his plans.
Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chief executive who withdrew last year from the Future Investment Initiative event, has framed his decision to return to Saudi Arabia as an effort to promote change in the kingdom, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to wean the country’s economy off its dependence on oil.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/as-backlash-fears-fade-major-firms-are-returning-to-saudi-arabia-a-year-after-khashoggis-killing/ = https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/as-backlash-fears-fade-major-firms-are-returning-to-saudi-arabia-a-year-after-khashoggis-killing/2019/09/30/db73829a-defb-11e9-be7f-4cc85017c36f_story.html
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Fitch cuts Saudi credit rating citing 'risk of further attacks'
Rating agency Fitch downgraded Saudi Arabia’s credit rating to A from A+ on Monday, citing rising geopolitical and military tensions in the Gulf following an attack on its oil facilities and a deterioration of the kingdom’s fiscal position.
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(* B P)
Was wird aus dem Fall Khashoggi?
Erdrosselt und zerstückelt - vor einem Jahr wurde der Journalist Khashoggi im saudischen Konsulat in Istanbul ermordet. Konsequenzen für Saudi-Arabien? So gut wie keine. Deutschland verlängert zwar den Exportstopp von Rüstungsgütern, steht aber weitgehend allein da.
Auch Deutschland fährt heute - ein Jahr nach dem Tod von Khashoggi - keinen ganz harten Kurs mehr. Trotz des noch ungeklärten Todes will Berlin die Ausbildung von Grenzschützern in Saudi-Arabien wiederaufnehmen. Das Programm war nach dem Mord ausgesetzt worden.
«Wir haben im Mordfall Khasoggi ja in aller Deutlichkeit unsere Position vorgestellt und auch Konsequenzen gezogen», sagte ein Sprecher des Auswärtigen Amtes vergangenen Freitag in Berlin. «Es bleibt dabei, wir verlangen eine vollständige und glaubwürdige Aufklärung.»
Davon kann bislang allerdings kaum die Rede sein. Der Prozess gegen die elf Angeklagten läuft weitestgehend unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit.
Vieles spricht ohnehin dafür, dass einer der Hauptverantwortlichen gar nicht vor Gericht steht: Saud al-Kahtani, lange Zeit einer der engsten Berater Bin Salmans. Er soll der Kopf des Mordkommandos gewesen sein. Auch die UN-Ermittler sehen in ihm einen der Hauptverdächtigen. Nach dem Mord wurde Al-Kahtani gefeuert. Doch sein Schicksal ist unbekannt, seit Monaten fehlt von ihm jede Spur. Manche Gerüchte sehen ihn weiter heimlich an der Seite des Kronprinzen, andere halten ihn für tot. Die UN-Ermittler erkennen in seiner Absetzung ein Eingeständnis, dass er in den Fall verstrickt ist.
Der mutmaßliche Drahtzieher, Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman, ist der mächtigste Mann des ultra-konservativen Königreichs. Er wird in diesem Fall unbehelligt bleiben
https://www.rnz.de/politik/hintergrund_artikel,-die-macht-des-geldes-was-wird-aus-dem-fall-khashoggi-_arid,470284.html = https://www.wetterauer-zeitung.de/politik/gaenzlich-ungesuehnte-mord-13060490.html = https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/ausland/krisen/id_86553024/khashoggi-mord-war-der-saudische-kronprinz-der-drahtzieher-.html
(* B P)
Gewolltes Vergessen
Ein Jahr nach dem Mord an Jamal Khashoggi sind die Details des Todes des Journalisten weitestgehend bekannt. Nur schuldig will niemand sein.
MBS hat gesprochen. Über den Fall Khashoggi. Kurz vor dem ersten Jahrestag des abscheulichen Mordes an dem Journalisten hat sich der saudische Kronprinz den – sagen wir einmal: kritischen – Fragen einer amerikanischen Journalistin gestellt. Und die wollte von Mohammed bin Salman die volle Wahrheit wissen. Auf CBS News fragte Starreporterin Norah O’Donnell den Kronprinzen mit staatsmännischer Miene: „Haben Sie den Mord an Jamal Khashoggi in Auftrag gegeben?“
Nun raten Sie einmal, wie MBS reagierte! Richtig, er schüttelte den Kopf: „Ohne Zweifel, nein.“ Als Breaking News konnte der Sender dann nur noch verkaufen, dass MBS die „volle Verantwortung“ für die Tat übernimmt. Heißt: Ohne Konsequenzen zu ziehen, erklärt sich MBS für politisch verantwortlich und verleiht damit seiner Version der Geschichte Glaubwürdigkeit: dass er persönlich nichts damit zu tun hatte und auch nichts wusste. Später darf MBS dann noch erklären, dass Journalisten für sein Land keine Bedrohung darstellen. Aha.
Interessanter ist die Frage: Warum spricht MBS? Dass es in demCBS-Interview um den Khashoggi-Mord gehen würde, war mit Sicherheit vorher abgesprochen. Will der Kronprinz einen Schlussstrich ziehen unter diese lästige Angelegenheit? Die Chancen nämlich stehen bestens dafür, das Thema ein für alle Mal für beendet zu erklären. Zu internationalen strafrechtlichen Ermittlungen, wie sie die Türkei ins Spiel brachte und wie sie Reporter ohne Grenzen fordert, ist es nicht gekommen. Stattdessen kann die Regierung in Riad bequem darauf verweisen, dass ja in Saudi-Arabien ein Prozess gegen einige Agenten laufe, die an dem Mord beteiligt gewesen sein sollen.
Also alles gut? Nicht ganz. Da wäre noch der Abschlussbericht, den Agnès Callamard, UN-Sonderberichterstatterin für außergerichtliche Hinrichtungen, im Juni vorgelegt hat.
https://taz.de/Jahrestag-des-Mordes-an-Jamal-Khashoggi/!5626895/
(* B P)
Dieser Mord galt uns allen
Den Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi und den Intellektuellen Farea Al-Muslimi verband eine Freundschaft – und politische Feindschaft. Eine Würdigung zum Todestag Khashoggis
In unserem Teil der Welt war es selten leicht, zu schreiben und seine Meinung öffentlich kundzutun. Doch als man Jamal im Oktober 2018 in der saudi-arabischen Botschaft in Istanbul folterte, ermordete, seinen Körper (mutmaßlich) zerstückelte und so verscharrte, dass er nie anständig beerdigt werden konnte, fühlte es sich noch anders an. Inzwischen verstummen die internationalen Proteste, die Aufmerksamkeit wendet sich anderen Dingen zu und bei vielen von uns macht sich das Gefühl breit, es herrsche eine neue Normalität. Selbst kritische Stimmen üben Selbstzensur und halten sich zurück. Die erstickten Schreie unseres Freunds, aufgezeichnet vom türkischen Geheimdienst für die Weltöffentlichkeit, fühlen sich für viele wie ein letztes Keuchen an.
"Die Gefahr ist mein Schatten", sagte wenige Tage vor Jamals Ermordung eine Aktivistin aus Aden zu mir. Kaum wurde bestätigt, dass Jamal getötet worden war, lähmte mich dieser Schatten. Ich konnte es erst glauben, als Riad es schließlich offiziell bestätigte. Schock, Ungläubigkeit und ein Gefühl der Machtlosigkeit brachen über mich herein und ließen mich unendlich einsam zurück. Eine Zeitlang konnte ich den ganzen Tag lang an nichts Anderes denken und nachts von nichts anderem träumen. Zum ersten Mal sagte ich mir: "Das könnte auch dir passieren."
Jamals sterbliche Überreste wurden bis heute nicht gefunden. Aber die Botschaft, die Saudi-Arabien im Namen aller Autokraten der Region übermittelte, war klar und deutlich: Sagst du nicht, was wir von dir erwarten, dann bist du nicht nur gegen uns – dann wird dein Tod brutal werden, dein Leichnam verschwinden und du wirst nicht einmal ein Begräbnis erhalten. Der Mord an Jamal macht deutlich, dass diese Warnung uns allen galt – von Farea Al-Muslimi
(A P)
Legal petition urges ICC investigate MBS over Khashoggi murder
Petition on behalf of rights group calls for ICC to probe Saudi crown prince for alleged 'crimes against humanity'.
A law firm has filed a petition at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to have Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) investigated for alleged "crimes against humanity", including the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In a petition filed to the ICC's chief prosecutor in July and made public on Wednesday, the anniversary of Khashoggi's killing, the US-based law firm Fein & Delvalle requested that the prosecutor petition the UN Security Council to refer the crown prince’s alleged crimes to the ICC.
"Mohammed Bin Salman, through command or superior responsibility, is guilty of murder, torture, rape, extortion, illegal detentions, wrongful prosecution and the death penalty, i.e., crimes against humanity as defined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute," the filing argues.
"The victims have been selected because of their opposition to the Crown Prince’s merciless tyranny," it adds.
(* B P)
A year after Khashoggi: Clarity but no accountability
Despite everything we have learned about what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, it seems to matter painfully little
It has been one year since Jamal Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and we now know a lot more about what exactly happened on the afternoon of 2 October.
Thousands of documents from various branches of the US government also recently became de-classified and reveal the ways in which the Trump administration reacted to Jamal's death.
In particular, the documents highlight ways in which the administration continues to push a narrative about Saudi Arabia being so critically important to American and regional security, that one journalist's murder should not change this alliance. We also have ever more information about the infamous tapes that recorded Jamal's horrific last minutes.
Still, despite the mountain of information that has emerged about what happened to Jamal, it seems to matter very little in terms of international reaction to the murder, which remains muted.
In a world full of fake news, it is sometimes a rarity to have clarity about events. We have that here, and, yet not much has been done to account for this event, leaving us to wonder why this is the case.
As Donald Trump put it rather succinctly, "Saudi Arabia pays cash." And, sadly, the horrific details of Jamal's last moments, like the details of humanitarian catastrophe and the calamities of the war in Yemen, have not been enough to spur unified global action, or to detract from the central fact that the US-Saudi relationship today is not one based on shared values or on any type of normative standards.
A lot has been written about post-truth politics, but here, the truth does not seem to carry as much weight as perhaps we expect it to or think it should – by Courtney Frear
(B P)
Film: Arabiesaoudite : Ali al-Ahmed réagit aux «aveux» de MBS pour le meurtre du dissident #Khashoggi
S'il a démenti en être le commanditaire, MBS a reconnu sa responsabilité dans le meurtre de Khashoggi. Ali al-Ahmed, directeur de l'institut For Gulf Affairs, réagit à cette déclaration.
https://twitter.com/RTenfrancais/status/1179371803132735488
(* B P)
Never-Before-Seen Khashoggi Interviews Illuminate His Transformation from MBS Supporter to Critic
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a FRONTLINE documentary featuring never-before-seen interview footage of the columnist will make its PBS debut.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia highlights how Khashoggi went from an early champion of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to a victim in a murder plot that the CIA believes the crown prince ordered. (In his first comments on his role in Khashoggi’s killing, Prince Mohammed told FRONTLINE’s Martin Smith in the documentary that the murder happened “under his watch” but without his knowledge.)
When Prince Mohammed began rising to power in 2015, Khashoggi — a writer, commentator and journalist — was for the most part a pro-government voice, having once served as a spokesman for the Saudi embassies in London and Washington, D.C.
After urging Gulf governments at a conference to be wary of President Trump — whom King Salman and MBS were aggressively wooing — Khashoggi told friends and colleagues that Saudi authorities ordered him to no longer write, tweet or appear on TV. As the film recounts, he would become dismayed by the acts of repression he saw happening under the young leader he once supported, from a social media harassment campaign targeting himself and others, to a Sept. 2017 crackdown on even mild dissent that saw dozens of men and women rounded up and arrested.
“I don’t want to be a dissident,” he told Smith in August 2017, after he left Saudi Arabia and resettled in Washington, D.C. “But in the same time, I don’t want to go back home and be silent again.”
(A P)
Saudi prince seeks to dodge blame for Khashoggi killing: U.N. expert
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is trying to repair damage to his image done by Jamal Khashoggi’s murder by insisting “layers and layers” of hierarchy separated him from the Saudi agents who killed the journalist, the U.N. investigator told Reuters.
In an interview with Reuters, Agnes Callamard, U.N. expert on summary executions, attributed his remarks to a “strategy of rehabilitation in the face of public outrage around the world”.
“He is creating a distance between himself, he is exonerating himself from direct criminal responsibility in the killing. He is creating layers, and layers and layers of actors and institutions which are protecting him from his direct accountability for the killing.”
(A P)
Turkey's Erdogan says some of Khashoggi's killers enjoy 'impunity'
President Tayyip Erdogan insisted on Monday that Turkey will keep pushing for the truth behind the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year, saying some of his killers appeared to be evading justice.
A year after Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents sent from Riyadh, Erdogan said Turkey still wanted to know where his body was and who had authorized the operation - suggesting it was carried by agents of a “shadow state” in Saudi Arabia.
(B K P)
Film: Jamal Khashoggi on “MBS’s War” in Yemen | FRONTLINE
In never-before-seen interview footage from years before his murder, Jamal Khashoggi praised the military campaign against Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, launched by then-defense minister Mohammed bin Salman, while talking with FRONTLINE’s Martin Smith. “Look, for Saudi Arabia it is a 1939 moment,” Khashoggi said, comparing Iran to Nazi Germany.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7bCd98IKGA = https://www.pbs.org/video/jamal-khashoggi-mbss-war-yemen-t28cuj/
My comment: He later changed his mind.
cp9 USA
(B P)
With Grassroots Voices, Change Can Happen in Congress
After Shireen’s panel discussion, I concentrated much of my activism on ending U.S. support for the Yemen war. I led constituent lobby visits in and around Chicago, put on more talks, and engaged as many people in my community as I could.
In September 2018, I took a job lobbying full time in Washington, D.C. I worked with activists across the country to get Congress to reassert its constitutional war authority and end our involvement in an illegal war that has claimed the lives of over 85,000 children under the age of five. About 14 million people in Yemen now live on the edge of famine.
I was elated when Congress made history in April 2019 by passing SJ Res 7, the Yemen War Powers Resolution to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-UAE war on Yemen. This was the first resolution to pass Congress since the original passage of the War Powers Act in 1973.
Despite Trump’s veto of SJ Res 7 in April, Congress has another historic opportunity to end the war in Yemen. In the coming weeks, we expect House and Senate leaders to decide what Yemen-related amendments will stay in Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). We are urging Congress to keep the Khanna-Smith-Schiff-Jayapal amendment in the final version of the NDAA, in order to finish what we started with the Yemen War Powers Resolution.
Through the NDAA and defense appropriations, Congress can end U.S. complicity in war crimes in Yemen. It also sends a clear signal to the executive branch that unconstitutional U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE coalition’s war in Yemen must end.
https://www.fcnl.org/updates/with-grassroots-voices-change-can-happen-in-congress-2387
(* B P)
Emails Suggest UAE And Saudi Arabia Funded U.S.-Based Anti-Iran Pressure Group
Speaking last week at United Against Nuclear Iran’s (UANI) annual conference, Pompeo announced the administration was expanding its pressure campaign, targeting Chinese entities believed to be transporting Iranian oil. “[W]e’re telling China and all nations, know that we will sanction every violation of sanctionable activity,” said Pompeo.
Pompeo’s choice of venues was a curious one. What UANI is and who is behind it appears to be a closely held secret but documents reviewed by LobeLog show a funding apparatus funneling over $35 million over two years into anti-Iran and anti-Qatar advocacy work. LobeLog was provided emails that appear to show UANI principals soliciting diplomats and government advisers from regional rivals of Iran for funding, raising questions about UANI’s funding sources and whether the group is acting as an undeclared foreign agent.
The “non-governmental” anti-Iran pressure group’s summit included Bahraini Ambassador to the U.S. Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Saudi Minister of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sahban, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, and U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker. UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba was also visible in the audience. Billionaire Thomas Kaplan, who was shown to be the majority funder of UANI in 2013, was also in attendance.
Earlier in the week, UANI drew notice from both U.S. media outlets and Iran’s foreign ministry. Last Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi announced the addition of UANI to Iran’s list of terrorist groups due its “close ties and cooperation with terrorist groups,” according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
If UAE and Saudi funding are underwriting CEP and UANI’s advocacy work, it raises serious questions about whose interests the groups are representing and whether they are acting as agents of foreign principals, a status requiring disclosure under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) – by Eli Clifton
https://lobelog.com/emails-suggest-uae-and-saudi-arabia-funded-u-s-based-anti-iran-pressure-group/
(A K P)
Film: Tulsi Gabbard: Our Military Is Not for Sale to Saudis
My brothers and sisters in uniform took an oath to support and defend our Constitution and the American people, not the theocratic dictatorship Saudi Arabia which supports al-Qaeda and spreads the ideology of radical Islamist Jihad around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP5eV8Kivwg
Anmerkung CG: Gabbard sagte sinngemäß, sie würde den “Iran-Atom-Deal” wieder in Kraft setzen, die Blockade Irans und die Sanktionen gegen das Land beenden. Sie warnt vor dem Flächenbrand, den ein Krieg gegen Iran auslösen würde. Ein erstaunlich respektvolles Interview von CNN mit einer Kriegsgegnerin.
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=55215#h07
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
(* B P)
Beitrag zur Eskalation
Nach den USA machen nun auch die Regierungen Großbritanniens, Frankreich und Deutschlands den Iran für einen Angriff auf eine Öl-Anlage in Saudi-Arabien verantwortlich.
"Statt die Ergebnisse internationaler Untersuchungen abzuwarten, blasen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel, der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron und der britische Premier Boris Johnson ins Horn von US-Präsident Trump. Das EU-Trio leistet mit seinen Anschuldigungen auf der Grundlage von Spekulationen einen Beitrag zur Eskalation, indem es sich voll hinter den Konfrontationskurs von US-Präsident Donald Trump der Kopf-ab-Diktatur Saudi-Arabien stellt. Die Bundesregierung schuldet Parlament und Öffentlichkeit eine Erklärung und muss Beweise für die Schuldzuweisungen an den Iran vorlegen.
Es ist beschämend, dass Merkel, Macron und Johnson dem saudischen Herrscherhaus die uneingeschränkte Solidarität versichern, ohne auch nur mit einem Wort Riads Verantwortung für die humanitäre Katastrophe im Jemen zu erwähnen. Die gemeinsame Erklärung des EU-Trios ist schließlich die endgültige Absage an das internationale Atomabkommen mit dem Iran.
https://www.mt.de/lokales/leserbriefe/22577026_Beitrag-zur-Eskalation.html
(* B P)
Why does Europe Prefer Saudi Arabia over Iran?
The joint statement issued by the ‘European superpowers’ known as the E3 explicitly declared Iran responsible for attacks on Saudi oil facilities, ignoring completely the claims that the Houthis have been making about these very attacks.
While this is nothing short of a clear-cut recipe of greater European involvement in the Middle East, there is equally little gainsaying that European interests, when it comes to choosing between Saudi Arabia or Iran, lie with the former than the latter; hence, Europe’s clear preference for Saudia over Iran.
For the E3, Saudi Arabia is a huge weapons market. Despite the fact that European and US weapons sold to Saudi Arabia have been and continued to be used in Yemen
Defending the sale of weapons, France’s Armed Forces Minister, Florence Parly said:
“Maintaining economic relations with these countries [Saudi Arabia] means keeping a presence in key regions for our security interests and our energy supplies. It is also about fighting terrorism and protecting our nationals on the ground.”
Key takeaways from this statement are obviously French geopolitical interests that don’t align with Iran at all. In fact, the health of these interests rests on the continuity of conflict in these regions, an ideal situation for increasing arms sales.
The same holds true of Britain as well. Britain’s Boris Johnson recently called for a new deal with Iran. Calling the 2015 agreement a “bad deal”, Johnson said “I think there’s one guy who can do a better deal and one guy who understands how to get a difficult partner like Iran over the line and that is the president of the United States.” Johnson described Trump as a “very, very brilliant negotiator” who could produce a “Trump deal”.
The reason why UK, very much like France, prefers Saudi Arabia over Iran is UK’s own weapons sales to the Kingdom.
Through arms sales and promises of military action, the E3, although it still continues to talk of ‘sticking to the 2015 nuclear agreement’, is fundamentally helping Saudi Arabia counter its main adversary i.e., Iran in the Middle East. by Salman Rafi Sheikh
https://journal-neo.org/2019/09/27/why-does-europe-prefer-saudia-over-iran/
(A E P)
US use of dollar as weapon leads to economic terrorism: President Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States’ use of dollar as a weapon against other countries will only lead to economic terrorism targeting the lives of ordinary people, calling for global action against American unilateralism.
“We believe that the international community must confront the US’s hostile and unilateralist approach by taking a firm decision and effective measures,” Rouhani said in an address to a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Tuesday.
(A P)
Lasting Persian Gulf security, peace can be secured only via regional cooperation: Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says lasting security and peace in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the strategic Strait of Hormuz could be established only through cooperation among regional states.
Speaking in a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Tuesday, Rouhani described establishment of regional peace and stability, in addition to freedom of movement and security of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as among Tehran’s principled policies.
(* B P)
Trump-Rohani Phone Call May Have Dissipated, but U.S.-Iran Negotiations Aren't Dead Yet
Despite the insult Trump endured when Rohani refused to speak with him, it seems that both the U.S. and Iran are willing to return to the negotiating table with sufficiently vague conditions to give each side great flexibility
But the failure of public meetings to take place is not an indication that the diplomatic process is dead. It has been some time since Iran shifted its position regarding new negotiations with the United States and the four other countries that signed onto the Iranian nuclear accord.
Instead of flat-out refusing to conduct any kind of negotiations until the United States lifts its sanctions and rejoins the nuclear agreement, Iran has been taking a more flexible stance. At first Iran proposed expanding the inspection regime at its nuclear sites beyond what was provided in the nuclear accord, as a gesture to advance the negotiations. Relying on the opinion of his national security adviser at the time, John Bolton (who has since been fired) and of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump rejected the offer.
In September, Iran’s “supreme leader” Ali Khamenei stated that if the United States reconsidered its withdrawal from the nuclear accord, the United States would be able to join negotiations with the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany (which with the United States are known as the P5+1, the original signatories to the agreement).
On Monday, just before he set out on a trip to Armenia, Rohani announced that his country had held important meetings in New York with the four foreign ministers of the P5 that are still signatories to the nuclear agreement, at which he said that preparations had been made for talks with the P5+1 and that all the parties had agreed to the framework for the discussions. He did not provide details but did say that the United States would take part in the talks.
Rohani’s remarks are an extension of a statement that he made in New York that “what we believe is that the nuclear accord does not express the maximum of the agreements [that can be arrived at] – by Zvi Bar’el
My comment: Bar’el is optimist here, I am not.
(* B K P)
Iran’s capacity to strike back should even make a politically desperate Trump think twice
The claim that Iran is the main “sponsor of terrorism” is one that has become a cliché from Washington to Riyadh
Saudi Arabia continues to insist that the September 14 attack on its oil facilities came from Iran, and not from Yemen. This is despite the fact that both the civilian and the military authorities in Iran have denied that they conducted the successful raid on the Saudi airfields. Instead, the Houthis in Yemen said that they did do the raid; they said that if the Saudis continue their aerial bombardment of Yemen, such drone strikes would become more common.
At the opening of the UN General Assembly, Yemen was represented by Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadhrami. He is the foreign minister of one of the two governments that claim to represent Yemen. His president is Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Al-Hadhrami’s emotional address to the UN was marred by sectarianism. There was no room here for negotiations. Iran, he said, echoing Saudi Arabia, is “the main sponsor of terrorism throughout the world.” That was that.
The claim that Iran is the main “sponsor of terrorism” is one that has become a cliché from Washington, D.C., to Riyadh. It has become so common that no evidence is needed to prove it.
It does not matter that it was Saudi Arabia — through the Muslim World League (founded in 1962) — that broadcast the seeds that would eventually germinate as al-Qaeda. Every country with a Muslim World League office would provide the leadership and personnel for Osama bin Laden and his followers. This was from Indonesia to Chechnya. Over the course of decades, the Saudis cultivated the most dangerous elements in these societies, providing them with money, training, and the most reactionary version of Islam to form the detachments that would rain terror on their own societies and on the world.
Afghanistan, which remains in a terrible situation, is a case in point.
Saudi Arabia’s tentacles run across the planet, and their battalions of terrorists became legendary after the attack on the United States in 2001.
War or diplomacy
If the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel attack Iran — even in a limited way — the retaliation will be swift. It will come from many fronts
Such a scenario means that the entire region — from the Mediterranean Sea to the Hindu Kush mountains — will be plunged deeper into war.
Instead of this, Iran has indicated that it prefers the road of diplomacy.
The United States must return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Modifications of that deal can take place through discussion, not by a full-scale demand by Washington for its renegotiation.
Yemen’s Houthi movement has said it would like a ceasefire with Saudi Arabia and would like to work together for peace.
These are far better as a way ahead than the scenario that goes into full-fledged war – by Vijay Prashad
(A P)
Saudi says Iran's remark on messages to its president 'not accurate'
Iran’s statement that Saudi Arabia sent messages to its president through other countries was “not accurate”, Adel al-Jubeir, the kingdom’s minister of state for foreign affairs, has said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/saudi-arabia-rules-out-iran-talks-on-war-torn-yemen/1599832
and
(A P)
Al-Jubair announces 6 Saudi demands from Iran and excludes dialogue with it on Yemen
Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Adel al- Jubair on Wednesday announced six Saudi demands representing his country's position on Tehran, ruling out Riyadh discussing the Yemen crisis with it.
Al- Jubair spoke of six Saudi demands representing his country's position on Tehran, saying: "The kingdom's position am repeating it back here so that they may hear: stop your support for terrorism, the policies of chaos and destruction, and interference in the internal affairs of Arab states."
He also called on Tehran to "stop the development of weapons of mass destruction, the ballistic missile program, and act as a natural state and not as a rogue state sponsor of terrorism," and Tehran has often denied the charges.
On Tehran's call for calm in Yemen, al- Jubair said: "The kingdom has not and will not talk about Yemen with the Iranian regime, Yemen is the business of all Yemeni components and the reason for the Yemen crisis is the Iranian role."
Al- Jubair described the regime in Iran as "rogue," noting that "the last thing this regime wants in Iran is calm and peace in Yemen."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172208
My comment: Well, the Saudis do not seem to look for detention. – „and act as a natural state and not as a rogue state sponsor of terrorism“: LOL. This fits much better to Saudi Arabia than to Iran.
(* A P)
EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Arabia gives 'green light' for talks with Iran
Official in Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's office confirms Baghdad has channels with both sides and is seeking to arrange meeting
Saudi Arabia has given a green light to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to arrange a meeting with Iran as a first step towards de-escalating tensions in the region, Middle East Eye can reveal.
Abbas al-Hasnawi, an official in the prime minister's office, told MEE on Tuesday that Abdul Mahdi was mediating between the leaderships in Riyadh and Tehran and had communicated each side's conditions for talks to the other.
Hasnawi was speaking after a spokesperson for the Iranian government said on Monday that Saudi Arabia had sent messages to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani via “the leaders of some countries”.
Hasnawi confirmed to MEE that Abdul Mahdi was acting as an intermediary with the aim of easing tensions since attacks on Saudi oil facilities blamed on Iran earlier this month appeared to have tilted the Gulf rivals closer to open conflict.
"The Iraqi leadership has channels with both sides. Our Sunni brothers [in the government] liaise with the Saudis and our Shia brothers with the Iranians," he said.
"The Saudis have conditions before the negotiations process starts and the same with Iranians. We have liaised these conditions to each side. It is not an easy task to get together two opposite sides in terms of their ideology, sect and their alliances in the region."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-saudi-arabia-gives-green-light-for-talks-with-Iran
(A P)
Iraqi PM Abdul Mahdi says Riyadh wants to avoid war with Iran
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi says he believes Saudi Arabia is looking to de-escalate tensions with its regional arch foe, Iran, adding that it is in everybody's interest to prevent further war in the region.
Abdul Mahdi made the comments in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, excerpts of which aired on Monday, days after he visited the kingdom where he held talks with King Salman.
"Nobody possesses the weapons necessary to deal their adversary a fatal blow. Chaos and destruction will hit the region in its entirety," he said.
and how the Houthis tell it: https://www.uprising.today/saudi-arabia-reportedly-willing-to-open-negotiations-on-ending-war-on-yemen/
(A P)
U.S. commander discusses Iran with Saudi naval commander
The commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command visited Riyadh over the weekend to discuss with the head of Saudi Arabia’s naval forces reinforcing defenses against Iranian threats, the command said on Tuesday.
(A P)
Enhanced ties with 'all neighbors' tenet of Iran's foreign policy
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says promotion of relations with "all neighbors", including Armenia, is among the tenets of the Islamic Republic's foreign policy.
He made the remarks on Monday in a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Armen Sarkissian in Yerevan
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/01/607552/Iran-armenia-eurasian-economic-union-eaeu-rouhani
(A P)
Iran president refused to take Trump’s call arranged by Macron: Reports
In New York, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran refused to engage in a phone conversation with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, which had been secretly arranged by French President Emmanuel Macron, leaving Trump waiting on the line, US media reports say.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/01/607567/Iran-Hassan-Rouhani-Donald-Trump
(A P)
Iran: EU plan to leave JCPOA 'illegal', snap-back mechanism 'dead'
Iran has dismissed its nuclear case being sent back to the UN Security Council should the country go ahead with its pledge to take new steps away from the 2015 deal in response to European failures.
The reaction by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Monday came after a British paper said the European Union had told Iran that it would start withdrawing from the nuclear deal in November if Tehran further forwent its commitments.
According to The Guardian, this would trigger the deal's dispute mechanism and if necessary a worldwide sanctions snap-back would occur, where Iran's case would be sent back to the Security Council.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/30/607498/Yemeni-attacks-defensive-measures
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Ministers questioned about developments in Yemen
Stephen Twigg MP has the asked the Government to update the House of Commons on the latest developments in Yemen.
On behalf of the Opposition, Shadow Minister Stephen Twigg responded, saying:
"Humanitarian efforts remain critically underfunded. The United Nation's programmes on vaccination, cholera prevention and malnutrition have been forced to close. We are now looking to the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan. Can I ask that the UK work with other donors to ensure that these lifesaving programmes be restored?
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2019-10-01a.1148.5&p=10499
(A P)
Emily Thornberry condemns Dominic Raab for ignoring Yemen
EMILY THORNBERRY condemned Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in the Commons today for “choosing not to mention Yemen once” in his 1,300 word speech in Manchester.
The shadow foreign secretary criticised the Tory MP for ignoring the crisis at the Conservative Party conference over the weekend.
Ms Thornberry said: “I’m sorry that the foreign secretary has not seen fit to answer this question himself.
“And yet under his watch the cycle of indiscriminate violence in Yemen and the scale of the humanitarian crisis are growing worse every day.
“This is a humanitarian disaster, but this is also a failure of politics and so the UK really must pull its finger out and do its duty in the security council.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/thornberry-condemns-raab-ignoring-yemen
(A P)
Foreign travel advice: Saudi Arabia
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to within 10km of the border with Yemen.
The FCO advise against all but essential travel to:
areas between 10km and 80km from the border with Yemen
Abha International Airport and its grounds, located in Asir province
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/saudi-arabia
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A H)
60 Euro machen ein Kind ein Jahr lang satt
Der Jemen wird seit Jahren vom Krieg zerstört. Der Stuttgarter Verein Future4kids finanziert Suppenküchen für Kinder auf der arabischen Halbinsel. In der Galerie Arthelps werden Bilder für diese Aktion verkauft.
(* A K P)
Kein jemenitisches Blut für deutsche Profite!
Ein offener Brief von Friedensorganisationen fordert ein Ende der Waffenlieferungen an die von den Saudis geführte Militärkoalition.
Im Jemen herrscht noch immer Krieg; vor allem gegen die Kinder im Land. Aber stört das die Ferngesteuerten, die Kriegsgrünen und Vorwärtsverteidiger, kurz die sich so wichtig nehmenden Maasmännchen, Haberbecks und Knarrenbauers von der Achse des Guten? Nicht wirklich. Solange die Saudi-Mafia nur aus der Distanz herumbombt und ein bisschen blockiert, solange müssen sie im Jemen ja auch keine Köpfe auf Volksfesten abschlagen oder Journalisten zu Musik und Kaffee zersägen. Und während die Heuchelei ungestört dahinplätschert, haben sich 56 Organisationen aus der Entwicklungs-, Friedens- und Menschenrechtspolitik mit ein paar humanitären Hilfsorganisationen verbündet, um einen offenen Brief abzufeuern.
Hier das vermutlich schon in der Luft verpuffende Wortfeuerwerk.
https://www.rubikon.news/artikel/kein-jemenitisches-blut-fur-deutsche-profite
(* A P)
Wie der Spiegel pro-saudische Kriegspropaganda betreibt
Heute hat der Spiegel in einem bemerkenswerten Artikel pro-saudische Propaganda gebracht. Jede Behauptung der Saudis wurde unkommentiert übernommen, es gab kein kritisches Wort. Wie der Spiegel sich zum Sprachrohr einer der unmenschlichsten Diktaturen der Welt macht, will ich an diesem Artikel einmal aufzeigen.
Aber wenn es um Saudi-Arabien geht, wo eine absolutistische Monarchie herrscht, wo ein Land durch die Vetternwirtschaft einer Großfamilie regiert wird, wo Homosexuelle öffentlich enthaupten werden, wo schon kleinste Vergehen durch öffentliches Abhacken von Gliedmaßen bestraft werden, wo Frauen keinerlei Rechte haben und als Eigentum der Männer gelten, dann ist der Spiegel erstaunlich unkritisch und hat wenig zu meckern. Das bestätigt heute wieder ein Artikel über ein Interview mit dem saudischen Kronprinz, über das der Spiegel berichtet.
Über die Zustände in dem Land verliert der Spiegel kein Wort, während kein Artikel über China und Russland ohne die übliche Kritik an den dortigen Regierungen und der angeblichen Unterdrückung der Menschen auskommt. Bei Saudi-Arabien dazu kein Wort, erst recht keine Kritik. Dafür werden Aussagen des Kronprinzen ausführlich zitiert und nicht hinterfragt.
Der Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman, der das Land regiert, warnte vor einer Verschärfung des Konfliktes mit dem Iran und sagte mit Blick auf den Angriff auf eine saudische Raffinerie laut Spiegel:
„Wenn die Welt keine starken und entschlossenen Maßnahmen ergreift, um Iran abzuschrecken, dann werden wir weitere Eskalationen sehen, die die Interessen der Welt bedrohen werden“, sagte der Kronprinz in einem am Sonntag vom US-Sender CBC News ausgestrahlten Interview. „Die Ölversorgung wird unterbrochen, und die Ölpreise werden auf unvorstellbar hohe Zahlen steigen, die wir in unserem Leben noch nicht gesehen haben.“
Da könnte er durchaus recht haben, das Problem ist nur, dass wir diese Probleme gar nicht hätten, wenn die USA sich an ihre Verpflichtungen aus dem Atomabkommen gehalten hätten, anstatt es zu brechen. Die USA verschärfen aber seit eineinhalb Jahren die Spannungen am Golf durch ihren Vertragsbruch und die illegalen Sanktionen gegen den Iran und Saudi-Arabien hilft dabei fleißig mit. Daher ist es verlogen, dem Iran daran die Schuld zu geben. Vor dem Vertragsbruch der USA gab es dort keine Gefahr für die Ölversorgung der Welt.
Aber Hintergrundinformationen verheimlicht der Spiegel ja gerne, damit die gewünschte Message beim Leser ankommt. Zusammenhänge, die das gewünschte Bild stören, sind unerwünscht. Ein solches Vorgehen nennt sich per Definition übrigens „Propaganda“.
Und so kann man im Spiegel weder etwas über die Zustände in Saudi-Arabien lesen, noch findet man irgendetwas über die Vorgeschichte der aktuellen Spannungen in der Region.
Was der Spiegel verschweigt ist, dass die USA diese Behauptung zwar aufgestellt, aber keine überprüfbaren Belege vorgelegt haben. Es geht wieder einmal um die berühmten „Geheimdiensterkenntnisse“. Sie erinnern sich an die Massenvernichtungswaffen von Sadam Hussein? Das waren auch solche „Geheimdiensterkenntnisse“. Und wieder glaubt der Spiegel denen, anstatt Fragen zu stellen, wie es sich für kritische Medien gehören würde. „Wenn die USA es sagen, wird es schon stimmen“ scheint der durchschnittliche Spiegel-Redakteur zu denken.
Hinzu kommt, dass die Erklärung der europäischen Staaten eine ziemlich dreiste Propaganda-Aktion ist. Sie haben nämlich keineswegs gesagt, der Iran habe den Angriff durchgeführt. Sie haben ausdrücklich von „Verantwortung“ gesprochen und die kann man in diesem Fall sehr weit fassen.
Genau so funktioniert Propaganda: Es geht nicht um offene Lügen, das ist sehr plump und wird nicht oft getan. Es geht vielmehr um geschickte Formulierungen, Suggestionen und Weglassen von für das Verständnis wichtigen Informationen, um beim Leser den gewünschten Eindruck zu erzeugen.
. In einen Satz werden gleich mehrere Suggerierungen ohne die nötigen Hintergrundinformationen gepackt. Der Leser kann gar nicht verstehen, worum es tatsächlich geht. Das will ich nun zeigen.
Angeblich wollen alle einen Deal mit dem Iran, sagt der Kronprinz. Was der Spiegel aber verschweigt ist, dass den Deal schon gibt. Es ist das Atomabkommen, dass die USA gebrochen haben.
https://www.anti-spiegel.ru/2019/wie-der-spiegel-pro-saudische-kriegspropaganda-betreibt/
(A P)
Film: Sevim Dagdelen, DIE LINKE: Keine Solidarität mit den Schlächtern in Riad
Die Bundesregierung hat keinerlei Beweise für eine Verantwortung des Iran für die Angriffe auf saudische Ölanlagen, erklärt aber ihre ›uneingeschränkte Solidarität‹ mit der Kopf-ab-Diktatur in Riad. Diese Erklärung ist ein Schlag ins Gesicht jedes freiheitsliebenden Menschen und all derjenigen, die Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit wertschätzen. Eine ›uneingeschränkte Solidarität‹ mit einem Regime, das den islamistischen Terrorismus weltweit fördert, das Al-Kaida unterstützt und einen barbarischen Vernichtungskrieg gegen die Zivilbevölkerung im Jemen führt und vor dem der BND wegen seiner ›impulsiven Interventionspolitik‹ warnt – ganz zu schweigen von der brutalen Ermordung von Jamal Kashoggi und anderen Regimekritikern – kann und darf es nicht geben. Wer sich mit den Schlächtern in Riad gemein macht, der riskiert den Krieg gegen den Iran. An solch einem Wahnsinn darf sich Deutschland nicht beteiligen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR4V1-nSgGc
(A P)
Film: Asymmetrische Analysen bei der Tagesschau? | 451 Grad quick & dirty
Framing, Framing, Framing.
So oder so ähnlich lässt sich der jüngste Artikel zum Iran-Konflikt auf tagesschau.de zusammenfassen, der erst gar nicht versucht, dem Leser eine Meinungsbildung zu ermöglichen, sondern diese bereits vorgibt.
Ein neuer Artikel auf tagesschau.de beschäftigt sich mit dem schwelenden Konflikt zwischen dem #Iran, der #USA und Saudi-Arabien. Darin wird zwar nicht explizit gelogen, aber hier und da ein paar Fakten aussparen und ein paar Details vergessen – zack, schon passt die Analyse ins Schwarz-Weiß-Weltbild der ARD. Naja, könnte man das nicht auch auf Zufall oder Versehen zurückführen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQas22tuTLI
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
Yemeni officials say Egyptian authorities have provided access facilities for Yemenis living in Gulf and Western countries
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172204
(* B P)
'Everyone will lose': Fearing new Gulf war, Oman doubles down on diplomacy
Oman has traditionally walked its own path between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But in an increasingly polarised region, local analysts say it faces growing pressure to choose sides
Throughout its modern history, Oman has traditionally advocated dialogue, cooperation and regional stability.
Following a series of strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, which have been widely blamed on Iran, despite a claim of responsibility by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the Sultanate has reaffirmed the signature look of its foreign policy: to be a facilitator.
Located on the eastern coast of the Arabian Sea, with a long land border with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and a coastline that includes territory facing Iran across the Strait of Hormuz, Oman has generally refused to side with one axis or another. (An exception was during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war when Sultan Qaboos, the country's ruler since 1970, planned to allow Iraqi forces to take off from Oman to carry out assaults on Iran’s naval bases.)
“If a war breaks out, Oman would find itself in a difficult situation, squeezed between an Iran/Gulf war and the conflict in Yemen,” comments Hassan-Yari. But beyond security concerns, many Omanis also question the country’s future positioning in a troubled region.
Speaking to MEE on the condition of anonymity, an Omani analyst who worked for the Council of Ministers believes Oman needs to "act carefully" amid soaring regional tensions.
“When you deal with elephants, you have to be smart, or else they step on you,” he said.
According to the analyst, the Sultanate realises "very well" that "Iran is dangerous, as well as Saudi Arabia does".
He believes "both to have hands everywhere" in reference to political, economic and religious influences exerted across the Middle East by the two countries.
Therefore, Oman’s policy attempts to respect everyone's interests. In 2016, the Sultanate joined a Saudi-led alliance of Muslim countries to fight terrorism, an initiative that was primarily targeted at Islamic State which then still controlled territory in Syria and Iraq.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/everyone-will-lose-fearing-new-gulf-war-oman-doubles-down-diplomacy
(A K P)
IRGC Providing ‘Advisory’ Aid to Yemen, Not Missiles: Top General
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said the country’s military officers are only offering advisory assistance to popular forces in Yemen, rejecting reports that Tehran has supplied missiles to the impoverished Arab country.
“We are giving Yemen’s popular Army advisory and intellectual assistance and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is in charge of this,” General Baqeri told China’s Phoenix TV during a recent visit to Beijing.
He further stressed that the Islamic Republic will stand by the Yemeni people until the Saudi-led aggression comes to an end.
The top general also rejected claims that Iran has provided the Arab country with missiles, saying, “Today, Yemen is under a complete blockade (by Saudi Arabia), which has blocked all paths and prevented the delivery of food and even medicine”.
“How can one transfer several-meter-long missiles to Yemen when it is not possible to send medicine (to the Arab country)?” he asked.
https://ifpnews.com/iran-says-irgc-providing-advisory-aid-to-yemen-not-missiles
and how the Saudis tell it: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/10/01/Iran-s-IRGC-giving-assistance-to-Houthis-Iranian-army-chief-of-staff.html
(A P)
UAE affirms support for UN Secretary-General, UN Special Envoy for Yemen
The UAE affirmed its support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and UN Special Envoy for Yemen to encourage conflicting Yemeni parties to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2216/2015, without conditions
he UAE’s statement was delivered by Ambassador Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the UN and Other International Organisations in Geneva, during the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13421
My comment: Fact and fiction – this is the latter.
(A K P)
Film: RSAF #SaudiHawks Team - Gdynia Aerobaltic Airshow 2019
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1178752166334517248
My comment: Poland invited killers.
cp12b Sudan
(A K P)
Film: Activist in #Sudan has called for the withdrawal of his country’s soldiers currently fighting in #Yemen. Saudi Arabia accused of recruiting Sudanese mercenaries and child soldiers.
https://twitter.com/TurkishOutlook/status/1178656012011790336
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B K P)
U.S. Weapons, Saudi Airstrikes, Yemeni Deaths: What a U.N. Report on War Crimes in Yemen Means for U.S.-Saudi Weapon Sales
And for the first time, the experts named and implicated “third states,” including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, for selling weapons used in the conflict.
“We have a war that’s going on. It’s causing immense suffering and frankly most of that suffering is caused by arms,” said Charles Garraway, one of the experts behind the report and a former military lawyer. “The tragedy in Yemen is so awful at the moment that somehow one has got to reach some form of settlement to stop the war.”
With the support of the U.N. Human Rights Council, the group of experts wants to continue its investigation and publish additional reports, placing further pressure on countries to stop supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Before the report was released, President Donald Trump seemed determined to maintain the flow of U.S. weapons to Saudi Arabia and its allies — despite bipartisan protests in Congress.
The Saudi-led coalition has refuted the experts’ findings. In a statement published Sept. 5 through the Saudi Press Agency, coalition spokesperson Col. Turki bin Saleh Al-Malki said the three experts were misled by their sources in Yemen. He emphasized the coalition is committed to following international humanitarian and human rights law.
“If that’s what they’re trying to do, it ain’t working,” Garraway said, pointing to the deadly air campaign in Yemen.
The United Kingdom, which was also named in the U.N. report, faces similar questions about how to move forward with the Saudis – by Zoe Todd
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/u-s-weapon-saudi-airstrikes-yemen/
(B K P)
Yemen crisis underlines a shift in arms exports
Governments need to reassess their approach to weapons sales
The ethics of arms exports is no longer the preserve of lobby groups. There is a broader public groundswell of opposition. Governments can no longer expect to sell arms with impunity using economic interest as a justification.
In the UK, the legality of arms transfers is currently subject to domestic court proceedings. The government last week admitted to further breaches of a pledge not to license new arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
In the US, the world’s biggest spender on weapons, bipartisan moves in the Senate to restrict exports to the Gulf states ultimately proved unsuccessful but underlined the groundswell of unease.
Trade in arms will continue, as will the need to use exports to bolster domestic manufacturing. But greater oversight of how those arms are used is needed, and public and investor scrutiny is here to stay.
https://www.ft.com/content/713498ee-e11f-11e9-b112-9624ec9edc59
My comment: „the need to use exports to bolster domestic manufacturing“???? You do not need arms exports for this!!
(* A B K P)
Footage appears to show Canadian-made armoured vehicle captured by Yemen rebels in fighting with Saudis
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released video footage of the aftermath of a battle with Saudi forces which appears to show a captured Canadian-made light armoured vehicle.
The footage was released Sunday in what the rebels say started as an ambush inside Saudi Arabia but then turned into a major cross-border battle. The footage of the battle was shown on Houthi-run Al Masirah TV and Al Jazeera.
Over the years, Saudi Arabia has purchased light armoured vehicles from Canada’s General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada in London, ON. In 2014 the then Conservative government announced a deal worth an estimated $15 billion to sell Saudi Arabia more than 700 light armoured vehicles. That controversial deal was later approved by the Liberal government.
Photos: https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1179109176041189376
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
Siehe / Look at cp1d
(* A K pH)
New Sudanese mercenaries arrive in Hajjah
After massive losses, Riyadh continues sending in cannon fodder
Hundreds of Sudanese forces that fighting alongside the coalition in Yemen have been killed and dozens of military vehicles were destroyed by the Yemeni army since the beginning of the war
https://www.uprising.today/new-sudanese-mercenaries-arrive-in-hajjah-2/
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(A P)
Receipt of Request from the Republic of Yemen Government under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(* A K PT)
New evidence proves link between Riyadh, Hadi and Al-Qaeda
Documents detail cooperation between exiled Hadi government and terrorist organisations
New documents confirmed the organic, intellectual, financial and armed links between the Saudi-led war coalition, the UAE and terrorist organizations, primarily al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The new documents were found by army forces and popular committees in coalition positions when the first phase of Operation “Victory From God” was carried out in the Najran axis.
The documents found clearly show the close association of coalition militants and Hadi’s Government in the so-called “Al-Fatah Brigade” of the so-called al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
The leadership of the brigade, called “Brigade of Conquest”, is known as Radad al-Hashimi as one of the most prominent leaders of al-Qaeda in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula.
The documents confirm what coalition loyalists have been denying.
https://www.uprising.today/new-evidence-proves-link-between-riyadh-hadi-and-al-qaeda/
(A P)
More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13417
and
http://www.wam.ae/de/details/1395302791131 (in German)
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Saudi Press highlights HRH Crown Prince's Interview with American Channel CBS
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1976534
(A P)
KSrelief Supervisor General: KSA is Monumental Edifice and a Beacon of Humanitarian Action in the World
Saudi Advisor to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been helping poor, needy and affected people and contributed significantly to alleviating the pain of the injured and the needy. This has made it a monumental edifice and beacon of humanitarian action in the world, and earned a good international reputation in the field of charity work under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH Crown Prince.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=197667
(A P)
Released detainees from Houthis-prions in poor health
Majority of the newly released detainees from the Houthis-run prisons are in extremely poor health conditions, undersecretary of the Human Rights Ministry, Majed Fadhayel, said on Tuesday.
Fadhayel said that Houthis released nearly 350 detainees, but virtually everyone is suffering paralysis or psychological disorder due to being subjected to various forms of severe torture.
“The move by the Houthis to release these detainees is an attempt to clean their ugly record,” said Fadhayel as quoted by the Saudi Okaz Daily Newspaper.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33465
My comment: The Hadi government even finds a way to blame the Houthis when they release prisoners.
(A P)
After Aramco: Will halting Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia end Yemen’s war?
The Yemeni conflict is primarily internal
Recent history should not be distorted by those in policy or advocacy circles with an anti-Saudi agenda that only ends up benefitting sectarian militias at the expense of the Yemeni people.
Broadly speaking, the current conflict is the result of accumulated grievances, unequal distribution of wealth, poor governance, entrenched corruption, and social inequalities left unaddressed during President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule. More immediately, however, it was sparked by the capture of Sana’a by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Saleh in September 2014 and the overturning of the transitional authority of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi — and more broadly, the UN-endorsed, GCC-sponsored peace process. Therefore, the leading cause of today’s conflict is armed rebellion.
The Houthis frame the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen (or them) to manipulate international perceptions, creating a narrative that projects the Houthis as victims rather than perpetrators to the Western media on the one hand, and as a resistance movement that protects Yemen vis-à-vis “external aggression” to average Yemenis on the other. By embracing the Houthi narrative, state and non-state actors are deliberately discarding what actually happened and spreading disinformation to accomplish their own objectives, whitewashing Yemen’s history of armed uprisings, including the six Houthi wars against the central government between 2004 and 2010 that led to the conflict in the first place. External actors are fighting a different battle from Yemenis.
(A P)
Saudi-Led Coalition Stresses Resolution 2216 as Solution to Yemen Crisis
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen stressed that a political solution for the Yemeni crisis is the best option to end the coup.
It said this could be achieved through Houthi compliance with Security Council resolution 2216, the Gulf initiative, and outcomes of the Yemeni comprehensive dialogue.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said the de-escalation announced by the militias means stopping terrorist acts in Bab al-Mandeb Strait that are threatening international shipping and trade.
In a press conference in Riyadh on Monday, Maliki said that the coalition supported the political solution, adding that the military solution would pressure Houthis to sit at the negotiating table.
My comment: These outdated “three references” are the greatest obstacle to peace in Yemen, as they fix and cement forever the predominance of the Hadi government.
(A P)
Oil prices stabilize as Saudi crown prince talks peace
Oil prices stabilized on Monday after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for diplomatic solutions to the crisis with Iran and the war in Yemen.
Armed conflict with Iran would be catastrophic for global growth, the crown prince said. “Oil supplies will be disrupted and prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes. This means a total collapse of the global economy, and not just Saudi Arabia or the Middle East.
“The political and peaceful solution is much better than the military one.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1562231
(A P)
Houthis commit 10123 crimes against civilians in Al-Dhale
http://en.adenpress.news/news/13416
My comment: Hmmm. By anti-Houthi militia.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
Oct. 1: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1570022318./1427866634030364/
Sep. 30: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1569951583./1426961530787541/
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Oct 1: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9071 aada p.
Sep. 30: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9051 Saada p., Asir
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072597.htm Saada p., Hajjah p.
https://sabanews.net/en/news3072583.htm Saada p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b, cp1c, cp1d
(A K pH)
In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages on Munabbih border district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9071
(A K pS)
Over 1200 Houthi-laid landmines destroyed in Al-Jawf province
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/09/30/over-1200-houthi-laid-landmines-destroyed-in-al-jawf-province/
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(B C)
Yemen’s Erratic Bean
Ah, but where to begin with the coffee problems of Yemen, where coffee-drinking began in the 15th century?
For three centuries, Yemen had the world monopoly on coffee production. Merchants came from all over to buy coffee at Mocha, its port on the Red Sea. The new coffee trade handily replaced the spice and incense trade that had enriched Yemen in the Middle Ages.
Then in the 18th century, Dutch merchants smuggled out some live coffee plants and the jig was up. People started growing coffee throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical highlands.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-30-fo-17571-story.html
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-581-yemen-war-mosaic-581
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-581 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-581:
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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