Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 604 - Yemen War Mosaic 604

Yemen Press Reader 604: 7. Dez. 2019: Soziale Medien löschen Inhalte, die Kriegsverbrechen belegen – Said AlDailami über den Jemen – Die Spaltungen der GPC – Saudischer Lobbyismus in den USA ...

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... US-Militär als Leibwächter-Söldner für die Saudis – und mehr

Dec. 7, 2019: Social media take down evidence of war crimes – Said AlDailami interviewed on Yemen – Divisions within the GPC – Saudi lobbying in the US – US soldiers as Saudi bodyguard mercenaries – Saudi lobbyism in the US – US military as Saudi bodyguard mercenaries – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Klassifizierung / Classification

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

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle

cp1c USA, Huthis und Iran / US, Houthis and Iran

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

cp12b Sudan

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

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

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

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

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

Neue Artikel / New articles

(B H K P)

Film: Yemen - A desert Graveyard of the Middle East. Please help in spreading this video.

https://twitter.com/YemenMatters_/status/1202213749467308034

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

(** B K P)

Film: Social media platforms are taking down content containing what could be crucial evidence of human rights violations. Here are the latest statistics of how much content from #Yemen has been taken down and what we have been able to preserve.

https://twitter.com/YemeniArchive/status/1201836890040754176

(** B K P)

"Die Saudis sind die neuen Kolonisatoren"

Die "Wiener Zeitung" hat den Jemen-Experten Said AlDailami dazu befragt.

SAD: Zu Beginn hieß es, Ziel der arabischen Militärallianz sei die Verdrängung der Huthis in kürzester Zeit und die Wiedereinsetzung der legitimen Regierung. Das waren Scheinziele, damit ein völkerrechtswidriger Krieg legitimiert werden kann. Die eigentlichen Ziele sind geostrategischer, wirtschaftlicher und kultureller Natur. So soll der Bab-el-Mandeb, das "Tor der Tränen", die Meeresstraße zwischen Jemen und Afrika kontrolliert und die Ölfelder im Osten des Jemen wie Marib und Hadramaut sollen gewonnen werden. Die Saudis und die Emiratis wollen entscheiden, was im Jemen passiert. Ich nenne sie die neuen Kolonisatoren. Emiratis und Saudis haben zuletzt einen Vertrag unterzeichnet, in dem es darum geht, die Einflusssphären abzugrenzen. Das einzige Territorium, das noch unangetastet bleibt, ist das, wo die Huthis die Kontrolle ausüben.

Der Iran ist derzeit so mit sich selbst beschäftigt, dass er es sich gar nicht leisten kann, im Jemen besonder aktiv zu sein - man beachte nur die jüngsten Proteste im Inneren. Die Unterstützung ist in erster Linie deklaratorischer Art. Dazu gibt es Militärexperten der Hisbollah, die schon vor dem aktuellen Krieg in den Jemen geschickt wurden, um die Huthis auszubilden. Und es herrscht ein Embargo gegen den Jemen. Jedes Schiff, jedes Flugzeug wird ganz genau kontrolliert. Das heißt, es gelangen höchstens geschmuggelte Waffenteile ins Huthi-Gebiet.

Wenn man den Konflikt im Jemen mit dem in Syrien vergleicht, dann sieht man einige Parallelen. Beide haben als Bürgerkrieg begonnen und dann haben sich Regionalmächte eingemischt. Ist es realistisch, dass im Jemen die Jemeniten den Konflikt lösen? Für Syrien ist eine interne Lösung ja ausgeschlossen.

Es war realistisch. Früher. Heute leider nicht mehr. In früheren Konflikten haben die Jemeniten immer Lösungen gefunden. Der entscheidende Punkt war die Einmischung von außen. Einer der hauptsächlichen Gründe, weshalb die ursprünglich friedliche Revolution im Jemen in diesen fürchterlichen Krieg mündete, ist die durch Präsident Hadi beschlossene Regionalisierung des Jemen. Dabei sollte der Jemen in sechs Regionen unterteilt und als föderales System komplett umstrukturiert werden. Das war der Punkt für den mittlerweile ermordeten jemenitischen Ex-Präsidenten Ali Abdullah Saleh und die Huthis, an dem sie zu einer gemeinsamen Front verschmolzen sind. Für beide stand fest: In der arabischen Welt verbinden die Menschen mit einem föderalen System sofort Spaltung und territoriale Aufsplitterung in kleine, eigenständige Fürstentümer.

Und der internationale Druck auf diese beiden, endlich für Frieden zu sorgen: Wie groß ist der?

Der Druck ist bescheiden und verhalten. Solange dort Krieg herrscht, laufen die Waffengeschäfte für den Westen bombastisch. Noch nie haben die Saudis und die Emirate so viele Waffen aus den USA, Frankreich, Großbritannien und teilweise aus Deutschland importiert wie in diesen letzten fünf Jahren.

Ist der Westen auch mit Soldaten dort?

Es gibt Hinweise, dass sogar bei Bodenoffensiven westliche Militärs beteiligt waren. Was definitiv feststeht: In den Operationszentralen sitzen nur wenige saudische oder emiratische Offiziere. Wie denn auch, sie haben keine Ahnung vom Kriegführen, schon gar nicht vom Gefecht der verbundenen Waffen. Luftwaffe, Marine und Bodentruppen zusammenzuführen, die sogenannte vernetzte Operationsführung, ist hochkomplex und wird sogar von führenden Militärnationen nur teilweise beherrscht. Da sitzen hochrangige Militärs aus Großbritannien, aus den USA, aus Frankreich, die den Saudis und Emiratis erklären, wie das geht. Die letzte Entscheidung, ob ein vermeintliches Kriegsziel beschossen wird, fällen jedoch die Saudis selbst.

Wird der Krieg im Jemen ein jahrzehntelanger Konflikt sein oder gibt es doch eine Chance auf Frieden?

In der gesamten Region wird in den nächsten zwei Jahrzehnten keine Ruhe einkehren, der Jemen eingeschlossen. Einer der Gründe sind die hohen Ambitionen der derzeitigen Herrscher in Saudi-Arabien und in den Emiraten. Für den Jemen kann der Krieg in seiner jetzigen Form womöglich bald ein Ende finden.

https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/welt/2041044-Die-Saudis-sind-die-neuen-Kolonisatoren.html

(** B P)

'Saleh was everything': Yemeni ex-president's party divided two years after his death

Once Yemen’s largest political force under Ali Abdullah Saleh, the General People’s Congress is now more divided than ever

Two years after his death, the party of the former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has disintegrated into small groups with varying loyalties.

The GPC was then divided between supporters of Saleh in Sanaa and supporters of Hadi in Aden.

For two years, that division held, until Saleh announced he was turning against his erstwhile Houthi allies, prompting his assassination on 4 December 2017. From then on, the GPC has only gone through more fractures and changes.

Three groups

In the wake of Saleh's death, his son Tareq fled to Aden, thus splitting the GPC into three groups: the pro-Houthis, pro-Hadis and pro-Tareqs.

Though his former followers now have divided loyalties, their fealty to the slain ex-president largely remains intact.

“Saleh was loyal to the country,” a GPC member in Sanaa told Middle East Eye. “He was not a mercenary of Saudi Arabia or any foreign country, and we still adhere to his values and principles.”

The GPC member spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns in Yemen's Houthi-held capital. He told MEE that Saleh used to warn members of GPC against “the danger of Saudi Arabia”.

“Saudi Arabia is an old enemy of Yemen,” he said, adding that the Gulf kingdom “has been working to divide Yemenis”.

The party's disintegration is of some regret to GPC members. In Sanaa, many of them neither support the Houthis nor the coalition, but hide their opposition and distaste because of fears for their safety.

Backed by the UAE

To the soutwest of Sanaa is a different story.

When Tareq Saleh fled to the south, he established a personal army in the port city of Mocha, with the help of the United Arab Emirates.

The family's ties with the UAE go beyond Tareq, however. Ahmed Ali Saleh, Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son, was the Yemeni ambassador in the UAE from 2013 to 2015. He is still based in the UAE and maintains support within GPC elements in Yemen.

“Saleh was a great leader and we promised ourselves not to betray him, but we will do our best to take revenge for him,” Abdulraqeeb al-Kenani, a fighter with Tareq Saleh, told MEE.

“When Saleh realised that the Houthis are against Yemen, he told us to fight them,” he added.

“Remaining in Sanaa does not make you a supporter of the Houthis,” Kenani said. "Many GPC members in Sanaa do not dare to flee, so they flatter the Houthis to stay safe.”

Saudi 'liberated' Yemen

Another GPC group is based in Saudi Arabia. They are supporters of Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition that intervened to reinstate him, and believe Riyadh has performed admirably in its attempts to support the Yemeni president.

“The Yemeni army could not liberate any governorate from the Houthis, but when the Saudi-led coalition intervened, it liberated many governorates from them,” Ghamdan Ibrahim, a GPC member in the central Yemeni city of Taiz, told MEE.

“No one could deny the role of Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war. If they withdraw, the Houthis will take over the whole country.”

Ibrahim denounced Tareq Saleh for not backing Hadi, instead looking to build his own personal support.

The GPC ‘died with Saleh’

Fadhl Mohammed, a professor of psychology and commentator on the developments in Yemen, said that the GPC ended when Saleh died.

“The GPC means Ali Saleh. There was no system inside the party, Saleh was everything. Others were only followers,” he told MEE.

For Mohammed, the GPC factions have proved totally unable to mass under the single leadership of any man other than Saleh.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/party-former-yemeni-president-deeply-divided-two-years-after-his-death

My remark: More on this subject, look at cp2 (https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2019/12/5/where-does-yemens-gpc-stand-two-years-after-saleh(.

(** B P)

Following the Money: Why is the Saudi Lobby so Powerful in America?

Abstract

Saudi Arabia represents the sixth most powerful foreign lobby in the United States. Following Israel and Qatar, Saudi Arabia is the third country in the Middle East to invest the most in shaping U.S. foreign policy, according to the Foreign Lobby Watch. Investigations surrounding Russia’s influence in making Donald Trump win the 2016 election made headlines despite little evidence to prove their veracity and much evidence to prove they were mere conspiracy theories.

Following Israel and Qatar, Saudi Arabia is the third country in the Middle East to invest the most in shaping U.S. foreign policy, according to the Foreign Lobby Watch

One the other hand, Saudi Arabia’s lobbying power made of millions of investments in the United States rarely gets discussed. Even as the U.S. supplies the Kingdom with weapons that commit humanitarian crises abroad, like in Yemen, and the repeated links found between Saudi Arabia and various designated terrorist groups, the issue does not receive the attention it deserves. When did this unholy alliance start? Why does it continue? How does it operate?

How it Began

Why a Lobby is Needed

It is no surprise that among these scandals, trust for Saudi Arabia in America has come at an all-time low. A new poll showed that barely one in five Americans view Saudi Arabia as an ally.

The new Crown Prince of the Saudi Kingdom, Mohammed bin Salman, reportedly invested millions in the United States to guarantee its image wasn’t tarnished with its most important ally.

As a result, the U.S. government continues to overlook Saudi Arabia’s controversial role at home and abroad, which has resulted in counter-productive and self-destructive policies with the rise of terrorism and humanitarian atrocities being committed with U.S.-made weapons in Middle Eastern countries like Yemen. Part of this toxic relationship can be explained in terms of defending a commercial partnership, where Saudi Arabia provides the U.S. oil at reasonable prices and creates jobs in the United States by purchasing from its weapons manufacturers.

The political influence Saudi Arabia has on the U.S. government however, goes even deeper.

An ironic statement, considering there is no reason the U.S. should be supporting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in the first place.

So why would Congress take so long to pass a resolution that would protect America’s interests — and why would Trump decide to veto it without a valuable justification? The only answer can be the exceptional influence of the Saudi lobby. The commercial partnership alone between the two countries does not suffice to explain why the United States is unwavering in its support for Saudi Arabia as an ally, considering how troublesome the alliance has been.

What is supposedly a quid pro quo agreement whereby the U.S. would receive numerous jobs at home in manufacturing these weapons for the Kingdom, is in fact far from the truth. Saudi arms sales do not provide a substantial number of American jobs.

Equally, oil dependency does not suffice as a reason for Saudi Arabia to have such a strong influence in the United States' foreign policy decisions.

As we can see, neither arms manufacture jobs nor oil imports can explain why the U.S. continues to support Saudi Arabia in foreign policy decisions that harm its own national interests. Today, Saudi Arabia continues to invest millions to advance its interests in the United States – which it views as a vital partner to defend its ambitions in the wider Middle East, especially against its neighboring enemy of Iran, and lately against Qatar as well.

The Media

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia invests heavily in U.S. media to garner influence. A report from the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative shows that out of the top ten entities, Saudi Arabia contacted the media the most, ahead of the Senate, the House or any private company.

CNN, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, NBC and Bloomberg topped the list of national media outlets that were contacted the most by PR firms working on behalf of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, according to the body that governs registering foreign lobbyists in the United States, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Saudi foreign agents also contacted more than 200 local media outlets. Saudi’s approach to the media is therefore comprehensive, contacting both big and small newspapers to influence public opinion.

In terms of think tanks, Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian oil company, contributes between $200,000 and $499,999 to the number one think tank in the world for security, The Centre for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington DC. This should guarantee a degree of protection and discretion when discussing Saudi Arabia’s role in the world when the think tank releases its reports.

The Firms

The Saudis have paid about $100 million to lobbyists, consultants and public relations specialists over the past decade, according to research in Mitchell Bard's book The Arab Lobby. Saudi’s influence since that time has not only continued but likely increased.

The FARA filings stated that 31 different firms or individuals were registered to represent Saudi interests in 2018.

The Saudi monarchy was desperate in trying to protect its image, so much that it spent more in lobbying the months after Khashoggi’s death than the entire year leading up to his death.

The Politicians

Over $1.6 million in political donations were made from foreign agents working for Saudi Arabia’s lobbying operations in the 2018 election cycle alone. The 2020 general presidential candidates will need to face the choice of whether or not they will be keeping foreign money offered by the Saudis.

Saudi lobbyists contacted the office of nearly every senator and more than 200 representatives, according to a report by The Centre for International Policy. Yet while the Saudis’ investments in Congress have not always been successful, they have successfully courted Trump to their side. Reporting by OpenSecrets says:

"The Kingdom spent around $60 million in lobbying operations since President Donald Trump took office. Saudi lobbyists even paid for an estimated 500 rooms at Trump’s Washington hotel just after he was elected president."

With regard to political influence outside the Trump family, the Saudis were also relentless to protect their interests. In total, firms representing Saudi Arabia gave $2.24 million to political campaigns – by Alessandra Bocchi

https://www.albawaba.com/insights/following-money-why-saudi-lobby-so-powerful-america-1324722

(** B K P)

American Soldiers Are Not Bodyguards For Saudi Royals

President Donald Trump believes in America First except when it comes to the Saudi royal family. Then it is Saudi Arabia first.

At the end of November, U.S. military leaders were in Riyadh negotiating the employment terms for the royal’s new bodyguards. That is, the plan for an expanded American military presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), including Patriot missiles, Sentinel radars, a THAAD air defense system, fighter aircraft, and other equipment, as well as personnel, who will eventually number around 3,000.

Why is the president, who has loudly insisted that allies do more to defend themselves, even more determined to handle Saudi Arabia’s security?

Of course, the royals themselves want American backing. Having grabbed control of their people’s wealth, they long have hired others to do the hard, unpleasant, and dangerous work—including the U.S. military.

The status-conscious KSA spends lavishly, especially on modern fighter jets. Last year Riyadh devoted $83 billion to the military. In 2017 defense expenditures ran $89 billion. That put the Kingdom in third place globally, after America and China. Alas, possession of fine equipment alone is not enough to ensure its good use.

Nevertheless, the royals may prefer not to have a capable military, as it could threaten a system in which the few mulct the many. After all, who other than a prince receiving a state subsidy has much incentive to defend the corrupt, repressive, and decrepit monarchy? It might be worth joining the armed forces to collect a paycheck, but certainly not to risk one’s life on behalf of some man or woman (very) distantly related to the desert bandit named al-Saud who long ago defeated his rivals.

For the regime, the National Guard is most important, since its role is to protect the princely rulers from internal enemies. Also critical is the Pakistani military, which deploys upward of 20,000 troops in Saudi Arabia on “security duties.” Islamabad has found the arrangement to be profitable.

Although Trump criticized the Kingdom during the campaign, on taking office he promptly turned U.S. policy over to Riyadh. He apparently viewed the royals’ checks to munitions makers as de facto compensation for the Pentagon playing bodyguard. Yet the revenues are minor compared to America’s overall economy and offer little benefit to most Americans. Worse still, military cooperation entangles the U.S. in regional conflicts and Sunni-Shia confrontation, of which Yemen is the latest manifestation.

Now the U.S. role is further expanding. President Trump promised that the KSA would pay “100 percent of the cost” of the new deployment, but that doesn’t include the expense of creating the units being deployed. Even if it did, the Pentagon should not hire out personnel to rich states. The role of Americans in uniform should be to protect America, not to act as foreign mercenaries.

Incredibly, in Saudi Arabia the administration plans to spread Americans out geographically, effectively turning them into hostages. According to the Washington Post: “Military officials say one important aspect of the deployment is the presence of American forces in more locations across the Kingdom. They believe Iran has demonstrated its reluctance to target American personnel, either directly or indirectly, in part because Trump has made clear that would trigger a military response.” If the administration purposefully shelters the royals behind Americans, Tehran might take bigger risks.

There is no good policy reason for Washington to make the Middle East safe for monarchy – by Doug Bandow

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/american-soldiers-are-not-bodyguards-for-saudi-royals/

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(A H)

Ein Frachtflugzeug mit Impfstoffen erreicht den Flughafen von Sanaa

Ein UNICEF-Frachtflugzeug mit Polio-Impfstoffen traf am Donnerstag am internationalen Flughafen von Sanaa ein.

Der Impfstoffdirektor des Impfprogramms Taha Real Estate teilte der jemenitischen Nachrichtenagentur (Saba) mit, dass die Lieferung vier Millionen und 602.000 und 600 Dosen oraler Polio-Impfstoff und 614.000 Dosen BCG-Impfstoff für die Routineimpfung enthält.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080893.htm

(* B H)

Invisible ‘superbug’ could be more deadly than bombs in Middle East war zones

With stray bullets, falling bombs and collapsing buildings, civilians face extreme danger at the frontlines of wars in Syria and Yemen, where doctors and functioning hospitals can be difficult to access.

Amid such hazards, civilians often endure a less obvious peril: infections from strains of “superbug” bacteria that have outsmarted drugs developed to treat them. Once injured, civilians in the Middle East face much higher rates of this bacteria, according to data from Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

“The rates we see in our Middle Eastern facilities are strikingly high,” Ernestina Repetto, an adviser on infectious diseases for MSF, told The World.

Antibiotic-resistant diseases are a global concern. Their prevalence in the Middle East creates extra challenges for war-weary civilians and overstretched medics.

“With antibiotics becoming less effective, millions of lives are at risk. The evidence we have suggests that the problem in some war zones is even greater and much more urgent,” Reppetto said.

A civilian in a Middle Eastern hotspot who endures a so-called “dirty wound” from a bullet or bomb blast and whose injury becomes infected is about 10 times as likelier to experience a multidrug-resistant strain than people suffering comparable injuries in Europe or North America, according to MSF.

In European cities, multidrug-resistant bugs are typically found in only about 5-10% of infected wounds, Repetto said. MSF doctors at field clinics in Yemen, Syria and Iraq find superbug infections in 70-80% of patients.

For the wounded, this can mean recoveries that should take weeks dragging out for years. Without the right treatment, sufferers may need to have limbs amputated. In extreme cases, they can die from sepsis.

https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-12-04/invisible-superbug-could-be-more-deadly-bombs-middle-east-war-zones

and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191205-superbugs-another-deadly-threat-facing-civilians-in-the-middle-east/

Film: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191205-superbugs-another-deadly-threat-facing-civilians-in-the-middle-east/

(B H)

The number of cases of dengue fever has increased to about 1,000 in the liberated [by pro-Saudi militia] areas in Hajjah governorate.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1202225291017494528

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle

(A K pS)

Heavy clashes rock southern Hodeidah border town

Mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and missiles lit up the night sky over the city of Hays Tuesday

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/158

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, December 6th, 2019

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10108

(A K pH)

Aggressionskräfte bombardieren weiterhin Hodeidah und errichten neue Kampfbefestigungen

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080891.htm

(A K pH)

In Hodeidah, US-Saudi forces targeted At-tohayta district with shells and different arms. The mercenaries started new fortifications in Hais district. US-Saudi warplanes flew over AL-Mondhr area southern Hodeidah.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10101

(A K pS)

Dozens of Houthis killed in Hays, south Hodeidah

Dozens of Houthi fighters were killed and others were injured in clashes erupted on Wednesday, between the joint forces and the pro-Iran Houthi militants on the outskirts of Hays district, south Hodeidah.
The confrontations broke out when the Houthis launched a large-scale attack on the locations under the control of the joint forces in the eastern and northern parts of Hays in a bid to restore the liberated district.
Military field sources reported that the militia lost dozens of its men in the failed attack, adding that the remaining Houthi fighters fled the scene.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14964

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, December 4th, 2019

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10075

(A K pS)

Film: Al-Hudaydah Two children were shot by Houthi militias in Al-Matina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3LzWTmRBS4

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10047

(* A K pH)

Fünf Kinder getötet, ein sechstes verletzt, als eine Bombe aus Überresten der Aggression explodierte in Hodeidah

Fünf Kinder wurden getötet und ein sechstes verletzt, als eine Granate aus den Überresten der Aggression explodierte in Hodeidah.

Die Quelle bestätigte den Tod von fünf Kindern und die Verletzung eines sechsten Kindes, nachdem eine Granate im Dorf al-Manqam, Bezirk Al-Duraihimi Gouvernement Hodeidah, aus Überresten der Aggression explodierte und Söldner haben mit Artilleriegeschossen den Dörfern Shedschn und Kouai in der Direktion bombardiert.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080722.htm

(* A K pH)

5 Children Killed, one Injured with Saudi Shell Remanent in Hodeidah

Five children were killed and a sixth child was injured on Tuesday with a remnant shell explosion, fired by the Saudi-paid fighters, in Hodeidah governorate.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10060

Hodeidah: the names of the martyrs of children who were martyred due to the artillery shelling of the aggression forces on the village of Al-Munqim (5 names, ages 7 (2), 8 (2), 13 (1); photos)

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2168677923428190

while the Hadi government claims:
(A K pS)

5 children killed by an explosive device planted by Houthis southern Hodeidah

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/04/5-children-killed-by-an-explosive-device-planted-by-houthis-southern-hodeidah/

cp1c USA, Huthis und Iran / US, Houthis and Iran

(* A P)

In shift, State’s Hook says Yemen’s Houthis independent from Iran

In a shift that analysts said reflects progress in Saudi talks with Yemen’s Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, State Department Iran envoy Brian Hook said today that Iran does not speak for the Houthis, whom he described as playing a more constructive role in issuing a cease-fire proposal.

“We should recall that the Houthis proposed a cessation of missile and air attacks with Saudi Arabia just days after the Iranians struck Saudi oil installations on Sept. 14,” Hook told journalists at the State Department.

“The Houthis’ de-escalation proposal, which the Saudis are responding to, shows that Iran clearly does not speak for the Houthis, nor has the best interests of the Yemeni people at heart,” Hook said. “Iran is trying to prolong Yemen’s civil war to project power. Iran should follow the calls of its own people and end its involvement in Yemen.”

Hook’s comments praising the Houthi de-escalation proposal stand in contrast to how he described the Houthis, in a September Wall Street Journal op-ed, as an Iranian proxy group. He further characterized the Iranian-Houthi relationship as a “strategic alliance.”

“Iran’s strategic alliance with the Houthis allows them to target Gulf nations at will with missile and UAV attacks, and to inspire, organize, and direct militant separatist groups in Saudi Arabia’s provinces,” Hook wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “The Houthis have launched Iranian-origin missiles at population centers such as Riyadh, hundreds of miles away.”

Hook's currently expressed view of the Houthis now more closely aligns with the long-standing, more nuanced assessment of the Yemeni group held by officials in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. They also reflect apparent progress in Saudi-Houthi talks, as the Saudis seek to accelerate efforts to unwind their military involvement in Yemen, analysts told Al-Monitor.

“Look, we have said all along that the Houthis are pursuing Houthi objectives,” former US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein told Al-Monitor, reflecting the view more generally held by his former Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/12/state-department-hook-shift-yemen-houthi-independent-iran.html

Comment by Nasser Arrabyee: The shift is to encourage Saudis do more! And Saudi leadership, MBS and KBS in particular, are doing their best now to end their war in Yemen and get out of the quagmire! But the question is,would they succeed? Hard concessions and compromises to make!

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1202805795504689152

and

(* A P)

Intel: How US just contradicted its own justification for arming the Saudis in Yemen

A key State Department official portrayed the Houthi rebels as independent from Tehran in a briefing with reporters on Thursday, a significant shift that flies in the face of years of US justification for its role in the war in Yemen.

Why it matters: Since 2015, both the Barack Obama and the Donald Trump administrations — as well as a bipartisan coalition of Iran hawks in Congress — have used Tehran’s support for the Houthis to justify continued support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen despite the civilian death toll. The coalition’s defenders have sought to paint the Houthis as direct agents of Iran, rather than autonomous actors.

Most recently, Hook wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed asserting that Iran’s support for the Houthis allow it to “effectively [extend] its borders” and accused the news media of doing “a poor job of reporting on Iran’s role in intensifying and prolonging the tragic conflict in Yemen.” Most recently, Hook wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed asserting that Iran’s support for the Houthis allow it to “effectively [extend] its borders” and accused the news media of doing “a poor job of reporting on Iran’s role in intensifying and prolonging the tragic conflict in Yemen.”

What’s next:Hook’s new emphasis on the supposed strategic rift between Iran and the Houthis indicates that the Trump administration is likely to do more to push the Saudi-led coalition and the Yemeni government to resolve the bloody war through peace negotiations than it previously has.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/12/intel-state-department-saudi-war-yemen-justification.html

(* A P)

US wants info on Iranian planner of 2007 attack that killed 5 US troops, offers $15M

The State Department on Thursday offered a $15 million reward for information related to a Yemen-based commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) suspected of plotting attacks against U.S. and coalition forces, including a 2007 offensive that left five American troops dead.

The bounty is for information on the financial activities, networks and associates of Abdul Reza Shahlai, who commands Iran's special foreign actions unit known as the Quds Force, Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative on Iran, told reporters during a briefing.

Shahlai has a long history of attacks on Americans and U.S. allies, Hook said, adding that he's provided extremist Shia groups with weapons and explosives.

Hook said Shahlai also funded a 2011 plot to assassinate Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., in a Washington D.C.-area restaurant. A follow-up attack that could have killed up to 200 American civilians was also planned but was not successful, he said.

Shahlai is suspected of providing weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are engaged in a war with the central government. The conflict is seen as a proxy war, with Iran supporting the rebels and Saudi Arabia siding with the government.

Hook said the U.S. is “gravely concerned" by Shahlai's "presence in Yemen" while alluding to his potential involvement relating to a boat filled with sophisticated weapons that was intercepted late last month.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/state-department-offers-reward-iranian-commander-deadly-iraq-attack

and

(* A P)

Abdul Reza Shahla'i, the IRGC's Man in Sana'a, is wanted for Justice

The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Shahla'i or to the disruption of the IRGC's financial mechanisms in Yemen and in the region.

https://twitter.com/Rewards4Justice/status/1202642667802439681

(* A K P)

US-Marine beschlagnahmt Waffenlieferung für Jemen

Das US-Marine hat nach eigenen Angaben eine Lieferung für Rebellen im Jemen sichergestellt. Eine erste Untersuchung deute auf einen iranischen Ursprung hin.

Das US-Militär hat nach eigenen Angaben eine große Waffenlieferung für Rebellen im Jemen beschlagnahmt, die vom Iran stammen soll. Die Waffen und Raketenteile habe ein Kriegsschiff der US-Marine am vergangenen Mittwoch bei einer Routinekontrolle eines Kleinbootes im Norden des Arabischen Meeres entdeckt, teilten US-Vertreter am Mittwoch mit.

Eine erste Untersuchung deute darauf hin, dass die modernen Raketenkomponenten „iranischen Ursprungs“ seien, ergänzte Pentagon-Sprecher Sean Robertson.

Es war das erste Mal, dass solche Waffenteile auf dem Weg zum Jemen abgefangen wurden.

https://www.wiwo.de/politik/ausland/usa-us-marine-beschlagnahmt-waffenlieferung-fuer-jemen/25301906.html

(* A K P)

US-Marine beschlagnahmt iranische Rüstungsgüter

Ein Kriegsschiff der US-Marine hat auf einem Frachter im Arabischen Meer Waffen beschlagnahmt, die aus dem Iran stammem sollen.

Das US-Verteidigungsministerium teilte mit, es habe sich um ein staatenloses Schiff in internationalen Gewässern gehandelt. Die Nachrichtenagentur AP meldet, dass Teile von Lenkraketen sichergestellt wurden, die für den Krieg im Jemen bestimmt gewesen sein könnten.

Der Frachter, der nun aufgebracht wurde, soll laut AP eine „nennenswerte Menge“ an hochentwickelten Waffenteilen an Bord gehabt haben. Dem Bericht zufolge hat das US-Militär in der Region schon mehrfach Rüstungslieferungen beschlagnahmt, aber bisher in kleinerem Umfang und mit weniger hoch entwickelten Teilen.

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/arabisches-meer-us-marine-beschlagnahmt-iranische.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1077145

(* A K P)

US officials release photos of 'significant cache' of Iranian missile parts captured

U.S. officials released photos Thursday of the missile parts intercepted by military personnel believed to be from Iran headed to Yemen.

The photos were displayed during an on-the-record briefing with Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran and senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-officials-release-photos-of-significant-cache-of-iranian-missile-parts-captured

and also https://sputniknews.com/military/201912061077495754-us-releases-photos-of-seized-significant-cache-of-iran-missile-parts-headed-to-yemen/

and photo 2, details explained: https://twitter.com/WithinSyriaBlog/status/1202698839024685062

My comment: Up to now, the public has got just 2 photos… This photo: a boat is seized: https://twitter.com/IranConflictOBS/status/1202697327502352385 was only published there and I doubt whether it’s really new.

and even the film by Fox News only shows these two photos and nothing more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyimjWaa5ZY = https://video.foxnews.com/v/6113495324001#sp=show-clips

and this Fox film shows no authentic footage at all: https://video.foxnews.com/v/6113358248001#sp=show-clips

(* A K P)

US Navy seizes suspected Iranian missile parts set for Yemen

A Navy warship has seized a “significant cache” of suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen, U.S. officials said Wednesday, marking the first time that such sophisticated components have been taken en route to the war there.

The seizure from a small boat by the U.S. Navy and a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team happened last Wednesday in the northern Arabian Sea, and the weapons have been linked to Iran.

Officials said the incident illustrates the continuing illegal smuggling of weapons to Houthi rebels and comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were meeting, with Iran as the main topic.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about a sensitive military mission. In a statement, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said a U.S. warship inspection discovered a cache of weapons and advanced missile components. He said, “An initial investigation indicates that these advanced missile components are of Iranian origin.”

https://apnews.com/8c96dd8291fb9311c128defbf45fb5af

(* A K P)

Iranian missile parts headed to Yemen captured by US Navy warship, officials say

U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that a U.S. Navy warship has intercepted a “significant cache” of what is thought to be missile parts from Iran headed to rebels in Yemen.

This is the first time such high-level missile components have been seized en route to the four-year civil war in Yemen, officials said, where Iranians support the Houthi rebels. The U.S. has repeatedly accused Iran of smuggling arms to the rebels, who are battling the Yemeni government.

A small Navy boat and a Coast Guard boarding team seized the weapons last Wednesday in the northern Arabian Sea. The weapons have been linked to Iran.

The seizure came just as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss counterbalancing Iran.

According to officials, the USS Forrest Sherman, part of the Harry S. Truman strike group operating in the region, was conducting routine maritime operations when sailors noticed a small wooden boat that was not displaying a flag from any country.

Navy and Coast Guard personnel stopped the boat and boarded it for inspection when they found the weapons. They did not determine an exact number but asserted it was a significant cache.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-missile-parts-yemen-captured-navy-warship

(* A P)

Officials: U.S. Navy seizes suspected Iranian missile parts set for Yemen

The USS Forrest Sherman was conducting routine maritime operations when sailors noticed a small boat exhibiting behavior similar to other vessels involved in smuggling, a Defense official told NBC News. By the time the U.S. Navy warship approached, the vessel was "dead in the water" due to engine failure. The boat was not flying a flag, and the Navy and Coast Guard personnel boarded it for inspection and flag verification — a process allowed under international law. Once onboard, they found the weapons.

The crew of the boat were Yemeni, the official said, and the military is still investigating the origin and exact destination of the boat.

Officials did not provide the exact number of weapons seized last Wednesday, but did describe it as a significant cache, and one official said early assessments indicate it was headed to Yemen. The officials said the small boat was towed into port because a leak was discovered during the inspection, and the crew were transferred to custody of the Yemeni Coast Guard. The weapons are still on board the U.S. ship.

The officials said the U.S. is still examining the weapons to specifically pinpoint their origin. But they said the missile parts had all the hallmarks of previous Iranian weapons that have been found in Yemen or Saudi Arabia.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/officials-u-s-navy-seizes-suspected-iranian-missile-parts-set-n1096096

and also https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/us-navy-seizes-suspected-iranian-missile-parts-set-yemen

(* A P)

U.S. Seizes Missile Parts Headed To Yemen Amid Reports Of New Iranian Threats (Updated)

The Pentagon has confirmed that the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Forrest Sherman seized a shipment of guided missile components of suspected Iranian origin last week that appeared to be heading for Houthi rebels in Yemen. This comes amid reports of possible new threats from Iran and its regional proxies, such as the Houthis, toward U.S. forces and their partners in the Middle East, including increased drone activity. In light of these and other developments, the U.S. government may now be considering doubling its force posture in the region, which could involve the deployment of up 14,000 additional troops.

Reports about Forrest Sherman's seizure first appeared on Dec. 4, 2019, but the actual incident occurred in the North Arabian Sea on Nov. 27.

The Forrest Sherman's seizure may be related, at least in part, to a separate report from CNN on Dec. 4 that the United States has a new stream of intelligence indicating potential threats from Iran and its proxies toward American forces and interested in the Middle East.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31329/u-s-seizes-missile-parts-headed-to-yemen-amid-reports-of-new-iranian-threats

My comment: The narrative of “potential threats from Iran and its proxies toward American forces and interested in the Middle East” is mere propaganda. The US territory is 7,000 miles away from these areas in the Middle East. Such a propaganda would take for granted that US military is operating worldwide and that US interests are valid (and superior to others) on the whole globe.

(A K P)

Yemen [Hadi] government condemns Iran over Houthi weapon supplies

Yemen’s government added that it would not allow the country to be used for “Iranian projects” that threatened international navigation and destabilized the security and stability of neighboring countries.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1594631/middle-east

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* A K)

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON DECEMBER 5, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-december-5-2019-map-update/

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON DECEMBER 4, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-december-4-2019-map-update/

(? B K P)

"Es ging schief, weil Obama zögerte"

Der emiratische Politikprofessor und Analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla hält ein Ende des Jemenkriegs für möglich und hofft auf Deutschland als Vermittler (Interview; nur im Abo)

https://www.spiegel.de/plus/jemen-es-ging-schief-weil-obama-zoegerte-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000167380453

(* B K P)

War on Yemen has already claimed over 90,000 lives, new research shows

Humanitarian activists publish results in letter to French government

On December 3, a group of human right activists from different nationalities have sent a letter to the French Minister of the Armies, Florence Parley, titled “Stop the war and the massacre of civilians in Yemen.”

According to the letter obtained by Uprising Today, in total from the beginning of 2015 to the present, the total number of deaths reported in Yemen war is 91,600.

“Since 2015, 39, 700 armed clashes or airstrikes have been reported,” the letter reads.

The letter confirmed that 13 million civilians are facing one of the worst famines in history, stressing that in recent years, Saudi-led coalition has bombed widespread civilian areas.

“We want to stop the sale of weapons and ask European countries to help the Yemeni people with humanitarian corridors and asylum rights for those who choose to leave Yemen, ” Mariacarmela Ribecco, one of the humanitarian activists said.

https://www.uprising.today/war-on-yemen-has-already-claimed-over-90000-lives-new-research-shows/

My comment: This figure only covers those who had been killed in plain acts of war. All those killed by indirect consequences of war and Saudi blockade are not included in this figure. The total will be 230,000 at least, probably even more.

(* B H K P)

Yemen’s Taiz residents still drowning in woes despite deal

But at least one southern province — Taiz — has little chance to rid itself of the terrible, multilayered plight it has suffered. The city of the same name has been beset by the cruel war and an unrelenting siege over the last five years. A humanitarian catastrophe has been unfolding and epidemics keep surfacing. Civilians are bearing the brunt of the heavy toll.

Taiz resident Mohammed Abdulmalik displays zero hope over the government's return to Aden. “I'm not optimistic about the rapprochement between the government and the southern secessionists, and the government’s present operation from Aden will not improve the situation in Taiz,” Abdulmalik told Al-Monitor.

“Even if the government wants to mitigate the suffering of the people here, it is incapable of doing so. The government could not protect itself in Aden, and we do not expect this government to come to our rescue," he added.

On Nov. 26, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a new outbreak of dengue fever has hit Taiz.

Living in Taiz for several years, Abdulmalik said the humanitarian situation increasingly worsens and the efforts of UN organizations and charity agencies haven't been sufficient to stop the spread of epidemics or assist civilians in overcoming their economic woes.

Amer Daakam, a Taiz-based political writer, rejects the possibility that Taiz will recover from its health and economic plights anytime soon.

Ahmed, a pro-government soldier in Taiz city who preferred not to give his full name, can't hide his disappointment with the status quo. He told Al-Monitor, “People here have many things to fight. We need to fight epidemics, the tough living conditions and the Houthis' tight siege. We keep waiting to see the war gone."

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/12/yemen-taiz-crisis-saudi-government-agreement-aden.html

(B P)

Islah militias holding woman captive for over one and a half year

Abdul Qadir al-Mortada, chairman of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, has revealed that the Saudi-backed Islah Party forces have kept a woman from al-Jawf captive more than a year and a half.

Al-Mortada said in a statement on Thursday: “The citizen [a woman named Samira Hezam Marsh] was kidnapped by mercenaries from Hazm area in Jawf province a year and a half ago and taken to a prison in Ma’rib province.
The mercenaries did not take into account the security of her person or the suffering of her three children and her family. We tried in every way to release her, and offered to exchange them for any prisoner, but to no avail. Even the sheikhs of Jawf were unable to convince the Islah militias to release her,” he said.

On the other hand, al-Mortada affirmed that Saudi-led coalition’s procrastination in the release of the rest of the prisoners.

Al-Mortada said on his Twitter account, “We are still waiting for the aggression forces to release 72 prisoners of the Yemeni army, part of the 200 prisoners that the coalition promised to release.”

https://www.uprising.today/slah-militias-holding-woman-captive-for-over-one-and-a-half-year/

(* B K P)

Faint hope of war petering out in Yemen

Some wars end in victory, but just as many sputter out in exhaustion. The war in Yemen, now coming up on five years old, always looked likely to end up in the second category, and the time may be quite soon.

The Saudis are making these overtures because they are actually managing, very slowly, to lose the war. They have a monopoly of air power, so they can bomb anything that moves (including an improbable number of wedding parties). Their coalition of Arab dictatorships and monarchies, from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates, gives them ample troops on the ground. And still they cannot win.

Saudi Arabia generally avoids committing its own troops to ground combat, but the Houthis are now taking the war to Saudi territory.

And the Saudi-led 'coalition', such as it was, is falling apart.

So this squalid, stupid war may finally be heading for a long-term ceasefire. There probably won't be an actual peace settlement, because Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, will want to disguise his defeat (for it was his 'war of choice'). But it would still be a great boon for the Yemeni people.

The horrors of the past five years came to pass because the Saudis exploited the overthrow of long-ruling Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012 to manoeuvre their own man, Abdradduh Mansur Hadi, into power as the transitional president. Why?

Yemen, Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour, has about the same population, but it has little oil and is extremely poor. Saudis have therefore always been very nervous about the possibility of radicalism in Yemen, and consistently meddled in the country's politics (with some success, because money talks).

Their man Mr Hadi started out in 2012 with a two-year mandate, to be followed (in theory) by a democratic election. Instead, he stayed in power after his mandate expired and promoted a new constitution that would 'decentralise' the country and cut the more heavily populated northern part of Yemen out of any share of the oil revenues.

Mr Hadi's game was simply to redirect the flow of oil revenues to himself and his cronies, but it also served Saudi Arabia's purposes because it would deprive northern Yemen of this revenue.

There is no evidence that the Iranians ever sent the Houthis anything, but the Houthis saw what Mr Hadi was trying to do to them and rebelled against him.

It has now become clear that Saudi Arabia is never going to win.

The winners are clear, and it's time to stop the war.

The tricky bit will be finding a way for His Royal Highness Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to walk away without being openly humiliated. That may take some time -- and some more deaths, of course – by Gwynne Dyer

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1809534/ = https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9765142-gwynne-dyer-saudis-are-the-big-losers-as-bloody-war-in-yemen-sputters-out/

(* B K P)

Journalist of the month: Naseh Shaker

Shaker had hoped to find a job as a reporter after studying English in college, but he couldn’t find a position. In 2015, long-running news outlets in Yemen were struggling.

“Paper journalism has perished in Yemen,” said Shaker, adding that many news outlets suffered from a loss of advertising funds.

Shaker took a job as a motorcycle delivery person. He said he was “ashamed” of this since he graduated among the top of his class. However, he kept looking for opportunities. He soon found a Coursera course on “English for journalists.”

Through the course, Shaker discovered IJNet and other platforms that helped him hone his skills in writing, reporting and most notably, freelancing. It was the first of many courses he took on the platform, all with the support of financial aid.

He later suggested freelancing as a topic for an #IJNetLive chat. "IJNet, with many thanks, brought top freelancers to be leaders of that chat," Shaker said. "That chat was the founding stone for me to go into freelancing, and to reach out to several international news outlets."

Shaker began pitching international, English-language outlets. Before long, he found success. In the last two years, he has published a variety of stories for Al Jazeera English, Middle East Eye, Al-Monitor, Voice of America and others.

In a country ravaged by war, his stories seem to all lead back to one major theme: the human cost of the conflict.

His work makes clear: being a journalist in Yemen isn’t easy. On a daily basis Shaker must deal with violence and trauma, as well as misinformation about his profession. Since many media outlets in Yemen are biased, he said, readers can be skeptical of freelancers since they don’t have an apparent side in the conflict.

“People often ask, ‘Which outlet are you working for?" I tell them, "I am working as a freelancer. As a freelancer, I have to keep my report is objective and transparent,’" Shaker said.

We spoke to Shaker about his work, the challenges he faces and his advice for young journalists — especially those working in conflict zones.

https://ijnet.org/en/story/journalist-month-naseh-shaker

(* B P)

Where does Yemen's GPC stand two years after the death of Saleh?

It has been two years since the bloody split between the General People's Congress alliance and Yemen's Houthi rebels. Fast forward two years, what has changed?

This month marks the second anniversary of the Houthi and General People's Congress party (GPC) breakup which ended up in the demise of Saleh, the powerful politician who ruled the country 33 years. Since then, the GPC has been an ailing political party in the country.

Since Saleh's death, the political and military presence of the Houthis and the GPC has changed. The Houthis accumulated power and enhanced their presence while the GPC has weakened and divided.
Over the last two years, the Houthis have emerged as the new political and military bigwig in the country. On the contrary, the GPC lies in tatters.

Where is the GPC now?

The fragility of the GPC has been visible since Saleh's death. Saleh was the dynamo of the party, and now this party is plighted by divisions and declining popularity.

"Differences do exist among the leaders of the GPC whether we admit it or deny it," said Adel al-Shuja, a GPC leader, in a recent article on the status on the party.
"The differences have objective reasons given the dramatic political transformations [in Yemen].

"Calling for reconciliation is not a matter of entertainment. However, it is in the framework of continuous efforts to end the divide and accomplish a compromise. We are going through a critical stage and ending the divides is a good opportunity to turn the dark page of division. [There are] desperate attempts to annihilate the GPC," al-Shuja added.

Presently, the GPC does not have cardinal political leverage in Yemen's current status, according to political observers.

One part of the GPC still pledges allegiance to the Houthi group in Sanaa. The second part follows Saleh's son who has been living in the UAE since 2013. The third part supports the Saudi-led Yemen government. Obviously, the party has no united leadership and it does not seem to recover from its political disunity any time soon.

When the Houthi-Saleh armed confrontation ended in victory for the Houthis in Sanaa in December 2017, Tareq Saleh, the nephew of the former president, and also a Houthi ally, survived and managed to escape after losing to the Houthis.

At the time, Tareq was the military wing of the GPC and a sign of hope that the GPC would recover from its setback considering that Tareq was not killed by the Houthis. However, Tareq has not been capable of waging a war against the Houthis and regain what he lost.

Though he has thousands of fighters who are willing to march on Houthi-controlled areas, he says the UN-sponsored Stockholm agreement has compelled them to refrain from military operations in Hodeida.

The GPC fall happened overnight. But the rapid resurge of this party is tough. Should Tareq, the military face of the GPC, engage in any battles against the Houthis and dislodge them from Hodeida or any other cities, the power of the GPC will rise again.
The other option is the unity of all GPC leaders, who currently follow different sides, to potentially bring the party back to the fore again.

Adel Doshela, a Yemeni political analyst, said the GPC does not have a political figure that possesses the qualities of the departed former president Saleh, who was notorious for his "political and military shrewdness."

The Houthi dominance

The Houthis have the upper hand in the vast majority of Yemen's north. They eliminated Saleh along with other senior GPC figures in 2017, and laid the groundwork for their uncontested dominance in northern Yemen.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2019/12/5/where-does-yemens-gpc-stand-two-years-after-saleh

My remark: More on this subject, look at cp1 (https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/party-former-yemeni-president-deeply-divided-two-years-after-his-death).

(* B H K)

Jemen: „Die Situation bleibt dramatisch“

Das Bürgerkriegsland Jemen steht vor einer humanitären Katastrophe – auch wenn die Kämpfe sich beruhigt haben. Laut UN wurden bereits mehr als 10.000 Menschen getötet, nun drohen Lebensmittelengpässe und fehlende Gesundheitsversorgung. Radio Vatikan hat beim Bischof von Arabien, Paul Hinder, nachgefragt.

Hinder: Aber das ändert nichts an der Situation, dass vor allem jene Bevölkerungsschichten, die am meisten gelitten haben unter dem Krieg, nach wie vor unter Krankheit und Hunger leiden. Die Versorgung ist nicht gewährleistet. Das sanitäre System ist zum Teil im Krieg zerstört worden und noch nicht wieder aufgebaut. Die Lebensmittel, die medizinischen Mittel gehen nicht unbedingt dorthin, wo sie am meisten gebraucht werden – was zum Teil mit den Blockaden zu tun hat, zum Teil mit Korruption.

Tragisch ist, dass niemand fähig zu sein scheint, einen richtigen Fortschritt zustande zu bringen in den Verhandlungen zwischen den Kriegsparteien.

https://www.vaticannews.va/de/welt/news/2019-12/jemen-buergerkrieg-interview-bischof-paul-hinder.html

(A K P)

Bishop Hinder: International pressure needed for a peaceful resolution in Yemen

As the conflict in Yemen drags on, Bishop Paul Hinder of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia says the international community needs to apply pressure to get those involved around the negotiating table.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2019-12/bishop-hinder-international-pressure-needed-for-a-peaceful-reso.html

(* B K P)

ACLED Regional Overview – Middle East (24 - 30 November 2019)

Finally, last week in Yemen, a relative drop in armed conflict events was reported in comparison to the last few weeks. This could be attributed to the ‘Riyadh Agreement’, which has led to southern forces mainly coming together to fight the Houthi forces. Most clashes occurred in Hodeidah, Ad Dali, and Abyan between pro-Houthi and Hadi-aligned forces. Meanwhile, some skirmishes by subnational groups were reported in Marib and Shabwah. Moreover, Hodeidah continues to be the site for the majority of shelling in Yemen, despite the creation of five ceasefire observation posts by the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA). Both coalition-supported forces and pro-Houthis forces have violated the ceasefire agreement.

https://www.acleddata.com/2019/12/04/regional-overview-middle-east-24-30-november-2019/

(A P)

In Houthi-run #Dhamar & #Ibb, enforced disappearances of children are on the rise. A 6th girl child went missing in Dhamar on Sunday. In #Aden, 7 assassinations & 2 attempted assassinations reported in last 5 days. And #Hadramout is no longer stable amid growing power struggle.

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1202343941686910977

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

(* A P)

Yemeni Official: Over Dozen Ships Carrying Fuel, Food Impounded in Saudi Port

A Yemeni maritime official said the Saudi-led coalition has impounded more than a dozen ships carrying energy derivatives and food destined for the conflict-plagued and impoverished Arab country, despite the fact the vessels had earlier acquired necessary permits from the United Nations.

The unnamed official at Hudaydah port told Al-Masirah television network on Wednesday that 13 ships have been marooned at the port of Jizan in Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

He added that the vessels had undergone inspection by the United Nations and obtained the relevant papers.

The remarks come a day after Yemen Petroleum Company announced in a statement that the Saudi-led coalition adamantly refuses to allow tankers to sail towards Yemen and offload their consignments there.

The statement noted that the alliance is holding five vessels loaded with gasoline and diesel in order to increase the sufferings of Yemeni citizens.

The vessels are reportedly carrying 84,837 liters of gasoline and 53,004 liters of diesel.

https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980914000441

(* B P)

US-Saudi Aggression Detains 13 Ships of Oil Derivatives and Food

The coalition of the US-Saudi aggression is holding 13 ships carrying oil derivatives and food despite receiving UN permits, a source at the port of Hodeidah said on Wednesday.

The source told Almasirah that the aggression forces continue to detain ships in front of Jizan port, despite carrying UN permits.

Yemen Petroleum Company said in a statement that despite the UN envoy for Yemen in his briefing to the Security Council on November 22, which talked about the entry of fuel ships to the port of Hodeidah and that the crisis was avoided ... that.

"Despite the briefing of the UN envoy for Yemen to the Security Council on November 22, which says that tankers enter the port of Hodeidah and that the crisis was avoided... etc, we affirm that the coalition of aggression is still holding five tankers despite obtaining permits to enter the port of Hodeidah,” Yemen Petroleum Company said in a statement on Tuesday.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10062

and also https://www.uprising.today/thirteen-oil-and-food-ships-still-detained-by-saudis/

(A P)

Die Ankunft von 78 Fischern im Hafen von Salif Hodeidah

78 Fischer, die zwei Monate lang von den eritreischen Behörden in ihren Gefängnissen festgehalten wurden, erreichten den Fischereihafen im Distrikt Al-Salif im Gouvernement Hodeidah.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080707.htm

(A P)

Eritrean authorities release 78 Yemeni fishermen

Eritrean authorities released on Tuesday 78 Yemeni fishermen, according to officials of local authority of the province.

The officials said that the fisherman arrived at Hodeidah port after being arrested two months ago.

They pointed out that the detention of fishermen by the UAE ship in Eritrean Awatib Island came within the series of the ongoing aggression and piracy acts carried out by the of Saudi-led aggression countries in the Red Sea.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3080713.htm

and

(A P)

[Sanaa] Minister of Fisheries Condemns Abuses against Fishermen, Calls for End to UAE Piracy

The Minister of Fisheries, Mohamed Al-Zubairi, condemned the arbitrary acts against the Yemeni fishermen and their detention in Eritrean prisons. He called for an end to the UAE piracy in the Red Sea and the kidnapping of fishermen and fishing boats.

Al-Zubairi said in a statement to the march on Tuesday that the Eritrean authorities are practicing in arbitrary detention against Yemeni fishermen in violation of the joint fishing agreement signed between the two countries. He pointed out that 78 fishermen in Eritrean prisons arrested by an Emirati vessel were recently released in the international corridor near Eritrea's territorial waters.

The minister pointed out that the Emirati ship responsible for the arrest of Yemeni fishermen is named after Abu Dhabi and is taken by Eritrean soldiers and Sudanese Janjaweed. It is pursuing Yemeni fishermen and taking them with their ships to Eritrea where the UAE has a military base there as is known.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10054

and also https://www.uprising.today/eritrea-collaborates-with-uae-to-abduct-and-imprison-yemeni-fishermen/

and

(B H)

Yemeni Coastguard: Saudi-led Aggression Takes Arbitrary Measures against Shipping Companies in Yemeni Waters

The head of the Coastguard, the Red Sea Sector, Brigadier Zaid Al-Washli, said that "the aggression coalition is taking arbitrary measures to prevent ships from leaving or staying in Yemeni waters. Some are forced to return to Hodeidah port for any reasons or justifications, despite obtaining permits to enter to the port to unload its cargo.

The meeting, held today in the province of Hodeidah, discussed the repercussions of the escalation of the US-Saudi forces on maritime navigation, the latest interception of ships belonging to shipping companies departing Yemeni waters. The Coastguards and other local officials condemned the arbitrary measures imposed by the aggression forces.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10059

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

(B H)

UNICEF: “We were exhausted, hungry, scared and anxious”

The Rapid Response Mechanism offers a lifeline to the most vulnerable people

Mohammad Jaber Al-Khodari was killed as fighting escalated in Amran Province. His devastated family including his wife, who is disabled, fled, with nothing, to find safety in Aljawf Province in Ghrab Almarashi district.

“We travelled for four days, leaving behind all our possessions until we reached Alshara (a sub-district of Kharab Almarashi). We had to settle in an open area without shelter or food,” said one of the brothers. We were exhausted, hungry, scared and anxious. But, once we arrived, we met with members of the area’s community network who informed the community centre about us.”

The Rapid response Mechanism (RRM) team, that functions because of vital funding support from OCHA, was immediately dispatched.

The immediate relief provided through the RRM kit brought some smiles back to the children. Their mother expressed her gratitude for the support. They can now begin to recover from the trauma they have endured and start to think about a future.

https://www.unicef.org/yemen/stories/we-were-exhausted-hungry-scared-and-anxious

(B H)

Film: Malnutrition threatens 200 children per month in Taiz province

https://twitter.com/AlHadath/status/1202656452143452160

(B H)

We visited the Aslam Health Center to provide aid to malnutrition children. The humanitarian situation is getting worse day by day due war & unjust blockade. No words can describe the magnitude of the tragedy experienced by children and families there (film, photos)

https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1202726548509515776

https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1202745042689044480

https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1202762295249645569

(B H)

Film: #Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable especially in conflict areas including #Yemen. International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

https://twitter.com/NyantiSara/status/1202209928863199232

(* B H)

In War-Torn Yemen, Ambulance Teams See Death – and New Life

Ambulance teams in Hodeidah and Taiz navigate treacherous streets to bring help to vulnerable Yemeni people.

In Yemen, by contrast, Nasser explained, ambulances are a rare luxury, and reliable ones are even rarer. Even when aid groups donate ambulances to hospitals, a lack of operational costs may mean that an ambulance sits unused and unable to help.

Yemen Aid decided to change that, placing one fully-funded ambulance in the city of Hodeidah, an important port city that has been hard-hit by famine and disease, and another in Taiz, which has been under siege since 2015.

Nasser wanted to take “some of the privilege that we have here that we sometimes take for granted and bring it to a country that’s in desperate need, especially during this war.”

Working with a local group, Yemen Aid runs its ambulances like a 911 service, with a dedicated number people can call if they need urgent medical attention.

“We are rehabilitating that concept of quality health care for everyone,” Nasser said. The goal is “not only to do health work, but to show there’s quality of health work.”

And in Yemen, health care isn’t easy to come by. “The health system in the country in general has taken, quite frankly, a catastrophic hit in the last four years,” said Dr. Sharif Ismail, a public health researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who focuses on the Middle East and North Africa.

When it comes to health care, it’s hard to even get a sense of the scale of the issue. Millions of people confront malnutrition and disease. Dr. Ismail explained that food insecurity is compounding the effects of dengue, cholera, and diphtheria outbreaks in the country.

Even as it has increased the burden of disease, conflict has made care widely unavailable and difficult to access.

By placing ambulances in two conflict-torn cities, Hodeidah and Taiz, Yemen Aid hopes to help bridge the chasm between what is needed and what is available. “We are rehabilitating the concept of quality health care for everyone,” Nasser said. “One of my dreams is to have this type of service all across the country.”

Today, both ambulances are in operation, carrying anyone who calls to a nearby hospital for free.

https://www.directrelief.org/2019/12/in-war-torn-yemen-ambulance-teams-see-death-and-new-life/

(B H)

Spendenaktion für den Jemen

Vier von fünf Jemeniten leiden Not und es gibt momentan auch nicht viel Aussicht auf eine Lösung dort. Aber aktiv werden können Sie durch Spenden für die Menschen in Jemen, die seit fünf Jahren im Krieg leben.
Darius Giese und seiner Frau Hanan, die selbst aus dem Jemen stammt, haben eine private Spendenaktion ins Leben gerufen.

https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/mofr1013/archiv/spendenaktion-fuer-den-jemen.html

we save yemen (Spenden für den Jemen)

Liebe Unterstützer, wir heißen Darius und Hanan. Wir sind ein Deutsch-Jemenitisches Paar und leben in Berlin. Leider erlebt der Jemen derzeit die weltweit schlimmste humanitäre Krise. Aufgrund des dortigen Krieges sterben viele Menschen, darunter hauptsächlich Kinder, an den Folgen von Hunger und Krankheiten, wie Cholera.

Wir haben deshalb bereits zwei Spendenaufrufe für den Jemen in den letzten zwei Jahren gestartet. Von den gesammelten Spenden konnten wir bereits 200 Familien vor Ort mit Lebensmitteln versorgen. Darüber hinaus wurde zwei Frauen finanziell geholfen, die ihre Krankenhauskosten nicht mehr selber bezahlen konnten. Unser Projekt wurde dabei von Hanans Familie in Sanaa und Al Hudaida unterstützt. Beide Regionen sind stark vom Krieg betroffen. Die Spenden gingen direkt an Hanans Tante Amani und ihren Onkel Younis, die hiervon Lebensmittel kauften und diese an Hilfsbedürftige in der Nachbarschaft und den Vororten der Städte verteilten. Wir hatten uns dazu entschlossen das Projekt über Familienmitglieder zu organisieren, um sicherzustellen, dass die gesammelten Spenden auch wirklich die Notleidenden erreichen.

we are Darius and Hanan, a German-Yemeni couple living in Berlin, Germany. Yemen is unfortunately having the biggest humanitarian crisis. Due to war a lot of people, mostly kids, are dying out of hunger and multiple diseases such as cholera.

Therefore we already did two fundraisers for Yemen im the last two years. With these donations we provided food-packages for 200 families and treated two women who can't afford hospital costs. This project was supported by Hanans family in Sanaa and Al Hudaida. The money went directly to our aunt Amani and our uncle Younis, who were responsible for buying and handing out the food-packages personally to people in need in their neighourhoods and the suburbs. We chose our fundraising to be worked by family members to make sure that the money we collect truly reaches the people in need. Our first fundraisers were a big achievement. That's why we want to keep it going and help more people in Yemen with this website.

https://www.betterplace.me/wesaveyemen

(* B H)

UN Children's Fund: Humanitarian Action for Children 2020 - Yemen

Nearly five years after the start of the conflict, Yemen remains the largest emergency globally, with 24 million people out of the population of 30.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance.

UNICEF's humanitarian strategy in Yemen is aligned with the Humanitarian Needs Overview, Humanitarian Response Plan and cluster and programme priorities. UNICEF leads the nutrition and WASH clusters, coleads the education cluster and the child protection sub-cluster, and provides dedicated full-time support to coordination and information management. Humanitarian operations in Yemen are decentralized through five field offices that manage local responses with partners. In 2020, health efforts will focus on strengthening systems, improving access to primary health care, as well as malnutrition management and disease outbreak response, including maintaining vaccination coverage. Emergency WASH interventions will be delivered alongside durable, cost-effective solutions that strengthen the resilience of local institutions and communities. Acute watery diarrhoea/cholera prevention and response – including oral cholera vaccination – will continue in high-risk areas. Vulnerable women and children will receive survivor assistance, resilience building and mine risk education. UNICEF will rehabilitate damaged schools, establish temporary learning spaces, provide learning kits and support school-based staff incentives. The Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting will engage with parties to the conflict to prevent and halt grave violations of children's rights. UNICEF will pursue gendersensitive planning and provide partners with training on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse.

https://www.unicef.org/appeals/yemen.html

(A P)

Film: Last week Yemeni dancers performed a flashmob dance in #Aden to stand up against harassment as part of Manasati30’s campaign, please share the video to help fighting harassment against women.

https://twitter.com/manasati30/status/1202366998585450496

(B H)

At least 77 families at Erat Hamdan area on the outskirts of Sana'a received today food aid baskets delivered by @monarelief. Our delivery was funded by our partners in Poland Schools for Peace @SzkolydlaPokoju (photos)

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1201915598114115584

Film: https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1202695942824218628

(B H)

All love, peace & good wishes to you all, Alhamdullah, I'm doing better now. On last 2days we distributed medicines to many patients, before went to visit Aslam area Thanks so much all donors http://gofundme.com/food-and-medicine-for-yemen…

https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1201998821665988608

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

(B H)

International Organization for Migration: Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) DTM-Yemen - Reporting Period: November 24 -30, 2019

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/rapid-displacement-tracking-rdt-dtm-yemen-reporting-period-november-24-30-2019

(B H)

International Organization for Migration: Flow Monitoring Points - Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Returns from Saudi Arabia in November 2019

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/flow-monitoring-points-migrant-arrivals-and-yemeni-returns-saudi-arabia-november-2019

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(* B H P)

International aid worker describes Houthi abuse of humanitarian assistance

Despite compliance with Houthi demands, obstruction and looting of humanitarian persists

Humanitarian workers complain that the Houthis seek direct control over the distribution of aid shipments and funding from international donors. In the latter half of 2019, Houthi interference has forced some organizations to relocate their relief projects to southern governorates controlled by the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

A field coordinator for an international aid organization in Aden told Almasdar Online that the Houthi demands have increased in the last two years, despite the organizations’ compliance with Houthi legal procedures and tax payments.

"Humanitarian workers in Houthi-controlled areas are prohibited from carrying out field surveys and selecting beneficiaries," said the coordinator, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak officially. Additionally, the Houthis try to control relief organizations’ scope of work and demand that projects are implemented in and serve beneficiaries decided by the Houthis to ensure that aid reaches its members and fighters, he said.

“While distributing food aid with international relief organizations in Hodeidah governorate, I witnessed the local Houthi leader receive dozens of cases of goods and turn around and sell them in front of me to merchants,” he said.

In Sana’a, the aid coordinator said he saw a Houthi official with a military escort receive food baskets and give them directly to people who were in his personal car.

The practice of picking and choosing of beneficiaries to benefit Houthi political aims, while thousands of families who are supposed to receive the aid suffer, has become normalized in Houthi-controlled areas.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/157

My remark: By a pro-Hadi government news site.

(A P)

#CafeCorner is a respectable and well known spot for intellectuals in #Yemen in #Sanaa it was closed by orders of #Houthi rebels. @Wedadalbadwi is a journalist expressing frustration that they keep closing down places forcibly

https://twitter.com/munaluqman/status/1202531543958339585

Last week Houthis started a campaign to shut down coffee shops. Reason? Because they r a place where women and men "mix"

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1202622069428633601

(A K P)

Film: Al-Masirah channel documents the morale of the wounded of the army and the popular committees in Saada governorate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_DcF-DX0Ng

(A P)

Houthis Threatens Traders and Businessmen in Sanaa

The Houthi militias in Yemen are preparing to lead new wave of extortion through their self-styled Zakat agency against merchants and businessmen in areas under their control, namely Sanaa.
Zakat is a religiously imposed tax in Islam.
A statement by leading Houthi official Shamsan Abu Nashtan, head of the so-called Houthi Zakat General Authority, revealed that a blacklist including the names of a number of businessmen perceived as tax evaders will be released.
The traders blacklisted by the Iran-backed militias will be subject to escalatory measures for refusing to pay the Zakat tax to the Houthi-formed authority.
Nashtan vowed that the Authority will be forced to “extract the payment from evaders in any way,” implying that the militants will make merchants to pay the cut by force.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14969

(A P)

Minister of Human Rights: We Mourn the World Silence over Crimes of US-Saudi Aggression in Yemen

Human Rights Minister Alia Faisal Abdullatif called on the international community and concerned international organizations to have an honourable attitude triumphs for humanity and man in Yemen.

According to Saba News Agency, the Minister of Human Rights said in a statement that the ministry will celebrate this year the International Human Rights Day, December 10, commensurate with the humanitarian conditions experienced by Yemenis in light of the continued aggression and siege and the spread of epidemic diseases that kill them.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10085

(A P)

Industry destroys ten tons of expired juices in Sanaa

Amin Shaya, a director of the industry office in the province, called on traders to report their expired goods to be destroyed in accordance with the laws

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3080714.htm

(A P)

Parliament approves calls Gov't in full to attend its Monday meeting

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3080712.htm

(* A K P)

Burial of More than 70 War Prisoners, Killed by Saudi Airstrike in Dhamar Prison

The National Committee for Prisoners and Missing Persons on Tuesday announced the burial of more than 70 bodies of prisoners and detainees who were targeted by a Saudi Airstrike in early September in Dhamar.

The burial was attended by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, a Human Rights team from the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs and a representative of the Public Prosecution and Criminal investigation in Dhamar Governorate.

A member of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Ahmed Abu Hamra, told Al-Masirah TV that the committee is ready to cooperate with the families of prisoners and detainees in case the bodies were identified and hand over the bodies to them (photo)

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10051

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXRhxretIhs

and on the website of Abductees Mothers, in Arabic, with more photos:

(* A K P)

Condolence and condolences to the Association of Mothers of the Abducted on the day of mass burial of the rest of the victims of the bombing of the Community College in Dhamar

Three months after the Arab Coalition warplanes bombed the Community College prison in Dhamar, the Houthi armed group on Tuesday buried the bodies of 72 other victims from our abducted sons, some of whom were mutilated in the cemetery of Dhamar, where the Houthi group dug seven large grooves containing each groove. 10 "Small graves and the abductees were buried without their families recognizing their bodies. The Association of the abducted mothers did not feel sad and pain as it felt today while present during the burial of dozens of her children without identifying their identities or features, how can the heart of the mother to believe that the thrill of her liver buried without learning! After being kidnapped and hidden for years by the Houthis and prevented from visiting him and check on him, then comes coalition aircraft to kill them in the night are several air strikes and chases his missiles who tried to escape

http://ama-ye.org/?no=1148&ln=Ar

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

(* A K P)

Govt’ s spokesperson: government committed to Riyadh Agreement, STC blamed for escalation

Spokesperson of the Government Rajeh Badi affirmed that the government is strictly abide to Riyadh Agreement, committed to carry out its overall articles in accordance with the specified mechanism.

He categorically denied to be there any military mobilization toward the interim capital Aden as the South Transitional Council (STC) claimed in its statement.

Badi affirmed that what happened is that a battalion of the Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB) came to Abyan government heading toward the interim capital Aden in accordance with Riyadh Agreement which stipulated the return of the whole PGB to Aden. The battalion which has been authorized to return to Aden was moved in coordination with the brethren in the Command of Arab Coalition in accordance with Riyadh Agreement’s articles.

Badi accused militias affiliate to the STC of intercepting these troops while they were approaching to Shoqra region in Abyan governorate, the militiamen opened fire on the government’s troops, consequentially there had been clashes resulted in killing and wounding several servicemen.

” The STC has no right to intercept the troops nor to open fire on”, said Badi.
The government’s spokesperson held the STC accountable for the escalation and the endeavor to impede the implementation of Riyadh Agreement by these irresponsible acts.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/06/govt-s-spokesperson-government-committed-to-riyadh-agreement-stc-blamed-for-escalation/

(* A K P)

STC reinforcements arrive to Abyan ahead of army convoy

The troop buildup comes after Saudi military officials visited Abyan to ease tensions between the parties to the Riyadh agreement

A second batch of military reinforcements in 24 hours arrived Friday morning to the outskirts of the capital of Abyan governorate, Zanjibar, where Security Belt forces aligned with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) are based, defense ministry officials told Almasdar Online. Tanks, armored vehicles, ammunition and soldiers were seen passing through the town of Dofas on the outskirts of Zinjibar, according to the sources, who added that STC forces were deployed throughout the area in Sheikh Salem, Wadi Hassan and near Al-Wehdah International Stadium.

The buildup of troops in Abyan follows clashes between STC and PPB earlier this week, despite the visit of a Saudi military delegation to the governorate to oversee de-escalation efforts and troop withdrawals as part of the military annex of the Riyadh agreement.

Government spokesman Rajeh Badi accused the Southern Transitional Council (STC) of breaching the terms of the agreement when its forces ambushed the PPB as they approached Abyan’s coastal city of Shaqra.

STC spokesman Mansour Saleh justified the attacks, saying that the army convoy was over-equipped with military hardware and consisted entirely of recruits from northern governorates and aligned with the Islah political party. Islah forms a powerful bloc in the internationally recognized Hadi government.

Badi denied accusations that the government was mobilizing military forces.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/159

(* A P)

STC warns against any attempt to undermine Riyadh deal

Spokesman for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Nazar Haitham stressed Council's attachment to the right of defending its land as well as supporting the efforts exerted by the Arab coalition to overcome the current problem and to unite and direct all efforts in the main battle against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
Haitham reiterated in a press statement, the STC's total commitment to the content of the Riyadh Agreement, calling on the other side to do the same.
He announced the council's categorical rejection of all the attempts conducted by the Yemeni government to derail the signed agreement, such as the military build-up and mobilization towards the South, affirming the STC's ability to counter and deter any force that tries to go beyond the cross-lines.
Haitham demanded an immediate withdrawal of all the forces from the occupied areas of the South, warning against the attempts of the extremist Muslim Brotherhood to thwart the implementation of the agreement to serve the pro-Iran militia as it did in the North by creating an impasse in all the fighting fronts .
Haitham made it clear that the STC will always be with the Arab Coalition and the international community in the fight against terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations and whatever its sources.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14976

My comment: The agreement seems to be almost dead. And the separatist STC fis to be blamed even more.

(* A K P)

Saudi military delegation visits Abyan in shaky start to Riyadh agreement implementation

After meeting with STC and national army forces, the two sides dug in their heels in Awhar district.

A Saudi delegation of military officers tasked with implementing the military and security annex of the Riyadh agreement have arrived in Abyan governorate, a Yemeni defense ministry official told Almasdar Online.

A source in the ministry of defence told Almasdar Online that the delegation arrived in Abyan’s capital Zanjibar, where forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) are stationed, before visiting the coastal town of Shaqra, east of Zinjibar, where government forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi are based.

The Saudi military delegation is in Abyan to supervise the withdrawal of both government and STC to their pre-August positions.

The Saudi delegation held separate meetings with STC and government officials to discuss implementation of the troop withdrawal, the source said. But no troop movements have been reported in the hours after the departure of the Saudi officials.

Bumpy roads ahead for the agreement

In addition to the lack of concessions on territorial control, there has been little progress on troop de-escalation. Local sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Almasdar Online that tribesmen in the city of Ahwar, in southeastern Abyan, warned the 1st Presidential Protection Brigade (PPB) about potential ambushes by STC forces on the road to Aden.

The defense ministry official told Almasdar Online that a tribal mediation team led by prominent figures in Ahwar district had recently intervened to stop the growing tension between STC and PPB forces.

Sources added that the STC commander in the area, Brig. Gen. Abdullah Al-Houtari, instructed both his forces and their allies to confront and prevent any government forces from passing from Ahwar to Shaqra until reaching an agreement with the Saudi-led coalition supervision team.

Meanwhile to the north, a source in the Yemeni military told Almasdar Online that PPB forces had arrived in Ataq, the capital of Shabwa governorate on their way to Aden. The source said that about 50 military vehicles belonging to the PPB stopped in Ataq for a few hours before continuing to Abyan.

The source stated that this batch of troops will move to Aden to be stationed in the presidential palace in

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/156

(* A K P)

Clashes erupt in southern Yemen after deal with separatists

Yemeni security officials say clashes in the country’s south between Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops and separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates killed a separatist commander.

It’s the first fighting since the two sides signed a power-sharing deal last month to end their infighting that erupted over the summer.

The officials say the clashes erupted on Thursday as government forces advanced toward Zinjibar, the Abyan provincial capital. Separatists seeking to push them back erected barricades around the city and set fire to military vehicles.

The clashes killed separatist commander Salem Awad al-Sahami and wounded seven secessionist fighters. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.

The violence cast uncertainty over a Saudi-brokered truce that ended infighting between the nominal allies in the Saudi-led coalition’s war against Iran-allied Houthi rebels.

https://apnews.com/7fcac68dc16a412db517ec8a99a41b38

and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/22176

and

(* A K P)

Over 40 dead and wounded in sudden fight between Hadi forces and separatists

Arrival of pro-Hadi forces in Abyan province leads to violent clashes

About 40 people were killed and wounded in violent clashes happening since Thursday morning in the Ahwar district of Abyan province in southern Yemen, between units of Hadi forces and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), military sources said Thursday evening.

The sources confirmed that Abdul Haq Mohammed al-Dawi, a senior officer of the 1st presidential protection brigade, and four of his companions were killed, along with a military leader in the STC named Salem Awad al-Sahimi. Additionally, eight military vehicles were destroyed.

According to medical sources, the Hospital of Shaqra city in Abyan province continues to receive dozens of dead and wounded, and has declared a state of emergency.

On Thursday afternoon, Hadi’s presidential protection forces arrived in the coastal town of Shaqra, east of Abyan province.

A source confirmed that units of the presidential protection brigade, consisting of 60 military vehicles, arrived in the coastal town of Shaqra and were stationed in the mountain ranges and Qarn al-Kalasi area.

The sources furthermore indicated that the units of the 1st presidential protection brigade will continue to move to the city of Zinjibar on their way to Aden province in southern Yemen.

Clashes subsequently broke out Thursday morning between the Hadi loyalist forces and the Southern Transitional Council forces in Ahwar district, after the UAE-backed forces intercepted the presidential protection units to prevent them from reaching Shaqra.

Violent clashes in the district lead to the killing of the deputy chairman of the STC in the directorate, and left several injured from both sides.

Social and tribal figures in the Ahwar directorate intervened to force the two sides to disengage, but the truce agreed upon lasted for only two hours.

https://www.uprising.today/over-40-dead-and-wounded-in-sudden-fight-between-hadi-forces-and-separatists/

and

(A K P)

Reports said today STC militias are fighting Gov't forces in #Abyan and preventing them from moving to #Aden, in accordance with Riyadh Agreement which was blessed by UAE. Now UN envoy is poised to tell the world peace is close in Yemen and that all parties showing goodwill.

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1202576118370521088

and by a pro-separatist news site:

(* A K P)

Islah-affiliated fighters killed in Abyan

A number of Islah militants were killed and injured in clashes erupted in Abyan governorate between the southern forces and the Muslim Brotherhood-linked militia.

Military field sources reported that pro-government armed groups supported by armored vehicles were sent from Marib to Abyan in a bid to take control over the coastal city of Ahwar in defiance of the Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council.

The same sources added that the Security Belt Forces and the southern resistance launch a counter-attack and managed to drive out the militias of Islah, inflecting heavy material and human losses on them.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14967

(* A P)

Al-Islah militiamen ban newspaper in Yemeni city

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the Al-Islah party’s ban on distribution of the Al-Sharea newspaper in the city of Taiz, in western Yemen. This censorship of what is one the region’s few independent media outlets is unacceptable, RSF says.

After several days of repeated threats, Al-Islah militiamen finally confiscated copies of Al-Sharea in Taiz yesterday and banned its distribution in the city, the newspaper’s editor, Naif Hassan, said. Al-Islah is an Islamist party with Muslim Brotherhood links.

Al-Islah militiamen had already kidnapped the newspaper’s distributor, Zakaria Hassan Yasser, and his driver, on 25 November as they were transporting that day’s issue. They were freed the next day under pressure from the Yemen Journalists Syndicate and human rights defenders.

Hassan, the editor, said that, in the days following their release, gunmen identifying themselves as local security officers tried to prevent the newspaper’s distribution by threatening to burn down the bookshops and newsstands that sold it.

Al-Sharea has often published reports about corruption involving local chiefs and had begun a series of investigative reports about senior Al-Islah officials. Hassan said he would not allow himself to be intimidated.

https://rsf.org/en/news/al-islah-militiamen-ban-newspaper-yemeni-city

and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/14980

(* A P)

Death of a Yemeni military commander sparks partisan strife in Taiz

Brigadier General Adnan al-Hammadi was killed on Monday in front of his house in Taiz, with accusations flying ever since

Adnan al-Hammadi knew his life was in danger. The popular and much respected Yemeni brigadier general had survived an assassination attempt in Taiz's al-Maafer district in November 2018.

On Monday he was not so lucky.

Taiz was shocked by the news that al-Hammadi was shot in the head by his own brother, Galal al-Hammadi, in front of his home in the city's Bani Hammad area.

The 51-year-old was the leader of the 35th Armoured Brigade, one of three forces in Taiz loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in his fight against the Houthi movement.

The killing of the popular military commander has prompted calls for investigations with a rival group accused of being behind his death, and exposing the divisions rife within the pro-government camp.

According to Badr al-Hammadi, who is no relation to the two brothers, Hammadi and his brother did not quarrel before his death.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the account of the incident.

Different stories are circulating about the manner of Hammadi's death, though Badr's account reflects the most common version of events.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/death-military-commander-opens-partisan-strife-taiz

(A K P)

A crowd of students, soliders, and professors took part in the funeral of President of the Students Union in #Taiz #University Al Husain Ali Alqadhi who died in the front line defending Taiz from #Houthis (photos)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1202622762512240641

(A T)

5 al-Qaida members captured in S. Yemen

Five members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch were seized on Thursday by the newly-recruited security forces in the southern Yemeni province Abyan, a local military official told Xinhua.

The al-Qaida members were captured at a checkpoint set up near the town of Jaar by the forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the official in Abyan said on condition of anonymity.

"The seized al-Qaida elements were driving their car loaded with hidden weapons and ammunition and attempted to enter Jaar secretly," the source said.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/05/c_138608326.htm

(A H P)

Medical center established in Yemen's Aden to treat pro-gov't fighters

Scores of wounded pro-government fighters started on Wednesday to receive treatment at a new medical center in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, a medical official said.

The local medical official of Aden's Health Department said on condition of anonymity that "a new medical center for prosthetics and physiotherapy began its activities in treating fighters of the government in Aden."

The new medical center will mainly provide necessary treatment for the pro-government fighters who were previously injured in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, he said.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/05/c_138605971.htm

(A P)

Council of Ministers reviews priorities in view of Riyadh Agreement

The Council of Ministers convened its regular session on Thursday in the interim capital Aden presided over by Prime Minister Dr. Ma’een Abdulmalik.

Governors of Aden, Taiz, Lahj, Abyan and Al-Dhale governorates contributed to the discussions.

The meeting aimed to address a range of issues and developments in light of Riyadh Agreement between the government and South Transitional Council.

The Cabinet reviews practical steps have been taken by the government to put Riyadh Agreement in place and underway efforts aiming to re-normalize the situations, reinvigorate the state’s institutions and redress irregularities in existence.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/05/council-of-ministers-reviews-priorities-in-view-of-riyadh-agreement/

(* A K P)

Roundup: Saudi-brokered deal on Yemen at risk of collapse

Yemen's pro-government forces attempted on Thursday to advance militarily towards areas controlled by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the country's southern part.

The advancement sparked sporadic clashes with the STC's security units that deployed to secure the state institutions in the country's southern province of Abyan and combat terrorism there.

Local sources confirmed to Xinhua that two people were killed and several others injured following the sporadic clashes that occurred in Ahwar district of Abyan.

The fresh eruption of the armed confrontations is posing a serious threat to the success of the power-sharing deal signed in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh last month.

An official of Abyan's security command blamed the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islah party for pushing the situation into military escalation in an attempt to abort the implementation of Riyadh deal.

"Scores of fighters linked to the Islamist Islah party launched attacks against the checkpoints of the STC's security units in Abyan," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"We instantly informed the Saudi-led Arab coalition about the repeated breaches of the Riyadh deal committed by fighters of the Islamist party," he said.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/06/c_138608791.htm

(A P T)

Film: Assassinations indicate insecurity in Aden

The interim capital Aden in southern Yemen witnessed four assassinations in the past 48 hours targeting officers of the General Security Service, including the criminal investigation directors of al-Arish and Mansoura directorates, and according to experts, these operations indicate a state of insecurity in Aden and the ability of terrorist groups to carry out their operations in public in light of the military, political and security capabilities of these groups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBoL0xPv0Hw

(B K P)

Brigadier General Adnan Mohammed Al-Hammadi: a profile

Brig. Gen. Adnan al-Hammadi from the first republic battle to the last treacherous bullet

Conflicting stories are surfacing on the tragic death of Brigadier General Adnan Mohammed Al-Hammadi, commander of the 35th Armored Brigade in Taiz governorate. He died on the afternoon of Monday, December 2, 2019 in front of his house in the Bani Hammad area of Al-Mawasit district in southern Taiz.

Security sources from the Taiz Military Axis told Almasdar Online that there are two main versions of the events leading to his death. The first of suggests Al-Hammadi was shot dead by his brother Jalal, while the second suggests that it was an assassination meant to kill both brothers, orchestrated by unknown gunmen in front of his home.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/151

(A P)

President Hadi praises local authority’s actions in Almaharah

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi lauded the significant efforts made by local authority in Almaharah governorate to reinstate basic services, improve infrastructure and cope with the consequences of natural disasters the governorate suffered from like Luban cyclone and other storms.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/04/president-hadi-praises-local-authoritys-actions-in-almaharah/

My remark: Mahrah province is uprising against Saudi dominance.

(A P)

Al Jaadi:The STC is Preparing a Program Explaing the Terms & Conditions of the Riyadh Agreement

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14959

(A P)

PM follows up paying salaries to all military regions in liberated provinces

Prime Minister Ma’een Abdulmalik has followed up process of paying salaries of the military forces and security in all military regions in liberated provinces and problems caused delay of paying the salaries and mechanism of solving them.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/04/pm-follows-up-paying-salaries-to-all-military-regions-in-liberated-provinces/

(A T)

Police officer assassinated in Aden

Unknown gunmen assassinated a police officer in Aden on Tuesday night, security officials and local news websites reported.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14955

and

(A T)

Aden: Second assassination of Yemen security official in 48 hours

Unknown gunmen have reportedly killed a second security official in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden yesterday according to local sources.

“Two masked gunmen on a motorbike opened fire at Salem Lahtal, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department in the Al-Arish police force, as he passed near the mosque in Khor Maksar district,” reported Al-Masirah

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191204-aden-second-assassination-of-yemen-security-official-in-48-hours/

(A P)

On anniversary of Saleh's death, Islah signals reconciliation with former president’s party

On the anniversary of ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh's death, the spokesman of Yemen’s main opposition Islah party signaled the need for a political rapprochement with Saleh’s dominant General People’s Congress (GPC) in order to defeat the Houthis.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/150

My comment: ? Islah Party is the main backer of the Hadi government (GPC).

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(A P)

Al-Ajri: Foreign Parties Talk About Ansarullah’s Role in Yemen Future Unacceptable

Abdul-Malik al-Ajri, a member of the [Sanaa gov.] national delegation, said on Friday that it is a provocation that foreign parties talk about the role of Ansarullah in the future of Yemen as if they gave it as a gift to us, stressing that this is unacceptable.

"Foreign parties must understand that only Yemenis have the right to determine their future and their roles," Al-Ajri said in his tweet.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10106

(A P)

Saudi Arabia's Jubeir says possible to calm Yemen situation ahead of settlement: Al-Arabiya

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said there is a possibility of calming the situation in Yemen as a prelude to reaching a settlement in the four-year conflict, Saudi-owned channel Al-Arabiya cited him as saying on Friday.

“There is a possibility to calm down the situation that will be followed by a settlement in Yemen,” Jubeir told a conference in Rome, according to Al-Arabiya.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi/saudi-arabias-jubeir-says-possible-to-calm-yemen-situation-ahead-of-settlement-al-arabiya-idUSKBN1YA172

by Saudi Press Agency: https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007751

and

(A P)

Al-Shami: Al-Jubeir Tries to Repair Saudi Fractures that Yemen’s Heroes Break

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10107

(A P)

Prisoners’ Affairs: We are Still Awaiting the Release of 72 Prisoners

Head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdulqader Al-Mortadha confirmed that the forces of aggression did not release 72 prisoners from the Army and Popular Committees, while saying they would release them out of the 200 prisoners.

“We are still waiting for the forces of aggression to execute the rest of the announcement of the release of 200 prisoners of the Army and Popular Committees,” Al-Mortadha said in a tweet on Wednesday.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10084

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A K P)

Exclusive: Saudi Aramco pursues war cover after attacks - sources

Saudi Aramco is looking to buy insurance against war and terror attacks after a damaging drone and missile attack on some of its oil facilities in September, two sources told Reuters.

Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, has been looking for cover from insurers including those based at Lloyd’s of London and elsewhere in the London market, they added.

The firm is seeking cover for facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, its oil heartland, where it suffered the September attacks, one of the sources said.

Aramco said in the prospectus of this month’s planned listing that it did not insure against all risks and its cover may not protect it from terrorism or acts of war.

At the launch of the IPO, which could be the world’s biggest and raise up to $25.6 billion, Aramco said that it did not expect the Sept. 14 attack to have a material impact on its finances and operations.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-insurance-exclusive/exclusive-saudi-aramco-pursues-war-cover-after-attacks-sources-idUSKBN1Y82DP

(A E P)

Saudi Aramco plans $25.6B share sale in biggest ever IPO

Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Aramco on Thursday set a share price for its IPO — expected to be the biggest ever — that puts the value of the company at $1.7 trillion, more than Apple or Microsoft.

The company said it will sell its shares at 32 riyals ($8.53) each, putting the overall value of the stake being sold at $25.6 billion. That surpasses IPO record holder Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, the Chinese conglomerate and e-commerce company that raised about $25 billion in 2014.

Aramco, which pumps and produces Saudi Arabia’s crude oil to the world, is floating a 1.5% stake in the company, or 3 billion shares. Trading is expected to happen on the Saudi Tadawul stock exchange by mid-December.

https://apnews.com/9c0e7a81fc56f26da031f5e98cbe2fb3

(* B P)

Kampf in Saudi-Arabien: "So ein Event wird für Propaganda missbraucht"

Am Samstag findet in Saudi-Arabien der Rückkampf zwischen Ruiz und Joshua statt. In der AZ spricht die Nahost-Expertin von Amnesty International über die Lage im Land: "Menschen werden gefoltert".

AZ: Frau Spöttl, am Samstag findet in Saudi-Arabien der Schwergewichts-WM-Kampf zwischen Anthony Joshua und Andy Ruiz statt. Der Sport zieht sich gerne auf die Position zurück, dass man sich aus der Politik raushalte – aber geht das in Ihren Augen als Nahost-Expertin bei Amnesty International überhaupt?

REGINA SPÖTTL: Jedes Land hat natürlich das Recht, sich für so eine Veranstaltung zu bewerben. Wir hatten jetzt auch die Leichtathletik-WM in Katar, dort findet in zwei Jahren auch die Fußball-WM statt. Aber: Sport und Politik lassen sich überhaupt nicht auseinanderdividieren. Es wäre besser, wenn sich die Veranstalter im Vorfeld über die Situation der Menschenrechte in den Ländern informieren, als später zu sagen: Politik geht uns nichts an. Gerade so ein Event wird ja bewusst von Regierungen für politische Propaganda missbraucht, etwa um das Thema der Menschenrechte in den Hintergrund zu schieben.

https://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.az-interview-mit-nahost-expertin-kampf-in-saudi-arabien-so-ein-event-wird-fuer-propaganda-missbraucht.e1983a00-b3a9-4721-a593-e5744b64da31.html

(* A P)

‘Sportswashing’ fears dog Ruiz-Joshua fight in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is undergoing fairly radical social change in some ways under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but critics say the country is using big sports and entertainment events to divert attention from its human-rights record violations

The kingdom’s government-backed General Sports Authority has a different view, saying the push to portray a new image of modernization and to boost tourism is “a journey of transformation.”

Anthony Joshua, the British fighter seeking to reclaim three heavyweight titles from Mexican-American champion Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch in Saudi Arabia this weekend, hasn’t just been fielding questions about the bout. He’s also faced scrutiny over whether he is being used by the Saudis in a bid to “sportswash” their reputation.

“All I’m here to do is box,” Joshua told The Associated Press this week when asked if he had any concerns about fighting in the kingdom. “So away we go. We are here now. I’m comfortable.”

Reportedly pocketing $70 million for being here, Joshua was unlikely to say anything else.

“It’s a massive opportunity,” he told the AP. “Boxers need opportunities. Every sport and every business needs global opportunity. It ticks a box for business, but also tourists and sports.”

The “sportswashing” theory, as put forward by human rights organization Amnesty International, among others, was also put to Joshua’s promoter this week.

https://apnews.com/bd42cc8aee8f8d3198d421e70c3e6c2a

and

(* A P)

Joshua v Andy Ruiz Jr. is whitewashing Yemen atrocities

Journalist Robert Inlakesh says Saturday’s world heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia is being used as a cover for Riyadh’s human rights abuses in Yemen and will go down as a dark day in boxing history.

On Saturday December 7 the unified world heavyweight boxing champion, Andy Ruiz Jr., will defend his title against former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a highly anticipated rematch.

But this is no ordinary sporting event. The fight is being held in Saudi Arabia and it is unfortunately being used as a propaganda instrument by the Saudi government in order to whitewash its war crimes and human rights violations in Yemen.

https://5pillarsuk.com/2019/12/05/joshua-v-andy-ruiz-jr-is-whitewashing-yemen-atrocities/

(B P)

Saudi humanitarian worker under 'enforced disappearance' for a year and allegedly subject to severe torture, says sister

‘We have heard from families of other detainees who have seen him in the prison that he might he die from torture,’ says Abdulrahman al-Sadhan’s sister

Mr Sadhan, a graduate of Notre De Namur University in California, was detained without an arrest warrant at the Red Crescent offices where he worked, his sister said.

She said he had not been granted access to a lawyer, all requests to visit him had been denied and the family still did not know why he had been jailed or if he had been charged.

“He was taken to an unknown place,” she told The Independent. “We only found out he was detained when we did not hear from him. We started to panic after a few days. I would imagine he is in solitary confinement if they do not allow him to contact us.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-aid-worker-missing-torture-abdulrahman-al-sadhan-a8845886.html

(* B P)

Safa al-Ahmad - Saudische Journalistin im Exil

Sie hat für ihre Arbeit einen hohen Preis bezahlt. Seit die saudische Journalistin Safa al-Ahmad in einem Dokumentarfilm für die BBC über den Aufstand in Saudi-Arabiens Ostprovinz berichtete, kann sie ihr Heimatland nicht mehr betreten. Denn was sie getan hat - recherchieren, Interviews führen, kurz: als Journalistin arbeiten - ist für die Regierung ihrer Heimat offenbar ein Verbrechen.

Ihre Dokumentation über den Aufstand ist die erste BBC-Produktion, die auf Arabisch, Persisch und Englisch veröffentlicht wird

Die Tragweite wird ihr klar, als sie mit ihrem Drehmaterial für die britische BBC in einem Schnittraum in London sitzt. Wie Einschläge kommen die Ereignisse näher: Einer ihrer Gesprächspartner wird hingerichtet.

Die Doppelmoral, mit der ihr Heimatland die Medien instrumentalisiert, sie mal gängelt, mal mit Informationen füttert, beschäftigt Safa al-Ahmad weiter, denn sie berichtet regelmäßig aus dem Jemen, ihrer zweiten Heimat, wie sie sagt. Auch im Jemen kontrollieren die Saudis die Zugänge und damit die Berichterstattung. Die jemenitische Exilregierung sitzt in Saudi-Arabien. Wer ein Visum will, muss in Riad anfragen.

Zugang zu Informationen wird gelenkt

Safa al-Ahmad ist sichtlich aufgewühlt, als sie von einem Beispiel aus dem Spätsommer berichtet.

Sie hat sich als Journalistin dagegen zur Wehr gesetzt. Hat trotzdem berichtet und ist dafür ins Exil gegangen. Einen noch höheren Preis hat der Journalist Jamal Khashoggi bezahlt, der mutmaßlich von saudischen Regierungsbeamten in der Türkei ermordet wurde. Ein Verbrechen, das sich möglicherweise langfristig rächt. Denn die wenigen saudischen Exiljournalisten vernetzen sich nun. "Wir haben alle dasselbe Problem: Die saudische Regierung bezeichnet uns alle als Staatsfeinde, als Terroristen, als Unruhestifter. Nun antworten wir gemeinsam: Ihr werdet uns nicht zum Schweigen bringen. Und ihr werdet euch für Jamals Tod verantworten müssen." (mit Film)

https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/zapp/saudiarabien130_page-1.html

(A P)

Schweiz erhält von Saudiarabien Einladung zum G-20-Gipfel

Nächstes Jahr wird Bundespräsidentin Simonetta Sommaruga am Gipfeltreffen der zwanzig mächtigsten Wirtschaftsnationen teilnehmen. Zu verdanken hat sie dies vor allem der intensiven Beziehungspflege ihres Vorgängers.

https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/schweiz-erhaelt-von-saudiarabien-einladung-zum-g-20-gipfel-ld.1526250

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1, cp1c, cp9a

(* A P T)

Saudi-Pilot erschießt drei Menschen auf US-Stützpunkt

Bei einem erneuten Schusswaffenangriff auf einem US-Militärstützpunkt hat ein saudiarabischer Soldat mindestens drei Menschen erschossen. Der Angehörige der saudiarabischen Luftwaffe, der sich zum Training auf dem Marinefliegerstützpunkt Pensacola im Bundesstaat Florida befand, wurde bei einem folgenden Schusswechsel mit der Polizei getötet, wie die Behörden am Freitag mitteilten. Acht Menschen wurden verletzt. Das Motiv des Angreifers war zunächst unklar. Geprüft wird Medienberichten zufolge ein möglicher terroristischer Hintergrund.

Der Schütze eröffnete am Freitagmorgen in einem Gebäude mit Unterrichtsräumen das Feuer, wie Sheriff David Morgan sagte. Er wurde schließlich von eintreffenden Polizisten gestellt und erschossen.

https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/kriminalitaet/id_86952676/florida-wieder-toedliche-schuesse-auf-us-militaerbasis.html

(* A P T)

Naval Air Station Pensacola shooter was Saudi aviation student, investigators eye potential terror link

The gunman who opened fire Friday morning at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, fatally shooting three people, has been identified as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, an aviation student from Saudi Arabia, and investigators are looking into whether the attack is terrorism-related, a U.S. official told Fox News.

The shooter -- who was wielding a handgun, despite firearms not being allowed on base -- was confronted and taken out by a pair of responding officers, officials said. Two people were killed at the scene while a third victim died after being rushed to a local hospital. Seven others suffered injuries and are undergoing treatment, including the two officers, one of whom was shot in the arm and the other in the knee. Both are expected to survive.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/naval-air-station-pensacola-active-shooter-reported-shelter-in-place-issued

Comment: "Many of the students are often from the Royal Family, putting pressure on officials to pass pilots through the training program in an attempt to preserve diplomacy with the U.S. ally."

https://twitter.com/samueloakford/status/1203157859069911040

Comment: The #saudi education has graduated 10,000ss of terrorists. Wait for our report on that

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1203021761941581824

and

(A P T)

Film: Gov. DeSantis: "Obviously, the government of Saudi Arabia needs to be make things better for these victims. I think that they're going to owe a debt here."

https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/1203102776697470977

and

[Saudi] Council of Senior Scholars Condemns Shooting Incident in Florida, USA

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007857

and

(* A P T)

6 Saudis arrested for questioning after NAS Pensacola shooting: official

Six Saudi nationals were arrested near the naval base in Pensacola, Fla., where a Saudi gunman opened fire Friday, killing three before turning the gun on himself, a senior U.S. official told Fox News.

The suspects were taken into custody and are being questioned about the shooting, the source said.

The FBI, which is leading the investigation into the incident that took place early Friday morning at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola in Florida, declined to reveal the identity of the shooter in the early stages of the investigation, but a U.S. official told Fox News that the gunman was an aviation student from Saudi Arabia named Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani.

Alshamrani was allegedly a student at the Navy training program aimed at "immersing international students in our U.S. Navy training and culture" to help "build partnership capacity for both the present and for the years ahead," Cmdr. Bill Gibson, the center’s officer in charge, said in 2017. "These relationships are truly a win-win for everyone involved."

But Friday's events caused many officials and lawmakers to call for deeper scrutiny of the security measures and vetting that goes into selecting trainees.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/saudis-arrested-questioning-pensacola-shooting.amp

My comment: By events like this we learn that the US is training Saudi soldiers.

(* B P)

“Indictment Details How Emirates Sought Influence in 2016 Campaign”

The indictment accused Mr. Nader of funneling more than $3.5 million in illicit campaign donations through Mr. Khawaja to buy access and influence in Washington — initially with Mrs. Clinton and her Democratic allies during the 2016 campaign, and then with Donald J. Trump after he won the election — to gain “favor” and “potential financial support” from an unnamed foreign government.

A close reading of the 64-page indictment makes clear that the unnamed government is the United Arab Emirates, where Mr. Nader owns a business and advises the crown prince.

At a time of intense debate in Washington over foreign interference in American politics, critics say the scheme outlined in the indictment is one of the most brazen attempts in memory by a foreign power to buy influence during an election. Although lobbyists with foreign clients routinely contribute to campaigns, seldom has a foreign head of state been so personally linked to allegations of evading campaign finance laws.

It is the latest example of an ostensible American ally seeking to shape American policy from the inside, and it is all the more striking because Crown Prince Mohammed, widely known as M.B.Z., is one of the biggest foreign spenders on legal forms of influence — from hiring registered lobbyists to funding think tanks….

Mr. Khawaja and Mr. Nader attended Mrs. Clinton’s election night party in Manhattan, according to people familiar with the event.

But immediately after Election Day, the indictment charges, both Mr. Nader and Mr. Khawaja pivoted to redirect their illicit support to Mr. Trump, beginning with a $1 million donation for the inauguration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/us/politics/indictment-uae-influence.html = (only a part) https://electionlawblog.org/?p=108301

(* B P)

Middle East lobbyists pay op-ed writers to sell their message

A Kuwaiti private equity firm has turned to paying op-ed writers as part of its multimillion dollar pressure campaign for the emirate to drop embezzlement charges against its former CEO.

A new lobbying disclosure from New York communications firm Marathon Strategies shows a total of $11,500 was paid for “communications” services to consulting firms JSM Consulting and Gulf State Analytics in the six months through October as part of Marathon's lobbying work for KGL Investment. During that time period, the consulting firms’ top executives wrote op-eds mirroring KGL’s claims that its Russian executive Marsha Lazareva was being unfairly hounded by a corrupt justice system — without ever revealing their financial links to Marathon or its foreign client.

The op-eds are but the latest example of an opaque practice that continues to plague US and other media despite a crackdown by US authorities worried about transparency.

For example, a lobbyist for an armed Iranian opposition group paid an online journalist $1,000 after she scored an “exclusive interview” with the group’s representative to the United States, according to lobbying disclosures for the six months through June.

Right-wing media in particular have been targeted by Middle Eastern media influence operations.

Marathon lists multiple “media placements” with media outlets, including the Washington Examiner, the Daily Caller and Newsmax

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/12/middle-east-lobbyists-pay-op-ed-writers-sell-message.html

My remark: More on this subject, cp1.

(B P)

Former official of #Saudi embassy #US who sought asylum #US didn’t get a hearing for 5 years then left to #Canada & received it in 10 months. @USCIS has been a pro #Saudi outpost #US govt by refusing asylum for opponents & critics of the monarchy. Disgusting

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1202238755580592129

referring to https://twitter.com/anaharoon/status/1199071739252215808

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf

Siehe / Look at cp1c

(B P)

Iranian Missiles on Parade

Iran has a policy of exporting artillery rockets, ballistic missiles, and, more recently, cruise missiles to non-state actors either allied with Tehran or just sending missiles outright to proxy groups it directly controls. We have seen evidence of Iran doing this in the cases of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, so seeing Iran employ the same strategy in Iraq, a country in which it has a vast network of highly loyal clients, is not at all surprising. In general, as is the case with Iran’s missile arsenal itself, the material Iran is now exporting has greatly increased in quality in recent years.

They want their clients to be able to indigenously manufacture, or at least partially manufacture, the missiles they provide. Of course, more advanced systems will still require Iranian-made components. So, after the reports about Iranian missile transfers to Iraq, the potential provision of production equipment might be the next thing to look out for, in addition to the export of components to assemble missiles inside Iraq.

The missiles Iran provides to its clients function in two ways. On the one hand, they are employed in a local context. The missiles and rockets of the Houthis, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are used very much in a local context, both as an actual weapon to strike targets and as a tool to signal that they can impose a cost on any state actor that chooses to attack Iranian-linked clients.

in the case of the Aramco strike in Saudi Arabia, Iran’s actions were odd because it was such a clear break from Tehran’s traditional modus operandi. It was hard to predict—based on past behavior—that Iran would, itself, launch missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, using the Houthis as cover to try to evade responsibility for the strike. One can only speculate as to the reasons behind this decision

https://www.fpri.org/article/2019/12/roundtable-iranian-missiles-on-parade/

My comment: There is a lot of propaganda bias in this piece; it’s a typical US thinktank statement. As if the US by something like a divine award might export arms worldwide , as a tool of its geopolitical policy, other countries might not. To make this world a better one, US arms exports should be reduced in the first place.

(* A P)

World powers press Iran to reverse nuke deal violations

World powers pressured Iran on Friday to reverse recent atomic activities that violate the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, but stopped short of deciding on whether to proceed with a move that could see the case brought before the UN Security Council and a “snapback” of sanctions that had been lifted under the accord, according to a Chinese official.

Fu Cong told reporters after the meeting that brought together Iran with the five powers remaining in the deal that China had argued against invoking the so-called dispute resolution mechanism of the agreement.

“Iran has made it very clear that all the actions are reversible and that they are ready to come back to full compliance,” he told reporters.

https://apnews.com/18890519596f302cbd0e790dbf127ab4

My comment: Up to now, Iran had not violated the deal; Iran’s action ns are still according to the deal’s regulations, as they are allowed reactions to US and EU violations.

(* B P)

UN office: Iranian forces were ‘shooting to kill’ protesters

Iranian security forces were “shooting to kill” in their deadly crackdown against protesters in recent weeks, according to credible video footage, the U.N. human rights chief said Friday.

The unrest left at least 208 people dead nationwide, the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said, echoing a count also tallied by Amnesty International. Iran disputes death toll figures released by foreign organizations but has so far refused to any countrywide casualty or arrest figures.

Bachelet said footage received by her office appears to show demonstrators were gunned down while running away, or being shot “directly in the face and vital organs.”

https://apnews.com/07c4f186b48bb67ff5e32143fedc67ae

(* B P)

How Oman is trying to become the Middle East mediator again

By maintaining neutrality in conflict, Oman has served as a diplomatic facilitator in the region

Oman seems to be trying, once again, to play the role of mediator in the Middle East and reduce regional tensions.

The Persian Gulf country has successfully mediated among various rivals in the past and has tried to maintain a neutral stance on regional issues.

The Omani foreign minister, Yusuf bin Alawi, travelled to Iran this week and held meetings with senior Iranian officials.

He said all parties agreed it was time to resolve the conflict in Yemen and that there are “promising signs” and a “real opportunity” to bring the parties together and end the war.

Mr Pompeo emphasised that the US will continue to work with Oman to support a political solution in Yemen.

“For Muscat, this ongoing war constitutes the gravest threat to Oman’s security, thus resolution of the conflict has always been a high priority for the Sultanate’s leadership,” Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics in Washington, told The Independent.

“From Muscat’s perspective, the Saudi-led coalition’s war against the Houthi rebels was misguided as no military solution exists in Yemen.”

As the war in Yemen has a key role in tensions between Riyadh, Washington and Tehran, forging a diplomatic solution for that conflict could also open the door for more engagements among the arch-enemies

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/oman-middle-east-yemen-persian-gulf-tehran-diplomat-a9233406.html

(A P)

Iran Has Achieved Self-Sufficiency in Defending Itself: Top General

Iran’s top military commander says the Islamic Republic has attained self-sufficiency in manufacturing military equipment and systems needed to defend its sovereignty.

“Today we can announce that we have achieved self-sufficiency in defending the country,” Major General Mohammad Baqeri, the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said on Thursday during an exhibition of military products in Tehran.

http://www.iran-daily.com/News/262528.html

(A P)

US envoy: US has `other tools’ if Iran’s bad actions go on

U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft warned Iran on Friday that the Trump administration will keep up its maximum pressure campaign and use “other tools” if Tehran continues its “malicious behavior.”

https://apnews.com/8973d0a5d464e7c337e8b7f8b35eb634

(A P)

State Department on Protest Crackdown, Intervention in Yemen

In a wide-ranging briefing, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, alleged that Iranian security forces may have killed more than 1,000 people, including at least a dozen children, in response to demonstrations that were sparked by a gas price hike on November 15. The protests swept 100 cities over four days. The U.S. estimate exceeded that of Amnesty International, which confirmed 208 deaths as of December 5.

https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2019/dec/05/state-department-protest-crackdown-intervention-yemen

and also https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2019/dec/05/us-interdicts-iranian-arms-yemen

and Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSRKrPeWcNg (full, 50 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWnqzwC9bso (10 min)

(A P)

Esper sees no immediate need to send more US troops to Gulf

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday the Trump administration is keeping a close eye on unrest in Iran and Iraq, but he sees no immediate need to send any substantial number of additional U.S. forces to the region.

“Right now we believe we have sufficient capability in the theater to deter what we need to deter,” he told reporters flying with him to California.

https://apnews.com/93a83dabfb2f137fbf08af274a7c6041

(* A P)

Pentagon: US not considering doubling counter-Iran deployment

The United States is not considering sending 14,000 American troops to the Middle East, the Pentagon said in a statement today. But a spokesperson did not rule out deploying more forces to the region amid reports of increased threats from Iran after lawmakers grilled the Defense Department’s top policy official earlier in the day.

The denial from the Pentagon marks the third time the agency has sought to refute a Wall Street Journal report indicating that the United States was considering doubling the number of troops sent to counter Iran’s military activity. The news came after the US Navy seized a cache of missiles allegedly made by Iran and bound for Yemen by sea earlier this week. The New York Times reported that Tehran had shifted short-range missiles into Iraq.

“We adjust our force posture and troop levels based on adversary action and the dynamic security situation,” Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “Secretary [Mark] Esper spoke to Chairman [Jim] Inhofe this morning and reaffirmed that we are not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East at this time.”

Under pressure from senators in a hearing on Thursday, John Rood, undersecretary of defense for policy, appeared to confirm the United States was considering adding troops after calling the story “erroneous.” Freshman Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Esper to provide immediate clarification on the Pentagon’s plans during the Armed Services Committee hearing.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/12/pentagon-refute-report-consider-counter-iran-troops.html

and

(* A P)

US considers sending several thousand more troops to Mideast

The Pentagon is considering sending several thousand additional troops to the Middle East to help deter Iranian aggression, amid reports of escalating violence in Iran and continued meddling by Tehran in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the region.

John Rood, defense undersecretary for policy, told senators Thursday that Defense Secretary Mark Esper “intends to make changes” to the number of troops deployed in the region. Other officials said options under consideration could send between 5,000 and 7,000 troops to the Middle East, but they all stressed that there have been no final decisions yet. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The troop deliberations follow several decisions since spring to beef up the U.S. presence in the Middle East because of a series of maritime attacks and bombings in Saudi Arabia that the U.S. and others have blamed on Iran.

President Donald Trump has approved those increases, even though he also routinely insists that he is pulling U.S. troops out of the Middle East and withdrawing from what he calls “endless wars” against extremists.

https://apnews.com/f169ac2c8750cd07a1654be90b76387c

and

(* A P)

Trump Administration Considers 14,000 More Troops for Mideast

Officials are discussing deployment that includes dozens more ships and other military hardware to counter threat from Iran

The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East to counter Iran, including dozens more ships, other military hardware and as many as 14,000 additional troops, U.S. officials said.

The deployment could double the number of U.S. military personnel who have been sent to the region since the start of a troop buildup in May. President Trump is expected to make a decision on the new deployments as soon as this month, those officials said.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-14-000-more-troops-for-mideast-11575494228

Comment by Alyssa Farah, @DeptofDefense Press Secretary: To be clear, the reporting is wrong. The U.S. is not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East.

(https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec/status/1202395446695448576

(A P)

Japan plans to send 270 sailors to Middle East to guard ships -Nikkei

Japan is working on a plan to send about 270 seamen to the Middle East to guard ships supplying Japan under a law that allows military deployments for research and intelligence gathering, the Nikkei business daily said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering a January visit to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the paper added.

Japan maintains friendly ties with both the United States and Iran, and has said it would not join any U.S. coalition to protect merchant vessels in the region.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-japan/japan-plans-to-send-270-sailors-to-middle-east-to-guard-ships-nikkei-idUSKBN1Y904V

(A P)

Iran, Russia, China to hold joint naval drills on Dec. 27: Iran Navy chief

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi says Iran will hold joint naval drills with Russia and China in the Indian Ocean later this month.

Khanzadi made the announcement in a meeting with visiting deputy chief of Chinese Joint Staff Department, Major General Shao Yuanming, on Tuesday, saying the joint drills, code-named Maritime Security Belt, would be launched in the Indian Ocean on December 27th.

The two high-ranking military officials stressed the importance of cooperation between Iranian and Chinese armed forces as well as their effective role in maintaining regional and international security and peace.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/12/03/612778/Iran-Russia-China

(A P)

Saudi Royal Navy and Chinese Counterpart Conclude "Blue Sword 2019" Drill

The Royal Saudi Navy Forces, represented by the Special Forces of the Western Fleet in Jeddah, and the Chinese People's Navy forces concluded their mixed bilateral naval exercise coded "Blue Sword 2019"

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007020

(A P)

Israeli PM, meeting Pompeo, calls for more pressure on Iran

Israel’s prime minister on Wednesday praised the tough U.S. sanctions on Iran, saying the financial pressure has sparked protests against Tehran’s influence across the region and urging even stronger action.

Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before their meeting, Netanyahu said “the first subject I will raise is Iran, the second subject is Iran and so is the third.”

“Iran is increasing its aggression as we speak,” he added. “We are actively engaging in countering that aggression.”

https://apnews.com/986325879d8747b491e165385d67d404

My comment: This is how Netanyahu tries to deflect from his interior problems: Inflating tensions in foreign policy.

(* A P)

Europäer werfen Iran Entwicklung von Atomraketen vor

Die Regierungen Deutschlands, Frankreichs und Großbritanniens haben den Iran der verbotenen Entwicklung "atomwaffenfähiger ballistischer Raketen" beschuldigt. Damit verstoße die iranische Regierung gegen die Bestimmungen einer Resolution des UN-Sicherheitsrats aus dem Jahr 2015, mit der das Gremium das internationale Atomabkommen bestätigt hatte, heißt es in einem Brief der drei UN-Botschafter dieser Länder an UN-Generalsekretär António Guterres. Zudem verbreite der Iran weiter ballistische Raketen im Nahen Osten, heißt es in dem Schreiben, das der Nachrichtenagentur AFP vorlag.

Die Resolution untersage dem Iran jegliche "Aktivität in Verbindung mit ballistischen Raketen, die geplant wurden, um Atomwaffen transportieren zu können". Auch die Verbreitung ballistischer Raketen sei untersagt. Der Iran verstoße jedoch gegen diese Bestimmungen, heißt es in dem Schreiben

Irans Außenminister Mohammed Dschawad Sarif und der UN-Botschafter Madschid Tacht Rawantschi wiesen einen Regelverstoß zurück. Sie bezeichneten den Brief als "verzweifelte Lüge" Deutschlands, Frankreichs und Großbritanniens. Sie wollten damit davon ablenken, dass sie ihren eigenen Verpflichtungen nicht nachkämen. Die Regierungen könnten nur dann weltweite Glaubwürdigkeit erringen, wenn sie sich dem Druck der USA nicht weiter beugten.

Keine der iranischen Raketen sei darauf ausgerichtet, atomwaffenfähig zu sein, schrieben sie. Der Iran sei entschlossen, "seine Aktivitäten bezüglich ballistischer Raketen" und Weltraumtechnik fortzusetzen. Dazu sei er nach internationalem Recht befugt.

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-12/iran-atomstreit-raketen-deutschland-frankreich-grossbritannien-un-resolution

und auch: https://www.nzz.ch/international/iran-entwickelt-nach-einschaetzung-mehrerer-staaten-atomraketen-ld.1526730

(A P)

Iran accuses France, Germany and UK of false missile claims

Iran accused France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Thursday of “a desperate falsehood” for saying its missile program goes against a U.N. resolution calling on Tehran not to undertake any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

Iranian officials said none of its missiles are designed to be nuclear-capable, and Iran “is determined to resolutely continue its activities related to ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles, both of which are within its inherent rights under international law.”

https://apnews.com/8e1125a3ac9642e287dd81bcc861cce5

(A P)

Zarif: EU3’s UN letter on Iran missiles aims to hide their ‘miserable incompetence’

Zarif made the remarks in a Thursday tweet in which he said, “Latest E3 letter to UNSG on missiles is a desperate falsehood to cover up their miserable incompetence in fulfilling bare minimum of their own #JCPOA obligations.”

Having failed to fulfill their commitments to Iran under the JCPOA, the European signatories to the deal wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, which was circulated on Wednesday, accusing Tehran of possessing “nuclear-capable ballistic missiles” and claiming that the country’s latest missile activities are “inconsistent” with a UN resolution that endorsed the accord.

https://www.yjc.ir/en/news/44452/zarif-eu3%E2%80%99s-un-letter-on-iran-missiles-aims-to-hide-their-%E2%80%98miserable-incompetence%E2%80%99

(A P)

Germany: Iran must reverse breaches of nuclear deal

Iran needs to reverse recent atomic activities that violate the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, Germany’s Foreign Ministry said Friday as diplomats from the nations involved g athered in Vienna .

Iran has recently exceeded the stockpiles of uranium and heavy water allowed by the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and has started enriching uranium at a purity level beyond what is permitted.

https://apnews.com/18890519596f302cbd0e790dbf127ab4

My comment: Iran up to now did not violate the agreement. On the contrary, the agreement allows Iran to transgress its regulations in case any other signatory is violating the agreement. The US actually did by leaving the agreement and by reintroducing sanctions, and the EU (Germany included) did by not installing a mechanism for Iran’s payment transactions. So what??

(* A P)

Europeans rap Iran for working on nuclear-capable missiles

France, Germany and the United Kingdom say “Iran’s developments of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles” go against a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Tehran not to undertake any activity related to such missiles.

Ambassadors from the three European nations urged U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a letter circulated Wednesday to inform the council in his next report that Iran’s ballistic missile activity is “inconsistent” with the call in a council resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

The letter cites footage released on social media April 22, 2019, of a previously unseen flight test of a new Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile variant “equipped with a maneuverable re-entry vehicle.” It says: “The Shahab-3 booster used in the test is a Missile Technology Control Regime category-1 system and as such is technically capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.”

https://apnews.com/9931c160da5f49e89f9ae7a78c6a4337

My comment: Such missiles do not contradict the Iran Nuclear deal. Th

Iran does not have any nuclear weapons. These missiles could be used for non-nuclear ammunition only as long as Iran does not have nuclear weapons. The EU itself did not fulfill its commitments from the Nuclear deal.

(A P)

IRGC cmdr says Iranians slapped in face of US once again

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major-General Hossein Salami said on Wednesday that Iranians slapped in the face of the US last week by nationwide rallies in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Major-General Salami made the remarks in a ceremony to commemorate some 92,000 martyrs of Basij (voluntary forces)

"This is Iran that has stood up for its values for 40 years," he said.

https://en.irna.ir/news/83580515/IRGC-cmdr-says-Iranians-slapped-in-face-of-US-once-again

(A P)

Pompeo falsely claimed Obama made Iran his 'primary security partner in the Middle East'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday falsely claimed the Obama administration "chose Iran to be its primary security partner in the Middle East."

Pompeo essentially rewrote history in his response.

"So the previous administration chose Iran to be its primary security partner in the Middle East," Pompeo stated. "We thought that was a fundamentally flawed proposition."

The secretary of state added: "The Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA, was a central part of that. Its stated goal was to deter Iran from being able to have a nuclear weapon system, when, in fact, it was a guarantee that there was a glide path for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

President Barack Obama did not at any point in his tenure view Iran as a "security partner" and even after the landmark nuclear pact was finalized continued to treat Tehran as an adversary.

https://news.yahoo.com/pompeo-falsely-claimed-obama-made-143600242.html

(A P)

Iran president: Tehran hasn’t closed window on talks with US

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Tehran hasn’t closed the window on talks with the U.S. but reiterated his government’s standing condition that the Trump administration lift sanctions imposed on Iran before any negotiations can take place.

https://apnews.com/3c2f3f875da8463ea7728147f2a7bf6d

(A P)

Iran’s President: ‘Washington asked to negotiate in secret’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that his country had received “secret messages” from the US administration, through European mediators, about launching talks. Rouhani insisted that “this is contrary to the slogans they (US officials) raise publicly,” and expressed Tehran’s readiness “to restore relations with Saudi Arabia and overcome past disputes.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191204-irans-president-washington-asked-to-negotiate-in-secret/

(* A P)

Iran says it killed ‘rioters’ in deadliest unrest in decades

Iran acknowledged for the first time Tuesday that its security forces shot and killed protesters across the country to put down demonstrations last month over the sharply spiking price of gasoline, the deadliest unrest to hit the country since the turmoil of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A report by Iranian state television sought to portray those killed as “rioters” or foreign-backed insurgents who threatened military posts, oil tanks and the public. It acknowledged that the violence also killed passers-by, security forces and peaceful protesters without assigning blame.

However, online videos of demonstrations purport to show security forces firing machine guns and rifles at crowds. Amnesty International believes the unrest beginning in mid-November and crackdown that followed killed at least 208 people. An Iranian judiciary official disputed the toll Tuesday as “sheer lies,” without offering any evidence to support his position.

https://apnews.com/99ca4597385d4542af87a2b391b536a4

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

(A K P)

Film: Omid Nouripour im Bundestag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbIPdP8wFtE

(* A K P)

Exportverbot für Rüstungsfirma nach Saudi-Arabien aufgehoben
Nach der Ermordung des Journalisten Khashoggi hat die Bundesregierung einen Stopp für Rüstungsexporte nach Saudi Arabien verhängt. Doch das Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt hat es nun im Fall eines Unternehmens aufgehoben. […]
Die pauschale und knappe Begründung in den angegriffenen Entscheidungen entspreche nicht den gesetzlichen Anforderungen. Außenwirtschaftliche Entscheidungen seien nicht wegen der außen- und sicherheitspolitischen Bedeutung von vornherein jeglicher Begründungspflicht entzogen. Zudem habe das Unternehmen durch die aufschiebende Befristung womöglich Anspruch auf Entschädigung.

https://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/gericht-hebt-waffenexportverbot-nach-saudi-arabien-auf-16517178.html

(* A K P)

Bundesregierung sabotiert eigenes Waffenembargo gegen Saudi-Arabien

Pressemitteilung von Sevim Dagdelen, 04. Dezember 2019

„Es ist politische Sabotage, wenn Rheinmetall und Co. am Ende über den einfachen Gerichtsweg die Ausfuhr von Rüstungsgütern an die Kopf-ab-Diktatur Saudi-Arabien durchsetzen können, allein aus Mangel an einer stichhaltigen Begründung durch die Bundesregierung“, erklärt Sevim Dagdelen, abrüstungspolitische Sprecherin der Fraktion DIE LINKE, anlässlich der Entscheidung des Verwaltungsgerichts Frankfurt, das vom Bund verfügte Ausfuhrverbot für 120 Militärlastwagen des Rheinmetall-Konzerns im Wert von rund 136 Millionen Euro an die Streitkräfte des saudischen Herrscherhauses wegen unzureichender Begründung aufzuheben

https://www.linksfraktion.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/bundesregierung-sabotiert-eigenes-waffenembargo-gegen-saudi-arabien/

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(A P)

Iran unterstützt friedliche Initiativen, um den Frieden in den Jemen zu bringen

Der iranische Außenminister Mohamad Javad Zarif bekräftigte, dass der Iran friedliche Initiativen unterstütze, um Frieden in den Jemen bringen.

„Der Iran sieht keinen Vorteil darin, den Krieg und die Belagerung des Jemen fortzusetzen, begrüßt friedliche Lösungen und fordert alle Parteien auf, diesem Weg zu folgen“, twitterte er am Donnerstag.

https://de.irna.ir/news/83582657/Iran-unterstützt-friedliche-Initiativen-um-den-Frieden-in-den

(A P)

Iran Reiterates Support for Peaceful Solutions to Yemen Crisis

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined his country's support for peaceful solutions and talks to resolve the crisis in Yemen.

"Iran sees no benefit in continued war and siege in Yemen, but it welcomes peaceful solutions," Zarif wrote on his twitter page in Arabic language on Thursday.

He added that Iran welcomes all initiatives which invite to talks and persuades everyone to use peaceful solutions.

https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980914000704

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(A P)

Saudi Arabia Beats Qatar to Reach Arabian Gulf Cup Final

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia qualified for the final match of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 24", currently held in Qatar, after winning precious 1-0 against Qatar today in their semi final match.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007553

(* B P)

Kuwait and Qatar are the twin sisters of the Persian Gulf region

Kuwait has more or less accepted its new role of playing second fiddle to Saudi Arabia in regional affairs, albeit the Kuwaitis still hope that they could eventually fully restore their foreign policy independence one day.

Not much, however, has changed with respect to Saudi frustrations, especially as Qatar gradually replaced Kuwait as the new antithetical rival to Saudi Arabia in the years following the 1991 Liberation of Kuwait campaign.

For those who are fully aware of the region’s history and geography, there’s little doubt that Qatar has effectively become the modern-day version of the old Kuwait of the Cold War era. Much like the Kuwait of old, Qatar’s present-day foreign policy posture is predicated upon the country’s resolute/unwavering opposition to anything that Saudi Arabia does in the region. As a case in point, Doha’s overly staunch embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood was, for all intents and purposes, a response to Riyadh’s sudden divergence from the Muslim Brotherhood (as well as from many other Islamist movements) in the years following the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd. Although Qatar’s pro-Muslim Brotherhood policies could be observed throughout the Arab World, the rulers of Qatar have paradoxically curtailed the movement’s activities within their own country’s borders.

There are many geopolitical, geographic, historical and demographic parallels between Qatar and Kuwait.

https://medium.com/@nadiabelushi/kuwait-and-qatar-are-the-twin-sisters-of-the-persian-gulf-region-b5e18a466abd

(* A P)

Saudi king invites Qatar's emir to GCC summit in Riyadh

Sheikh Tamim invited to the annual meeting of the Gulf regional bloc to be held in the Saudi capital next week.

Saudi King Salman has invited Qatar's emir to an annual meeting next week of the Gulf regional bloc in Riyadh, the Qatari foreign ministry said, amid a two-year-old diplomatic crisis in the region.

The 40th session of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit is scheduled to take place in the Saudi capital on December 10.

"The Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, received a written message from ... King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ... to attend the GCC Supreme Council 40th session," Qatar's foreign ministry said on its website on Tuesday.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/saudi-king-invites-qatar-emir-gcc-summit-riyadh-191204053843589.html

Comment: Looks like gulfies are about to reconcile. Good and i hope they take their bloody feuds out of #Yemen

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1202152226933923840

My comment: Greetings from Lebanon’s Hariri?

cp12b Sudan

(* A K P)

Sudan's PM Hamdok says he wants to withdraw troops from Yemen

'The conflict in Yemen has no military solution,' head of Sudan's transitional government says

Sudan's only involvement in the war in Yemen should be to help the warring parties reach a political solution to the crisis, the African country's new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said as he pledged to withdraw Sudanese troops from the conflict.

Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington on Thursday, Hamdok said his government had "inherited" the military involvement in Yemen from longtime leader Omar al-Bashir, who was toppled in April after a popular uprising against his rule.

"The conflict in Yemen has no military solution, whether from us or from anywhere in the world," Hamdok said. "It has to be resolved through political means. We will help our brothers and sisters in Yemen and play our role with the rest to help them address this."

Sudanese soldiers and paramilitary fighters have been unofficially fighting alongside the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

On Thursday, Hamdok, who is leading a transitional government in a power-sharing agreement with the military, said "not many" Sudanese soldiers remained in Yemen, and vowed to "address" his country's involvement in the war "in the near future".

Asked whether he will be able to bring the Sudanese troops home, the prime minister said: "Absolutely."

Hamdok said his government is trying to move the country towards a brighter future after 30 years of autocratic rule under Bashir. He outlined a multi-faceted transitional plan that includes ending wars with rebel groups, revitalising the economy, ending corruption and upholding women's rights.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudans-pm-abdalla-hamdok-wants-withdraw-countrys-troops-yemen

and also https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/conflict-military-solution-sudan-abdalla-hamdok-191206074053107.html

(A P)

Sudan and UNAMID Discuss Efforts of Reaching Comprehensive Peace

Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council met here today with the Joint Special Representative and Head of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), Jeremiah Mamabolo.
During the meeting, Al-Burhan stressed that achieving comprehensive peace and stability across Sudan is a priority during the transitional period.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2006473

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

(B K P)

France's Leclerc Tank Is One Piece of Armor Not To Be Toyed With

The UAE has adapted futuristic technology for its Leclercs that other countries -- in the region and back in Europe -- will study.

At the forefront is the UAE's armored corps of French-made Leclerc tanks, an innovative machine which for the past 26 years have been a more common sight at mock war games, peacekeeping missions and France's Bastille Day parade than on the battlefield. But the UAE first tested the Leclerc's mettle in Yemen -- and is adding upgrades to make its armor harder to crack.

https://news.yahoo.com/frances-leclerc-tank-one-piece-113800676.html

cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

(B)

Aden's historic cisterns deteriorate amid neglect

The cisterns of Aden may be a testament to Yemen's past days of glory and architectural innovation but neglect has turned them into dilapidated structures in urgent need of preservation. To the dismay of visitors who come to see the historic reservoirs, much of the water collected in them today is murky and strewn with garbage.
"We found many cisterns full of waste, plastic cans, garbage, and the walls covered with names of people. We did not expect this because the water reservoirs were in better condition," says visitor Mohsen Amer.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14953

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Iran Threatens the entire Region, its Aggression can no Longer be Tolerated -Al-Jubeir Says

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Cabinet Adel Al-Jubeir said here today, that Iran threatens the entire region and its aggression can no longer be tolerated, adding, during a participation in the Mediterranean Dialogue Conference, that: "We support the campaign of " harsh pressure," stressing that Iran must be deprived of the tools that threaten the region and the world."
He pointed out that "Iran believes in the principle of exporting revolution and does not respect the sovereignty of states," adding that "we must show rigor with Iran and no one seeks war."

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007751

(A P)

Iran trying to prolong Yemen civil war to project power: US

The United States on Thursday accused Iran of trying to prolong Yemen's civil war to project its power.

"Iran is trying to prolong Yemen's civil war to project power. Iran should follow the calls of its own people and end its involvement in Yemen. Yemeni people have suffered far too long, and Iran has no legitimate interest in Yemen," State Department Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters here.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/iran-trying-to-prolong-yemen-civil-war-to-project-power-us-119120600130_1.html = https://www.news18.com/news/world/iran-trying-to-prolong-yemen-civil-war-to-project-power-says-us-2413967.html

My comment: This simply is fact-free US propaganda bullshit. More on Hook’s briefing: cp2, cp9. – For the US, everything related to Yemen simply is an annex to its „regime change in Iran“ policy.

(A P)

Arab Coalition confirms commitment to Int’l humanitarian law in its military operations in Yemen

Commander of Joint Forces of Saudi-led Arab Coalition His Royal Highness Lt Gen Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz affirmed that the Command of Joint Forces has been committed to apply the International Humanitarian Law in the military operations carried out in the battles against Iran-backed Houthi militia.

Speaking at a conclusion of the Fifth Training Course of the International Humanitarian Law, a week long training sessions organized in Riyadh, he cited the Houthi militia’s violations of the International Humanitarian Law, blaming the militia for prolonging the suffering of the Yemeni people and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

He has affirmed that the Coalition Joint Forces’ military engagement and operations are governed by the International Security Council resolution (2216) and the International Humanitarian Law

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/05/arab-coalition-confirms-commitment-to-intl-humanitarian-law-in-its-military-operations-in-yemen/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/14974

My comment: LOLOLOLOL.

(A P)

Die VAE beschließen eine erfolgreiche Außenpolitik, die auf Mäßigung, Koexistenz und Frieden beruht

Die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate haben sich als inspirierendes Modell für Toleranz, Koexistenz und menschliche Brüderlichkeit herauskristallisiert und im Laufe der Jahre daran gearbeitet, die internationalen Bemühungen um engere Beziehungen zwischen Kulturen, Religionen und Zivilisationen voranzutreiben, Brücken zu bauen, die zum Fortschritt der Nationen beitragen und Sicherheit und Stabilität fördern.

http://www.wam.ae/de/details/1395302807977

(A P)

UAE adopts successful foreign policy based on moderation, coexistence and peace

The UAE emerged as an inspiring model of tolerance, coexistence and human fraternity, working over the years to lead international efforts towards closer relations between cultures, religions and civilisations, building bridges that contribute to the progress of nations and enhance security and stability.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302807757

(A P)

The Iranian threat

Since the 1979 revolution that led to the establishment of a totalitarian theocracy, the Tehran regime has threatened the stability and security of the Middle East.
In deciding to withdraw the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement and reinstate sanctions against Iran, President Donald Trump stressed on May 8, 2018 that the Joint Global Action Plan, concluded in 2015, was the “worst agreement ever signed by his country”.
Indeed, this agreement was conceived by former President Obama who wanted to reverse alliances as part of his destructive strategy, of which the so-called “Arab springs” are a sad illustration. In reality, it was a fool’s market that mainly allowed the Iranian regime to strengthen itself and use most of the income from sanctions relief to finance Iran’s sectarian expansion.
We must be clear-sighted enough to say that the mullahs’ Iran continues to threaten the entire Middle East region, from Iraq and Bahrain to Morocco, including Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/583334

(A P)

More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007788

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007747

http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302808313

http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302808268

http://en.adenpress.news/news/14970

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2007005

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

Siehe / Look at cp5

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day

Dec. 3: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000../1496077577209269/

Dec. 2: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000../1496077093875984/

(A K pH)

Aggression fliegt mehr als 18 Luftangriffe n den letzten Stunden an

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080704.htm

(A K pH)

Sare’e: US-Saudi Aggression Launched over 18 Raids during the Past Hours

The Armed Forces spokesman stated on Thursday that US-Saudi aggression launched more than 18 raids concurrently with continued escalation by creeps and infiltrations in border frontlines.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10058

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b

(A K pH)

In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Razih district

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10108

(A K pH)

Citizen Killed by Aggression Snipers in Al-Dhalae

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10105

(A K pH)

Das dritte Spionageflugzeug wurde in weniger als 24 Stunden abgeschossen

Die Luftverteidigung der Armee und der Volkskommissionen hat heute in Dschisan ein Spionageflugzeug der Aggressionstruppen abgeschossen, das dritte, das in weniger als 24 Stunden abgeschossen wurde.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080858.htm

(A K pH)

Yemeni Air Defenses downs 3rd Saudi spy drone in less than 24 hours

Air Defenses of the Yemeni Army and the Popular Committees on Thursday downed the third spy drone belonging to the US-Saudi aggression in less than 24 hours, in Jizan.
A source in the air defense said to Almasirah Net that the air defenses downed a spy drone that was carrying out hostile missions east of Jahfan.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10086

(A K pS)

MASAM destroys 1600 Houthi-laid mines in Shabwa

The Saudi Project for demining in Yemen MASAM has removed and destroyed 1600 landmines planted by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Baihan district of Shabwa province.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/12/04/masam-destroys-1600-mines-in-shabwa/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/14963

(A K pH)

In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Razih district

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10075

(A K pH)

Abschuss von zwei Spionageflugzeugen der Aggression

Der Sprecher der Streitkräfte Brigadier Yahya Seree, dass die Luftverteidigung in der Lage war, zwei Spionageflugzeuge der Aggression, das erste vor Dschizan und das zweite in der Direktion von Baqim vor Asir, mit einer geeigneten Waffe abzuschießen, während sie Feindseligkeiten ausführten.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3080784.htm

(A K pH)

Yemeni air defenses shoot down two Saudi spy drones near border

Armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e confirmed that the army’s air defenses were able to shoot down two spy planes belonging to the US-Saudi led aggression.

The first drone was downed with a suitable weapon off Jizan region, while carrying reconnaissance mission.

The second drone was downed with an appropriate weapon while carrying out hostilities in the Baqim district of Asir region.

https://www.uprising.today/yemeni-air-defenses-shoot-down-two-saudi-spy-drones-near-border/

(* B K)

Yemen Update: October 16-December 2

Between October 16-December 2, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reported 9 Houthi missile attacks. Below is a summary of these reported events.

https://missilethreat.csis.org/yemen-update-october-16-december-2/

(* B K)

List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aviation_shootdowns_and_accidents_during_the_Saudi_Arabian-led_intervention_in_Yemen

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(* B E H)

Locusts: a tasty treat with a devastating impact on Yemen’s food security

While markets bustle with the trade, experts warn they are destroying the country's agriculture

Locusts have plagued western Yemen this winter, severely damaging agriculture and harming people's livelihoods in the conflicted country.

Years of war and food shortages have driven 14 million people on the brink of famine in Yemen.

The Tihama Plain in western Yemen is an important food-producing area.

The crops there grew well this year with adequate rain but a sudden locust plaque greatly reduced crop yields.

Locusts are also a delicacy in Yemen.

During swarms, markets from Sanaa to Aden teem with people snapping bags of locusts to take home and toast. In a swarm in September, prices for a bag dropped from $70 to $12.

But the insects hit pastures hard and the plague has seriously threatened Yemen's food security and the survival of local farmers and herdsmen.

"The problem is not confined to the crops," said Abdul Azim Ismail, deputy director of the Agriculture Office.

"Locusts not only affected the harvest of millet and corn but also ate the pastures of livestock and destroyed the hives of bees. In other words, they jeopardised agricultural production in terms of both plants and animals.

"Thanks to the adequate rain this year, many people were expecting a good harvest of grain but now they can only survive by selling livestock."

This summer, locusts swept nearly half of Yemen's eastern and central parts.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation repeatedly warned that if no anti-locust action were taken, the winter breeding of the desert locusts would deal a devastating blow to western farming areas.

But due to years of war, the Yemeni government was unable to organise a large-scale and effective locust control operation.

"We are confronted with great obstacles," said Adel Sheibani, director of the Desert Locust Control Centre in Yemen.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/locusts-a-tasty-treat-with-a-devastating-impact-on-yemen-s-food-security-1.946768

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-603-yemen-war-mosaic-603

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-603 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-603:

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

Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:

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

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:

https://yemen.bellingcat.com/

Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:

https://yemeniarchive.org/en

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

Dietrich Klose

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

Dietrich Klose

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