Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 738, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 738, part 1:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-738-yemen-war-mosaic-738
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
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
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 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
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
The Saudi authorities said they just arrested a Saudi citizen who did graffitis supportive of political prisoners and Khashoggi (photos)
https://twitter.com/aalodah/status/1386852383444152322
(A E P)
Exclusive: Major Chinese investors in talks to take Aramco stake - sources
Major Chinese investors are in talks to buy a stake in Saudi Aramco, several sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as Saudi Arabia’s state oil firm prepares to sell another slice of its business to international investors.
(A P)
Lebanese Artist May Have Faced Khashoggi’s Fate in Saudi Detention
A Lebanese artist is speculated to have faced the same tragic fate as Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with media reports saying he has been detained in Saudi Arabia for several days and Riyadh suspiciously declining to allow his family a visit.
Lebanese media outlets said on Tuesday that Saudi authorities had a few days earlier arrested prominent composer Samir Sfeir after he arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, at the invitation of an unknown Saudi official.
According to the al-Akhbar newspaper, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry contacted the Saudi Embassy about the arrest and, later, Sfeir’s wife was promised a visit to her husband but when she arrived in Riyadh, she was not granted permission to visit him.
The Lebanese paper also said that Saudi authorities had so far refused to respond to requests for providing Beirut with information on why Sfeir was arrested.
Other media outlets said Sfeir, who is a known supporter of Lebanon’s largest Christian bloc — the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) — set out for Riyadh following an invitation from Waleed bin Ghazi, a personal assistant to the Saudi information minister.
According to reports, Sfeir’s family has been unaware of his condition for several days and the Lebanese artist is being kept in Saudi Arabia’s political prison, Dehun.
Charbel Khalil, a prominent FPM member, claimed that Saudi Arabia had “kidnapped” Sfeir just because he was “Aounist,” referring to the supporters of Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
(B P)
Film: #Saudi @KingSalman beat up people according to his nephew Khaled, brother of @Alwaleed_Talal He says Salman turns his ring before slapping faces for maximum damage.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387048312117686287
and a reminder from 2015: Investigation: Murder In The Palace: Saudi King Salman Said To Have Murdered Own Son (https://www.gulfinstitute.org/investigation-murder-in-the-palace-saudi-king-salman-said-to-have-murdered-own-son/).
(A P)
Film: In a blatant and arrogant acknowledgment of his human rights violations against “extremists”, Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, cites the Quran to justify the murder and silencing of his critics.
https://twitter.com/DAWNmenaorg/status/1387779195871301632
and
(A P)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promises economic assistance to Yemen's Houthis for ceasefire
Saudi Arabia remains ready to provide economic assistance to Yemen's Houthi rebels should they agree to a ceasefire and negotiations, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a Tuesday TV interview.
Prince Mohammed said Riyadh wants the Yemen rebels to negotiate with the Aden-based national government and other factions "to reach solutions that guarantee everyone's rights", according to a transcript published by Arab News.
He also added that Riyadh seeks to talks to "safeguard the interests of all the countries in the region".
"We still have our offer open to [have a] ceasefire and provide economic support and everything they need as long as the Houthis agree to a ceasefire and sitting on the negotiating table," he explained.
Asked whether he felt Iran would choose for the Sanaa-based group, Prince Mohammed said that despite their strong ties with Tehran, "they have the Arab and Yemeni instinct".
He added that Riyadh wishes this to be "even more revived" to allow the Houthis to put domestic needs first.
Despite this offer, MbS maintained support for Yemen's internationally-recognised government, led by President Abedrabbo Mansour, which he described as the "legitimate" authority in the country.
(A P)
SAUDISCHER KRONPRINZ UND IRAN: Kein Hitler-Vergleich mehr
Ganz konnte der saudische Kronprinz Muhammad bin Salman nicht darauf verzichten, die eigene Stärke zu beschwören. „Die Vokabel Angst existiert in saudischen Wörterbüchern nicht, denn Saudis fürchten sich vor nichts“, sagte der Thronfolger in einem ausführlichen Fernsehinterview. Doch der Ton, den er gegenüber Iran, dem großen regionalen Rivalen, anschlug, war auffällig konziliant. „Letztendlich ist Iran ein Nachbarland“, erklärte er. Das Königreich wolle keine Schwierigkeiten und strebe ein gutes Verhältnis zu Teheran an. „Wir wollen, dass es gedeiht und wächst“, sagte der Kronprinz
Die neue Milde im Ton passt zu den Berichten in den vergangenen Wochen über neue Kontakte zwischen beiden Ländern.
(A P)
Saudi crown prince says he will further centralise policy making
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said in a televised interview that he will further centralise policymaking, to ensure the success of his drive to diversify the economy.
In the interview, aired on Saudi TV late on Tuesday, he said the kingdom had set up a Budget Bureau to take over setting the state budget from the finance ministry, and would by the end of this year launch a new Policies Office.
The moves continue a shift of policy decisions away from traditional bodies such as the finance ministry and central bank, which began with the formation of a Council of Economic and Development Affairs, headed by the prince, after his father King Salman took the throne in 2015.
“Policies today are being translated by committees but in the future the dedicated office ... will issue orders to ministries to implement the prepared strategy with clear roles and objectives,” he said.
and interview in film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1HfRhfHwUc&t=2s
and by Al Arabiya: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/04/27/Saudi-Arabia-s-Crown-Prince-Mohammed-Bin-Salman-to-give-television-interview https://twitter.com/AlArabiya_Eng/status/1387135351802798090
and
(A P)
Saudi crown prince defends austerity steps, social loosening
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman laid out a vigorous defense of his domestic policies and the thinking behind his push to transform Saudi Arabia economically and socially during a wide-ranging interview broadcast across Saudi television channels late Tuesday.
In the lengthy interview that stretched past midnight, the crown prince also expressed hopes for good relations with rival Iran and said that Saudi Arabia and the Biden administration in Washington were in agreement on most issues of mutual concern.
The bulk of the interview, though, was spent laying out a dizzying array of economic figures and milestones to explain why the government has raised taxes, cut subsidies and embarked on unpopular austerity measures to hit targets in the so-called Vision 2030 plan.
He said the kingdom is in talks to sell a 1% stake of the state-owned oil giant Aramco to a leading global energy company. In 2019, the kingdom listed 5% of Aramco on the Saudi stock exchange in an effort to raise money for its sovereign wealth fund.
The interview was timed to mark five years since the launch of Vision 2030, Prince Mohammed’s blueprint for transforming the kingdom from an oil-dependent, insular nation to an economic powerhouse that is open to the world. In his unveiling of the project in 2016, he acknowledged Saudi Arabia had an “addiction to oil.”
and
(A P)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman explains Vision 2030 in landmark interview
Prince Mohammed describes kingdom's achievements of Vision 2030's first five years and what is to come
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave a televised interview on Tuesday night for the fifth anniversary of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform programme launch.
Under the Vision 2030 plan, Prince Mohammed has brought in several multibillion-dollar projects to put Saudi Arabia on the map for innovation, tech and youth-driven initiatives.
"We have big opportunities in front of us in different sectors and we have to exploit them to continue to grow and prosper," he said on the Liwan Al Mudaifer Show.
The crown prince's opening remarks addressed the urgency for the kingdom to diversify away from oil revenue dependency, while also describing how crucial Saudi Arabia's oil reserves are for the next stage of Vision 2030.
"If we look back, oil has helped develop our country for centuries so we’ve always had that impression to depend on oil," Prince Mohammed said.
"But the increase in population will not be able to depend on oil production, at the rate we are going."
Saudi Arabia's non-oil revenues have increased more than 200 per cent since the start of the Vision 2030 plan.
"Oil is still the main source of income for the state," Prince Mohammed said. "My intention is to make sure that the country is secure, safe and has a better future to look forward to."
and
(A P)
Bin Salman affirms Saudi rejection of armed militia at its borders
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirmed his country’s rejection of the presence of “any armed organization outside the law” on its borders, calling on the Houthi group to cease fire in Yemen and engage in negotiations.
In an interview broadcast on Tuesday evening by the official Saudi media, in response to a question about Houthis’ rejection of the Saudi peace initiative, bin Salman indicated that the current crisis is not the first of its kind in the history of the two countries, considering that the Houthi’s control of Sanaa in 2014 was a “coup against Legitimacy and something illegal.“
He stressed that “no country in the world accepts the presence of a militia on its borders or any armed organization outside the law of the state on the borders, and this is unacceptable to Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region and unacceptable to the legitimacy (the internationally recognized government) in Yemen.”
He pointed out that there is no doubt that there is a “strong relationship” between the Houthis and the Iranian regime, but he expressed his wishes that the group would take into account Yemen’s interests before anything else.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32817
My comment: He’s blinded by his own propaganda – what he calls “militia” is the armed forces of a Yemeni government. And he simply “forgets” to mention that Saudi Arabia itself had provoked unrest and war with this “militia” by attacking Yemen.
and
(A P)
Bin Salman Strikes Conciliatory Tone With Iran
Saudi crown prince softens Iran rhetoric in balancing act
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has taken a more conciliatory public stance towards Iran, trying to balance long-held animosity with economic considerations and bridge differences with Washington over how to tackle Tehran’s regional behaviour.
While reiterating that Riyadh has a problem with Iran’s “negative behaviour”, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview aired late on Tuesday that Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia wanted a good relationship with Shi’ite Iran.
“We do not want for Iran to be in a difficult situation, on the contrary we want Iran to prosper and grow. We have interests in Iran and they have interests in the Kingdom to propel the region and the world to growth and prosperity,” he said.
That contrasts with remarks by Prince Mohammed in 2017, after becoming crown prince, in which he called the supreme leader of Iran “the new Hitler of the Middle East”. Earlier that year he said any contest for influence between the arch-rivals ought take place “inside Iran, not in Saudi Arabia”.
and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/19091/Bin-Salman-Strikes-Conciliatory-Tone-With-Iran
and
(A P)
Saudi crown prince: Only few differences with Biden administration
The kingdom's de facto ruler also said Saudi Arabia would not accept any pressure or interference in its internal affairs.
"We are more than 90 percent in agreement with the Biden administration when it comes to Saudi and U.S. interests and we are working to strengthen these interests," the prince said.
"The matters we disagree on represent less than 10 percent and we are working to find solutions and understandings ... there is no doubt that the United States is a strategic partner," he added.
My comment: LOL. But obviously, he is right. Trump and Saudi agreed 99,9 %, Biden and Saudi it’s less, just about 90 %.
and
(A P)
MBS spoke for the first time about a long history of conflict between Yemen and Saudi Arabia since King Abdul Aziz in the 1930s. I think the current conflict is an extension of the first one: fighting against the Saudi hegemony, this one has nothing to do with "rebels or coups"
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1387197822613733377
and
(A P)
#MBS says that #Yemen #Ansarullah aka “Houthis” are #Yemenis even though they have ties to #Iran. He implied that they control their own decision.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387157399748980736
#MBS says he wants good relations with #Iran but concerned about its behavior, support for armed groups, & its missile & nuclear programs.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387156559294238721
#MBS has know has pretended to be an economist, urban developer, theologian, scientist, jurist & other expertise
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387153804341223428
#MBS is now pretending to be a theologian & discussing the validity & kinds of hadiths. This is outlandish.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387152282022711296
#Saudi strongman #MBS just said that oxygen from trees interacts with passing clouds & make it rain. #MBS should be awarded @NobelPrize for this discovery. This is so unreal.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387146777195843585
A bright #Saudi dissident, trained #Sorbonne, reveals that the much touted #MBS interview to be aired tonight to mark 5 years since his #Vision2030 has been pre-recoded few days ago & edited. It is not a live interview.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387088507294953474
(A P)
Arbitrary Sentence of 7 Years in Prison for Saudi Activist
Saudi Arabia: The Specialized Criminal Court affiliated with the Saudi regime has sentenced activist, Khaled Al-Omair, to seven years in prison.
The "Prisoners of Conscience" account stated in a tweet that the ruling against the activist Al-Omair came against the background of false accusations that he was "leading an activity seeking to harm the security of the Kingdom."
Al-Omair is detained for submitting a complaint to the authorities against those who tortured him during his previous 10-year prison term, following his call to demonstrate in solidarity with the Gaza Strip in 2008. Al-Saud authorities re-arrested Al-Omair in July 2018, 6 months after his first release.
Al-Omair worked in the Saudi military sector before he later resigned. His interest in reform work began in 2000 and he was one of the signatories of all the reform statements that were issued since that period.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19083/Arbitrary-Sentence-of-7-Years-in-Prison-for-Saudi-Activist
(B P)
Film: Horrific video of flooding scene in holy city #Makkah. This happens every year. #Saudi failure
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387931109078540288
Film: Rain in holy city #Makkah exposes #MBS failure in providing minimal improvements to the country’s infrastructure. #Saudi Monarchy should be given an award for decades of failure.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1387091574845227010
and as a reminder (from 2009!): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/dec/03/jeddah-floods-sewage-al-saud
(* B P)
How The King Of Saudi Arabia Spent $500 Million
The Saudi Royal Family is estimated to be worth $1.4 trillion, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman might be the most lavish spender of them all. He is often the de facto ruler for his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and controls part of the royal family's vast wealth. But he also has a personal wealth of $12.5 billion. He’s used his royal wealth to buy some pretty extravagant things-- like gold sports cars and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting. He and his father have also been known to take lavish $100 million vacations to places like Morocco-- where they have a summer palace-- and the Maldives, where they rent out entire resorts. Prince Salman owns one of the most expensive homes in the world, Château Louis XIV near Versailles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2LzTFCEl0
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(A P)
#Turkey praises #SaudiArabia for the way it dealt with Khashoggi case in court
https://twitter.com/Saudi_Gazette/status/1386700944121942018
My comment: Erdogan’s new Middle East geopolitics.
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp9a
(* B P)
100 Tage Biden – Hoffnungen erfüllt?
Ungestörter Imperialismus
In seinem Bestreben, die Position und das Ansehen der USA in der Welt wiederherzustellen, hat Biden Trumps „America First“-Phrase mit ihren faschistischen Untertönen vermieden und sie durch „Amerika ist zurück und bereit, die Welt zu führen“ ersetzt. Sein Engagement für die US-Hegemonie hat sich in seiner Unterstützung von US-Kriegen während seiner gesamten Karriere gezeigt, einschließlich der jüngsten „forever wars“.
Während Biden vielleicht Stabilität in den Nahen Osten zurückbringen will, ist es keine Politik des Friedens. Er will eine fortgesetzte US-Herrschaft, die wirtschaftlichen Imperialismus, Drohnenangriffe und mögliche Kriege beinhaltet.
https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/100-tage-biden-hoffnungen-erfuellt/
(B P)
4 Measures that Outlined US Policy on Yemen in Biden’s First 100 Days in Office
The new administration has taken four measures that have changed the priorities of the American position, setting itself apart from its predecessor. The Biden administration first lifted the terrorist designation of the Iran-backed Houthi militias and stopped the “logistic and military support” to the Arab coalition, claiming the designation will impact the delivery of humanitarian aid.
This new approach was confirmed by an American official at the National Security Council on Tuesday. He said that Washington’s leadership of the world made it inevitable to increase diplomatic efforts in all world issues, including ending American support in the catastrophic crisis in Yemen.
The American national security strategy that was presented to the White House and seen by Asharq Al-Awsat says that the US position will support UN efforts to end the war in order to ease regional tensions and allow people throughout the Middle East to achieve their aspirations.
The current American administration could not have taken all of these steps over Yemen without some form of agreement among members of Congress
My remark: From Saudi Arabia.
(A P)
Film by Sen. Chris Murphy: Please watch this. Please share this. We have a chance to stop a coming famine in Yemen. But time is running short, and the U.S. must lead.
https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1387766542448971787
My comment: No, the US must NOT LEAD. US “leadership” had been highly destructive for decades and the world simply does not nead it. Just keep off.
(A P)
Scoop: White House courts progressives over Yemen
A handful of progressive legislators gathered in the Situation Room early Wednesday with national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss the war in Yemen, multiple sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios.
Why it matters: This is the first confab of its kind at the White House with a group that's loudly criticized President Biden’s actions on the humanitarian crisis in the region — signaling the administration’s willingness to take their concerns seriously.
The cooperation on the administration's part seems to have satisfied the legislators, at least for now.
One Democratic aide involved with the meetings told Axios they "appreciated the attentiveness."
Of course, this doesn't mean the tension will dissipate entirely.
The same Democratic aide says progressives will continue to watch the issue closely.
National Security Council Spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement: “We’re not going to comment on individual meetings but we regularly engage with lawmakers on progress towards our commitment to ending the catastrophic war in Yemen.”
https://www.axios.com/yemen-white-house-progressives-738518c5-2199-4939-8a43-c9c3d0691a1e.html
(A P)
The lives of four Yemeni journalists are on the line, but Joe Biden could save them
The fate of four Yemeni journalists is in the hands of US President Joe Biden, Dr Khalid Ibrahim and Dr Ikram Ais have told me as they explained the details of their campaign for their release. Ibrahim is the Executive Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, while Ais is Co-Director of Activism at the Harvard Law School's Advocates for Human Rights. They have sent a letter to Biden urging him to call for the immediate release of Abdul Khaleq Amran, Akram Al-Walidi, Al-Hareth Humaid and Tawfiq Al-Mansouri who are facing a death sentence in Houthi-controlled Yemen.
(* B P)
‘Accomplice to carnage’ belies a perilous overreach in Yemen
As Obama-era policymakers wrestle with their role in the war, they betray a certain naivete about their Saudi partners at the time.
Fast forward to 2015, one wonders whether Obama’s National Security Council undertook an appropriate threat assessment. Why did it not query Saudi Arabia’s professed anxiety over a rag-tag (albeit battle-hardened) militia? At that time, Iranian support was limited; it consisted mainly in providing diplomatic cover and assistance with media with a few militia leaders trained abroad. The Houthis did not need Iranian weapons; during the earlier wars, they obtained their weapons from army units and bases they had captured. After 2014, they gained access to ballistic missiles stored in Saleh’s arsenal. They were pursuing a purely domestic agenda, and their activities respected the Saudi border — a restraint that ended after the Saudis had bombed and blockaded civilian targets. Remarkably, the Saudi embassy’s press statement justifying the launch of military operations in Yemen on March 25, 2015 failed even to refer to Iran.
Malley and Pomper’s account leaves the impression that Iranian influence was key to the Saudi decision to launch their offensive in 2015. But Riyadh’s influence in northern Yemen was clearly already on the wane. Their patronage system among the tribes and the network of mostly Saudi-sponsored Salafi institutes had crumbled. It was the Saudi attempt to recover and to expand influence by force that provoked the Iranians, whose twin regional objectives have been to prevent Saudi Arabia from taking control of Yemen through military intervention and from interfering in Iraq and Syria.
Indeed, the Iranians understand that the Houthis are fighting for an independent, sovereign state and to preserve a version of Shi‘ism unique to Yemen. They also appreciate that the Houthis do not want Iran to merely supplant the Saudis. Unlike Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of which occupy Yemeni territory never held by the Houthis, Iran has built neither institutions nor military bases there.
The Houthi conflict has its roots in local grievances, but the various attempts at making peace to date have failed to address them. The 2012 GCC-backed agreement in the wake of the Arab Spring denied the Houthis a stake in the new government, and their request to contribute 30,000 men into the national army was rejected outright. The U.N.-brokered Peace and National Partnership agreement of 2015 was intended to bring them into the political process, but, before the signing ceremony, MbS launched his air campaign – dubbed “Operation Decisive Storm” (a seemingly deliberate echo of George H.W. Bush’s 1991 “Operation Desert Storm”) — with the support of U.S. intelligence, inflight refuelling services, targeting information, and arms.
Washington was no doubt gratified that one of its allies was at last taking action for itself. However, following in America’s footsteps will not ameliorate entrenched enmities and conflicts that have their roots in local grievances. The six years of war in Yemen demonstrate the devastating consequences of the ambiguities of Obama’s attempt to step back while remaining militarily engaged.
Some parts of “Accomplice to Carnage,” despite the implications of its title, read like an attempt to exonerate the U.S. from potential accusations of complicity in war crimes. But it remains to be seen how (literally) fuelling the Saudi air campaign will be interpreted by human rights lawyers in the future. There can be no doubt that the Washington’s support kept Saudi planes from falling out of the sky. “For reasons both moral and strategic, the Biden administration should make it a priority to disentangle the United States from the war in Yemen and do what it can to bring the conflict to a long-overdue conclusion,” advise Malley, who now serves as Biden’s Special Envoy on Iran, and Pomper. While Biden indeed appears determined to negotiate an end to the conflict, he also seems reluctant to sever military ties with Riyadh, pledging to continue supplying the kingdom with “defensive” arms and assistance.
To persuade the Saudis that America’s renewed pursuit of détente with Iran will not come at their expense, and that they must cease their blockade of Yemen, the U.S. president will have to walk a diplomatic tightrope – by Gabriele vom Bruck
(B K P)
"This war has to end"
100 Tage Biden und Perspektiven für eine Konfliktlösung im Jemen
Ein Ende des Krieges im Jemen – das ist die klare Forderung des neuen US-Präsidenten Joe Biden. Dies markiert eine Wende in der amerikanischen Außenpolitik, die mit einem neuen Kurs auch gegenüber Saudi-Arabien und dem saudisch-iranischen Verhältnis einhergeht. Durch die proaktive Initiative der neuen US-Regierung ergeben sich zum ersten Mal seit langer Zeit Perspektiven für eine Konflikt- und Kriegsbeilegung im Jemen. Viele zentrale Fragen bleiben jedoch noch ungeklärt.
Die Lösung des Jemenkonflikts und die Beendigung des Krieges wurde so zu einem außenpolitischen Schwerpunkt. Mit dieser Haltung bricht Biden mit einer US-Politik, die unter seinen beiden Vorgängern den Krieg im Jemen noch unterstützt hatte. Erstmals überhaupt wird so etwas wie eine Strategie zur Beilegung des Krieges formuliert und praktische Schritte gegangen. Unterstrichen wird der Stellenwert dieses Ziels mit der Ernennung eines Sondergesandten, Timothy Lenderking.
Der praktische erste Schritt war die Einstellung amerikanischer Unterstützung für offensive Operationen Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen. Die Unterstützung beim Schutz gegen Attacken auf saudisches Territorium bleibt zwar bestehen, logistische und geheimdienstliche Unterstützung Saudi-Arabiens bei Operationen im Jemen dürften damit aber beendet sein. Einen plumpen Abzug aus dem Krieg haben die USA damit jedoch nicht vollzogen. Die Beilegung braucht Zeit, Strategie und regionale sowie internationale Unterstützung.
Auf dem Weg, diese Unterstützung aufzubauen, scheinen die USA in den ersten 100 Tagen recht weit gekommen zu sein. Die USA, die Vereinten Nationen und insbesondere der Oman arbeiten intensiv an einer Lösung; hinzu kommen die ständigen Mitglieder des UN-Sicherheitsrates sowie Deutschland, Schweden, Kuwait und die EU. US-Sondergesandter Lenderking verhandelt unter Vermittlung Omans mit den Huthi-Rebellen, führt „back channel discussions“ und Gespräche mit allen regionalen Akteuren in Abstimmung mit dem UN-Sondergesandten Martin Griffiths. Lenderking bezeichnet die Gespräche als „produktiv“.
So scheinen die USA willens, gemeinsam mit regionalen und internationalen Partnern, Zeit aufzuwenden und Strategien für eine Beilegung des Krieges und innerjemenitischer Konflikte aufzubauen und umzusetzen.
https://www.kas.de/de/laenderberichte/detail/-/content/this-war-has-to-end
Mein Kommentar: Transatlantischer mainstream von der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung der CDU. Biden = Gut, Huthis, Iran = Schlecht. Viel fehlt nicht, um den Artikel in cp15 Propaganda zu verschieben.
(* B K P)
Bidens Drohnenkriege
Wie auch bei der Ankündigung vergangener Woche, dass der Krieg der USA in Afghanistan beendet werde, folgte die „Klarstellung“ einen Tag darauf. Am 5. Februar zerstreute die Biden-Administration die Vorstellung, dass sich die USA komplett aus dem Business des Tötens von Jemeniter:innen zurückziehen werde und das Außenministerium gab ein Statement heraus, wonach „es maßgeblich ist, dass davon Offensiven gegen den IS oder AQAP (Al-Qaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel) ausgenommen sind.“
Anders gesagt – was auch immer in dem Krieg der Saudis geschieht, wird der Krieg, der von den USA seit 2002 unter dem Deckmantel der vom Kongress verabschiedeten Autorisierung zum Einsatz der US-Armee gegen die Verantwortlichen der Anschläge des 11. September geführt wird, endlos weitergehen, und zwar trotz der Tatsache, dass 2001 weder der IS noch Al-Qaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel existierten. Diese anderen „offensiven Operationen“ der USA, die im Jemen unvermindert fortgeführt werden, bestehen aus Angriffen mittels Drohnen, Cruise-Missiles und Sondereinheiten.
Bidens Ankündigungen und Aktionen im Februar zum Krieg im Jemen und im April zum Krieg in Afghanistan lassen darauf schließen, dass es ihm weniger darum geht, die „endlosen Kriege“ zu beenden, sondern eher darum, diese Kriege den mit 200 kg Bomben bestückten Drohnen und Hellfire Missiles zu überlassen, die aus tausenden Kilometern Entfernung gesteuert werden.
Um auf die Auswirkungen von Drohnenangriffen im Jemen zurückzukommen – der junge jemenitische Schriftsteller Ibrahim Mothana berichtete dem US-Kongress 2013, dass „Drohnenangriffe dazu führen, dass immer mehr Jemeniter:innen Amerika hassen und sich radikalen und militanten Gruppen anschließen“. Die Drohnenkriege, die die Biden-Administration offenbar wild entschlossen ist auszuweiten, richten eindeutig mehr Schaden an. Sie sind ein Rückschritt für die Sicherheit und Stabilität der angegriffenen Länder und erhöhen die Gefahr von Angriffen auf Amerikaner daheim und im Ausland.
Es passt nicht zusammen, über Frieden in Afghanistan, Jemen und in den Straßen der USA zu sprechen und gleichzeitig Drohnenkriege zu führen. Wir müssen dringend ein Verbot der Herstellung, des Verkaufs und der Verwendung bewaffneter Drohnen sowie ein Ende der militärischen und polizeilichen Drohnenüberwachung fordern.
https://www.pressenza.com/de/2021/04/bidens-drohnenkriege/
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Biden’s Drone Wars
As with last week’s announcement that the U.S. war in Afghanistan would end, “clarification” came the following day. On February 5th, the Biden administration dispelled the impression that the U.S. was getting out of the business of killing Yemenis completely and the State Department issued a statement, saying “Importantly, this does not apply to offensive operations against either ISIS or AQAP.” In other words, whatever happens in regard to the war waged by the Saudis, the war that the U.S. has been waging in Yemen since 2002, under the guise of the Authorization for Use of Military Force passed by congress authorizing the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against those responsible for the September 11 attacks, will continue indefinitely, despite the fact that neither ISIS nor Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula existed in 2001. These other“offensive operations” by the U.S. that will continue unabated in Yemen include drone strikes, cruise missile attacks and special forces raids.
It appears from his statements and actions regarding the war in Yemen in February and regarding the war in Afghanistan in April, that Biden is not so much concerned with ending the “forever wars” as he is with handing these wars over to drones armed with 500 pound bombs and Hellfire missiles operated by remote control from thousands of miles away.
Speaking of the effect of drone attacks in Yemen, the young Yemeni writer Ibrahim Mothana told Congress in 2013, “Drone strikes are causing more and more Yemenis to hate America and join radical militants.” The drone wars the Biden administration seems hell bent on expanding clearly damage and set back security and stability in the countries being attacked and increase the danger of attacks on Americans at home and abroad.
Talk of peace in Afghanistan, Yemen, the streets of the U.S., is not coherent while waging wars with drones. We must urgently demand a ban on the production, trade and use of weaponized drones and an end to military and police drone surveillance.”
https://worldbeyondwar.org/bidens-drone-wars/
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U.S. special envoy for Yemen to travel to region on Thursday
U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will travel to Saudi Arabia and Oman on Thursday for talks with government officials about efforts to end Yemen's civil war, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
Lenderking's "discussions will focus on ensuring the regular and unimpeded delivery of commodities and humanitarian assistance throughout Yemen, promoting a lasting ceasefire, and transitioning the parties to a political process," the statement said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-special-envoy-yemen-travel-region-thursday-2021-04-29/ = https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-04-28/us-special-envoy-for-yemen-to-travel-to-region-on-thursday
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#USEnvoyYemen Lenderking continues his engagements with important stakeholders and welcomed the opportunity to hear from @WinWithoutWar on how the U.S. and international community can mitigate the humanitarian & economic crisis in #Yemen, & bring relief to the Yemeni people.
https://twitter.com/StateDept_NEA/status/1387176792688144386
(A K P)
US soldier killed during raid in Yemen
The United States of America announced Tuesday that one of its soldiers in Yemen was killed.
The US Navy said in a statement that a SEAL soldier was killed at the end of the week during a raid in Yemen.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/04/27/us-soldier-killed-during-raid-in-yemen/
referring to https://twitter.com/riskmap_/status/1387010034333147138
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Houthi attack on Yemen’s Marib caused ‘tremendous humanitarian consequences’: Blinken
The Iran-backed Houthi militia’s continued attacks on Yemen’s Marib has caused “tremendous humanitarian consequences,” United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
“The international community must ask itself why the Houthis are seeking a military solution to the conflict with their assault on Marib, despite the tremendous humanitarian consequences,” Blinken tweeted after his meeting with the US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking.
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27829
(* B K P)
Congress presses Biden administration for answers on Yemen war
Pressure is building on Capitol Hill as lawmakers await clarity about US support for Saudi Arabia in an upcoming briefing.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week, three lawmakers inquired whether the US government or US-licensed companies have provided intelligence, advice or maintenance support for Riyadh’s military operations against Yemen’s Houthi rebels since Biden’s order.
The letter, obtained by Al-Monitor, is the latest sign that patience has been running thin among Democrats on Capitol Hill over what some see as the Biden administration’s slow response to their calls for transparency on the new policy.
The Biden administration has yet to respond to a series of questions addressed to the president in a letter signed by 41 representatives in February, lawmakers say.
A 2019 war powers resolution that passed the House with broad bipartisan support would have barred such maintenance and spare parts support had the bill been included in the 2020 defense spending legislation.
Prior to their recent appointments, several members of Biden’s administration publicly advocated passing the resolution. Among them are now national security adviser Jake Sullivan, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Iran envoy Robert Malley, USAID chief Samantha Power and Kelly Magsamen, chief of staff to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Rights groups and some progressive members of Congress continue to object to the maintenance support, noting that years of Saudi bombardment have failed to stop the Houthis’ advance and have worsened Yemen’s humanitarian situation.
Administration officials are expected to brief members of Congress on the issue Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
But Democratic aides say patience is running out. Khanna, who co-led the 2019 war powers resolution along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., described the mood among lawmakers on the issue as “moral outrage” during an interview with The Nation earlier this month.
Activists say the Saudi air force’s reliance on US maintenance gives the Biden administration significant leverage that could be used to push Riyadh to offer cease-fire terms that would be more acceptable to the Houthis.
They also argue it could also be used to pressure an end to the Saudi blockade, which both United Nations and US officials have said is central to Yemen’s disastrous food and fuel shortages.
It is not clear whether the current US officials have raised the issue as a point of leverage with Riyadh, but the Biden administration "does not currently have plans to reduce or suspend maintenance or logistical support for the Royal Saudi Air Force," a senior US official told Al-Monitor.
Concerns that Saudi officials may see the United States as an unreliable partner and potentially turn to Russia for future defense agreements likely play a role in the Biden administration's calculus, according to Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan (ret.), former commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
"For many reasons, it is very much in the US interest to keep a positive relationship with the Saudis” as the Biden administration looks to focus on a rising China, said Donegan, who oversaw US operations in Yemen as CENTCOM’s operations chief – by Jared Szuba
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/04/congress-presses-biden-administration-answers-yemen-war
and short report: https://www.commonspace.eu/news/new-twist-us-approach-yemen
Letter: https://twitter.com/RepTedLieu/status/1387118690089553920
(* B P)
Documents Show Saudi Lobbyists Monitored Activists At D.C. Summit
In March of 2016, about 250 activists gathered at a law school in Washington D.C. for a summit where speakers blasted the alliance between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. One of the people watching the proceedings was a junior staffer from a D.C. lobbying firm who monitored the proceedings for the Saudi government.
The Uprising has obtained documents from the Podesta Group, a now-defunct lobbying and PR firm, that include a report that was compiled on the summit by that staffer.
That report, which we are not publishing to protect the anonymity of the source who provided the documents, was largely a dry summary of the conference.
Saudi Arabia operates a robust influence network within the United States that has reportedly intensified in recent years amid the public outcry over the country’s war in Yemen and the October 2018 killing of Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The U.S. Director of National Intelligence released a report in February that accused Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman of orchestrating the operation to “capture or kill” Khashoggi. Documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, in accordance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act, show there are at least twenty U.S.-based firms currently representing the Saudi government or affiliated entities.
The Podesta Group was one of Saudi Arabia’s representatives in the US from 2015 until 2017. According to FARA filings, the company represented the Saudi Royal Court and the state-run oil company and was paid at least $510,000 for its work during that period. The filings, which are public, say Podesta group was contracted for unspecified “public relations services.” They include details on informational materials Podesta Group distributed on behalf of the royal court, but no mention of monitoring American activists.
While Podesta Group is no longer working for the Saudis, the documents reviews by The Uprising shed light on the country’s ongoing influence operation.
https://www.theuprising.info/p/documents-show-saudi-lobbyists-monitored
(B P)
The Biden administration and the Middle East: Reflecting on the first 100 days
At the end of Joe Biden’s first 100 days as president of the United States, where do things stand when it comes to U.S. policy toward the Middle East and North Africa? We asked experts and scholars from across MEI to weigh in with their thoughts on the changes we've seen so far, the new challenges that have emerged, and what we know about the administration's key priorities for the region.
https://www.mei.edu/publications/biden-administration-and-middle-east-reflecting-first-100-days
My comment: Mainly Neocon viewpoints, as could have been expected from MEI.
(* A P)
Bidens Jemen-Gesandter weiß nicht, ob die USA am Jemenkrieg beteiligt sind
In einer Anhörung vor einem Unterausschuss des Außenpolitischen Ausschusses des US-Repräsentantenhaus erklärte der Jemen-Sondergesandte von US-Präsident Joe Biden, Tim Lenderking, er wisse nicht, ob die USA weiterhin im Jemenkrieg involviert seien und die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition weiterhin unterstützten. Joe Biden versprach dies in einer Rede Anfang Februar. Doch diese Informationen lägen Botschafter Lenderking nicht vor.
Dass mit Lenderking jene Person, die US-seitig mit der Beendigung des über sechs Jahre andauernden Krieges im Jemen beauftragt ist, nichts über die kriegerischen Aktivitäten seiner eigenen Regierung weiß, ist eine Blamage und illustriert, welche Priorität die Biden-Administration der laut UN „schlimmsten humanitären Krise der Welt“ einräumt.
Lenderking ist ein Karriere-Diplomat und diente für verschiedene US-Regierungen in Syrien, Bangladesch, Libanon, Marokko, Kuwait, Irak, Pakistan und zuletzt in Riad, Saudi-Arabien, bevor er von Bidens Außenminister Tony Blinken am 4. Februar zum Sonderbotschafter für den Frieden im Jemen ernannt wurde.
Am Tag dieser unrühmlichen Performance verlas Lenderking auch ein Statement im analogen Nahost-Unterausschuss des US-Senats. Hierin erkannte er an, dass „die Houthis nach dem Konflikt eine bedeutende Rolle in der Regierung spielen werden“ und forderte „die Houthi-Führung“ auf: „kommt an den Verhandlungstisch“.
In seiner Anhörung nannte Lenderking auch den Iran einen „Terror-Staat“ („terrorist state“), während seine Regierung zur selben Zeit in Wien indirekte Gespräche mit Teheran über die Wiederbelebung des Iran-Deals von 2015 führt. Nochmal: Warum verhandeln die USA mit „Terroristen“? Und nochmal: Oder sollte Washington vielmehr die Verwendung dieses rein politischen Kampfbegriffs überdenken?
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
Siehe / Look at cp9
(A P)
Iranian foreign minister visits Kuwait
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is on a regional diplomatic tour and talks have included the war in Yemen.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah, according to the official Kuwait News Agency, and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah on April 29.
In addition to strengthening Iran-Kuwait relations, Zarif and Sheikh Ahmed discussed Syria, Yemen and Libya, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency in Iran.
In January, Kuwait helped mediate an end to the Saudi-Qatar diplomatic feud.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/04/iranian-foreign-minister-visits-kuwait
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Why Mohammed bin Salman Suddenly Wants to Talk to Iran
Secret meetings have been going on at least since January, catalyzed by the specter of U.S. withdrawal from the region.
What changed to make this 180-degree shift possible?
One factor looms larger than all others: increasing signs that the United States is serious about shifting its focus away from the Middle East. It’s not so much anything Washington has done but rather what Washington has stopped doing—namely, reassuring its security partners in the region that it will continue to support them unconditionally, no matter what reckless conduct they engage in. Washington’s turn away from entangling itself in the quarrels and stratagems of its Middle Eastern partners has compelled the region’s powers to explore their own diplomacy. Contrary to the doomsday predictions of Washington’s foreign-policy establishment, chaos has not been unleashed by the United States’ pending military withdrawals from the region. Instead, regional diplomacy has broken out.
Mohammed bin Salman’s soothing comments were most likely a reference to secret talks between Iran and its Arab neighbors in Iraq.
The Financial Times story turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. The Britain-based news site Amwaj.media revealed that the dialogue was not limited to Iran and Saudi Arabia. Rather, the first meeting was held between Iran and the United Arab Emirates in January, followed by meetings that included Saudi, Jordanian, and Egyptian officials. At least five such meetings have been held since the beginning of the year, according to Amwaj.
While the secret talks focused primarily on the war in Yemen, they also encompassed the situation in Syria and Lebanon. The talks have included the various countries’ top security officials, including a meeting between the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, and Saudi intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan.
Clearly, these talks remain embryonic, and there is a distinct likelihood that they may fail to bridge the gap between Iran and its Arab foes. Still, several factors indicate the potential of these talks to alter not only the trajectory of Saudi-Iranian relations but also the broader security situation in the region. First, based on the Amwaj report, the fact that the talks involve several other regional powers besides Saudi Arabia and Iran suggests they resemble a much-needed regional dialogue, not just a bilateral negotiation to defuse tensions
The second cause for optimism is that this embryonic regional dialogue appears to be initiated and led by the regional powers themselves. That is, it has not been imposed on them by major powers from outside the region, nor is it led by outside states.
The one factor that most compelled the region’s actors to pursue diplomacy is not U.S. recommitment to backing Riyadh versus Tehran or any new diplomatic initiative for the region. Rather, it’s the exact opposite that catalyzed the talks: increasingly clear signs that the United States is militarily disengaging from the Middle East – by Trita Parsi
(B P)
Saudi Arabia’s Failed War on Yemen Prompted MBS to Seek Rapprochement with Iran
In an interview with Press TV, Beau Grosscup, professor emeritus of political science at California State University, said Saudi Arabia’s new approach toward Iran is part of a regional effort by a number of Arab states to calm down the pressures led by Israel and the US’s neo-conservatives for a war in the Middle East.
“Iran is a neighboring state, we are seeking to have good relations with Iran, we have interests in Iran,” the Saudi crown prince said in an interview broadcast on state TV on Tuesday.
Asked whether the kingdom’s failure in its war on Yemen is tied to its attempt to broker rapprochement with Iran, the professor said since Iran is a major player opposing the Saudi war on Yemen and the US support for the war is wavering, the Saudis see rapprochement or the effort at a new relationship with Iran as in their national interest.
Grosscup also said that Saudi Arabia may be looking to overcome its pariah status in the world by posturing itself as a “peacemaker” in the Middle East.
The political commentator maintained that a failed Yemen policy and a desire to lower the prospects of a larger Middle East war are the driving forces of the multilateral negotiations that center on the Iranian-Saudi relationship.
“Of course, one can do two things at the same time; normalize relations with one’s neighbor(s) and get rid of one’s negative pariah image, he added.
(A P)
No Zionists’ act of mischief will go unanswered: Parliament speaker’s aide
A senior aide to the speaker of Iran’s Parliament says developments that took place in the occupied territories in recent days have clearly proven that no act of mischief by the Zionists will go unanswered.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/04/29/651583/www.presstv.ir
(B P)
[Israel] UN envoy says U.S., Iran may reach new nuclear deal within weeks
Erdan says Israel was not giving up on its fight against Tehran's nuclear aspirations and 'reserving freedom of action' against agreement 'posing tangible future risk to Israel's existence'
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BJ000ebOPd
(A P)
Israeli minister threatens Iran to stymie talks in Vienna to remove US sanctions
An Israeli minister has warned that the regime’s warplanes can reach Iran, reiterating Israel’s position that it does not consider itself bound by the diplomacy pursued through the Vienna talks to restore the Iran nuclear agreement by bringing all signatories, the US in particular, into full compliance with the deal.
“Anyone seeking short-term benefits should be mindful of the longer-term,” Reuters on Thursday quoted Eli Cohen as saying, in a veiled reference to the Biden administration’s promise to re-enter the deal.
“Israel will not allow Iran to attain nuclear arms,” he claimed. “Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our planes can reach everywhere in the Middle East – and certainly Iran.”
Israel has already threatened to attack Iran if the United States returns to the nuclear agreement
(B P)
How Does Biden's Foreign Policy Stack Up After His First 100 Days? | Opinion
Take the Middle East for example, a region that has bogged down three consecutive U.S. administrations at a cost of over $6.4 trillion with tens of thousands of casualties. Biden may not be a transformational president, but he is at least taking steps that (one hopes) will gradually deprioritize the Middle East in U.S. grand strategy.
Biden recognized early on that continuing to outfit Riyadh with the air-to-ground munitions, logistical support and diplomatic cover was a lose-lose proposition for the United States—totally contrary to U.S. values and a drag on U.S. interests. Biden's call for a recalibration in relations with Saudi Arabia, a monarchy too often given the benefit of the doubt, was a notable (and frankly overdue) change in direction.
(B P)
Film, Trita Parsi: Not all Trump sanctions are likely to be lifted for the US to return to the #IranDeal. The litmus test is if those sanctions - regardless of whether they were imposed under nuclear, terrorism, or HR authorizations - block trade that was permitted by the JCPOA.
https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1387489931602313220
(A P)
Zarif slams France’s double standards on Iran defense program after ballistic missile test
Following France’s test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has criticized Paris for pursuing double-standard policies and its discriminatory attempts to limit Iran’s missile defense program.
According to information published by the French Ministry of Armed Forces on April 28, 2021, the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) carried out a flight test of the M51 strategic ballistic missile, which can carry six to 10 independently targetable TN 75 thermonuclear warheads.
It added that the test proceeded in accordance with the schedule and was performed, as usual, without any nuclear warhead. The missile was followed during all its flight.
(A P)
Trotz grosser Rivalität: Iran begrüsst Versöhnungssignale aus Saudiarabien
Nachdem Saudiarabiens Kronprinz diese Woche versöhnliche Töne vor dem eigentlichen Erzfeind Iran angeschlagen hatte, zieht der Iran nach.
Teheran hat die Versöhnungssignale aus Saudi-Arabien begrüsst und hofft nun auch auf ein schnelles Ende der politischen Differenzen. «Wir begrüssen es, dass Saudiarabien einen neuen Ton angeschlagen hat und hoffen, dass mit einem konstruktiven Dialog demnächst auch die Differenzen ausgeräumt werden können», sagte der Aussenamtssprecher am Donnerstagabend.
und auch https://orf.at/stories/3211217/
(A P)
Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia’s ‘change of tone’ - foreign ministry
Iran on Thursday welcomed what it called a change of tone from Saudi Arabia and said it hoped they could work together to secure peace, amid moves to ease tensions between the regional rivals.
and also https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/460426/Iran-welcomes-change-in-Saudi-tone-spokesman
(A P)
US Sanctions Prevent Digital Equality Needed to Fight COVID Crisis: Iran Envoy Warns
Iran’s UN ambassador warns that the United States’ illegal sanctions run directly counter to the “digital equality” that developing countries direly need today to fight the COVID-19 crisis.
https://english.almanar.com.lb/1326888
(A P)
Salami: IRGC Quds Force crushed enemy’s focal points by building power in Islamic lands
(* B P)
Will the Natanz incident produce maximum diplomacy?
The sabotage of the Natanz facility has not only failed to derail the Vienna talks but has, in fact, provided additional cause to sustain diplomacy.
Still, if Netanyahu wanted to scuttle the Vienna talks, his strategy could be backfiring. Indeed, the very prospect of a widening military clash between Israel and Iran seems to have played no small role in getting Iranian and American negotiators to resume indirect talks on April 14. A perceptible though shaky shift from maximum pressure to maximum diplomacy now seems possible. The challenge now for the American and Iranian negotiators is to push forward despite the efforts of powerful forces that oppose a deal to block a return to the JCPOA.
Having partly staked his credibility as an international leader on the US-led drive to save the JCPOA, Joe Biden has much to lose if that effort fails. To prevent such an outcome, it is essential that the United States and Israel find some measure of common ground in their approach to Iran.
If, as reported, the Natanz attack has set Iran’s enrichment program back by some nine months, it not only represents a deeply embarrassing moment for Iran’s intelligence services, but it has weakened the negotiating leverage that Iran had gained by deliberately raising its enrichment capacity in ways designed to pressure the United States. Given this setback, it is not surprising that Iranian leaders have promised that the attack will not stop the country’s enrichment program. Signaling defiance, Tehran has declared that it is now moving to 60 percent enrichment.
But despite this action, Iran’s leaders must now grapple with the fact that Israel has the capacity to strike deep into the heart of their nuclear program and would probably do so again. With the prospect of getting drawn into a prolonged military conflict with Israel, Iran has good reason to keep pushing for an agreement in Vienna.
This second round of talks picked up where the first round ended, i.e., with a working agreement to create two joint committees—one to explore the sanctions issue and another the compliance question. No one should minimize how difficult the work of these committees will be, if and once they are actually convened. The sanctions issue is especially intricate because the parties must contend with all JCPOA sanctions that the Trump Administration reimposed on Iran, plus some 1,500 new sanctions. Many of the latter blur the boundaries between nuclear related sanctions that target Iran’s capacity to sell oil and engage in dollar-denominated trade, and other types of sanctions that are linked to human rights and other issues.
till, the ultimate question is not technical but rather political: do Iranian and American leaders have the political space and political will to advance negotiations despite resistance from their respective hard-liners?
It is certainly paradoxical that such signs of muted but real optimism from Vienna seem to be partly a product of the Natanz attack. But the fact that diplomacy is slowly moving forward has less to do with Israel’s actions than it does with one basic reality: Netanyahu and his allies reject the basic premise of the JCPOA or any diplomatic deal with Iran—namely, that in return for agreeing to strict limits on Iran’s enrichment program and a comprehensive regime of international inspections, the United States and its allies will remove all nuclear related sanctions. Netanyahu believes that sanctions must be used not to prod Tehran toward compromise, but rather as a weapon to force Iran to relinquish any enrichment program, whatever the conditions or constraints.
The Biden Administration’s position that Iran can enrich uranium to levels set in the JCPOA ultimately helps the White House to negotiate in ways that clearly show the United States is not letting Israel call all the shots. This means signaling that the sabotage of the Natanz facility has not only failed to derail the Vienna talks but has, in fact, provided additional cause to sustain diplomacy.
But if no deal emerges, there will be no relief on sanctions. Further, the prospects for a much wider military conflict between Iran and Israel, or even Iran and the United States, will accelerate. The logic of a deal remains powerful, even if the path to an agreement is full of minefields, any one of which could go off at any time.
http://arabcenterdc.org/policy_analyses/will-the-natanz-incident-produce-maximum-diplomacy/ = https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/04/25/will-the-natanz-incident-produce-maximum-diplomacy/
(* B P)
Experts: Mideast states should take lead in building regional security
Chatham House survey finds agreement that regional actors must bear responsibility for their neighborhood’s conflicts.
Intense competition among regional states, exacerbated by deep mistrust and governance challenges, coupled with uncertainty about the future role of the United States in the region, has embedded crises and exacerbated instability at the expense of local populations. Without greater investment in regional conflict management and de-escalation, Middle East states will be made vulnerable to more cycles of protest and unrest. If past is prologue, such unrest will not stop at the borders of the Middle East but will spill over, impacting security in neighboring territories and beyond, such as the arrival of new refugees to Europe.
Addressing these challenges alongside Iran’s role in multiple Middle East conflicts was the subject of our just-released Chatham House paper “Steps to enable a regional security process.” Drawing on over 200 confidential interviews with current and former policymakers and analysts in 15 countries (the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates ), we rely on both quantitative and qualitative data to lay out a set of pathways that can build the foundations of a regional security process through de-escalation and conflict management.
Interviewees overwhelmingly saw a need for an inclusive regional security framework for the entire Middle East. Because of the profound level of regional tensions laid out above, interviewees did not see a top-down regional security process as currently viable. Rather, respondents argued in favor of a bottom-up process that, through discussion, de-escalation and conflict resolution, would build incremental trust and confidence among all parties and create the conditions over time where regional security could be addressed.
(A P)
US, Israel agree to form working group focused on Iran’s drones, ballistic missiles
The United States and Israel agreed Tuesday to form a partnership focusing on the threat of drones and precision-guided missiles produced by Iran and distributed to its proxies in the region.
The new working group was agreed on during a meeting in Washington between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Sullivan invited the latter to Washington during a call earlier in the month after Tel Aviv grew increasingly concerned over what it said was a lack of US transparency regarding its indirect talks with Iran.
(* B P)
Israels Staatsterrorismus gegen den Iran
Mitte April ereignete sich in der wichtigsten iranischen Atomanlage in Natanz ein Bombenanschlag, der dem israelischen Mossad zugeschrieben wird. Das iranische Atomprogramm sei um neun Monate zurückgeworfen. Dieser Anschlag reiht sich ein in eine lange Liste israelischen Staatsterrorismus gegen den Iran und sein Zeitpunkt ist kein Zufall: Parallel laufen in Wien indirekte Gespräche zwischen den USA und dem Iran, um beide Länder ohne Gesichtsverlust zurück zu ihren Verpflichtungen des Iran-Deals von 2015 zu holen. Doch Benjamin Netanyahu will diese Verhandlungen sabotieren und taumelt lieber einem offenen, katastrophalen Krieg mit dem Iran entgegen.
Netanyahus Kriegskurs könnte die gesamte Region Nahost mit einem Flächenbrand überziehen. Wie bezeichnend: Während in Wien versucht wird, den von Trump angerichteten Scherbenhaufen zu kitten, begeht Netanyahu einen Terroranschlag auf eine Nuklearanlage. Der altgediente Kolumnist Simon Tisdall fragte jüngst im britischen Guardian: „In einer Region, die für all ihre Kriegstreiber und Tyrannen berühmt ist – wer ist derzeit der gefährlichste Mann im Nahen Osten?“ Es seien weder Assad noch bin Salman noch Erdoğan. Nein, der „danger man“-Titel geht an Benjamin Netanyahu. Angesichts dessen, was Mohammed bin Salman im Jemen so treibt, muss man diese Einschätzung nicht unbedingt teilen. Doch eines steht ohne Zweifel fest: Ein potentieller Irankrieg – Netanyahus Endgame, seine Obsession, auf die er seit Jahrzehnten voller Fanatismus hinarbeitet – würde im Ausmaß an Tod und Zerstörung alles in den Schatten stellen, was wir im Pulverfass Nahost jemals erlebt haben. Netanyahu zündelt ohne Sinn und Verstand. Seine gesamte Regierung ist gemeingefährlich.
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=71956
(A P)
Iran, Russia, China: US must lift sanctions all at once as prerequisite to rejoining JCPOA
Heads of the Iranian, Russian and Chinese delegations to the Vienna talks have once again emphasized that the United States must terminate the sanctions it has imposed on the Islamic Republic all at once as a necessary precondition for Washington’s return to a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement.
The senior diplomats held a trilateral meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Tuesday, ahead of a scheduled session of the Joint Commission to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,
(A P)
Iran dismisses report on meeting between Iranian, US officials in Iraq
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has dismissed a report that claimed Iranian officials met with the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, as fake news.
Speaking to Tasnim news agency on Tuesday, Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed the report as an instance of “yellow journalism.”
A purported analyst with the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, claimed in a report published on the obscure website 19FortyFive on Monday that Iranian officials had met CIA Director William Burns in Baghdad.
(A P)
Iran nuclear talks resume in Vienna amid new complications
World powers resumed high-level talks in Vienna on Tuesday focused on bringing the United States back into the nuclear deal with Iran, in their first session since comments surfaced from the Iranian foreign minister alleging that Russia once tried to scupper the pact.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has not responded to requests for comment on the remarks from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, made in a seven-hour interview with a think tank associated with the Iranian presidency that leaked over the weekend.
Ahead of the main talks, Russia’s top representative Mikhail Ulyanov said he’d met on the side together with officials from Iran and China, but did not mention anything about Zarif’s comments.
“We compared notes and exchanged views on the way ahead towards full restoration of the nuclear deal,” he tweeted. “It was a very fruitful meeting.”
(A P)
Iran wants nationals freed from US jails amid nuclear talks
https://apnews.com/article/iran-iran-nuclear-middle-east-europe-567dd511fa50a41f441f02ef0c69cddb
(A K P)
US Navy fires warning shots in new tense encounter with Iran
An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday.
The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter Monday night in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf. In it, lights can be seen in the distance and what appears to be a single gunshot can be heard, with a tracer round racing across the top of the water.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
The Navy said the USS Firebolt fired the warning shots after three fast-attack Guard vessels came within 68 yards (62 meters) of it and the U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Baranoff.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(* B P)
Verfassungsschutzbericht 2020
Der Iran unterstützt eine Vielzahl islamischer und islamistischer Bewegungen und Organisationen, vor allem im Nahen und Mittleren Osten. Auch islamische Zentren und Moscheen in Deutschland dienen im Sinne dieses „Revolutionsexports“ als Foren für Versuche der Einflussnahme durch den Iran.
Das Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran (MOIS) ist als ziviler In- und Auslandsnachrichtendienst der wichtigste Nachrichtendienst des Iran und stellt ein zentrales Instrument der politischen Führung zur Sicherung des eigenen Machtanspruchs dar. Der Leiter des Nachrichtendienstes gehört mit Ministerrang dem iranischen Kabinett an. Dies unterstreicht die herausragende Bedeutung des MOIS.
Deutschland steht unverändert im Fokus der nachrichtendienstlichen Aufklärungsaktivitäten. Hierzu zählen Informationen aus der Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik sowie der Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt liegt in der Beobachtung und Bekämpfung oppositioneller Gruppierungen im In- und Ausland.
Proliferationsrelevante Staaten wie Iran, Nordkorea, Syrien und Pakistan sind bemüht, ihr konventionelles Waffenarsenal durch die Herstellung beziehungsweise ständige Modernisierung von Massenvernichtungswaffen zu ergänzen. Um sich das dafür notwendige Know-how und entsprechende Bauteile zu beschaffen, versuchen diese Staaten, Geschäftskontakte zu Unternehmen in Hochtechnologie-Staaten wie Deutschland herzustellen.
https://www.verfassungsschutz.bayern.de/mam/anlagen/vsb-2020_210414.pdf
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
Kremlin Backs Saudi Crown Prince’s Stance on Global Relations
Russia supports the stance of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on international relations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday in a statement carried by Russia’s state-owned Sputnik news agency.
Peskov reaffirmed that Moscow backs the recent statements made by the Crown Prince on building global relations according to principles of equality, mutual respect, fair consideration of national interests, and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other’s country.
my comment: A bad joke, as Saudi Arabia totally disrespects all it claims: “principles of equality, mutual respect, fair consideration of national interests, and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other’s country”.
(* B K P)
UAE after controlling Yemeni ports, international transit routes via military presence: Expert
A Yemeni political expert believes dominance over Yemen’s ports as well as international waterways and transit routes has been the main objective of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since it began its military presence in Yemen.
In an interview with Press TV, Brigadier General Abed al-Thawr said the UAE is working to influence the policies of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar by establishing a transitional council in Aden and sponsoring local mercenaries to ensure its presence in the city and in other southern areas as well as on Socotra Island.
He said the UAE, while claiming that the people of southern Yemen have the right to self-determination, is attempting to free itself of the dangers caused by its move to form militant groups in different Yemeni provinces.
These forces are not affiliated with former Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, but rather are directed by a UAE military representative, he remarked.
Al-Thawr said Abu Dhabi formed the so-called Yemeni Republican Guard under the command of Tareq Saleh, the nephew of the late Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and gave them al-Makha and al-Khawkhah coasts in order to tighten its grip over all western coasts and the Socotra and Mayyun islands.
The Emiratis, by displacing people of Mayyun and giving it to the Israelis, are trying to receive backup for their forces in Yemen and reinforce Israeli power in the entire region, he said.
"That is why the UAE was the first government to quickly normalize relations with Israel to prove its allegiance to the regime,” the Yemeni analyst said, adding that the regime in Tel Aviv believes that it cannot achieve stability and security if it does not take control of some parts of Yemen via the help of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and Britain.
‘UAE announced withdrawal due to fear’
Elsewhere in his remarks, Al-Thawr told Press TV that the UAE announced in 2020 that it would withdraw its forces from Yemen due to fears of being targeted by Yemen’s ballistic missiles and drones.
Nevertheless, the political commentator continued, Abu Dhabi has carried on with its destructive activities in Yemen but the Yemenis are not oblivious to this fact and have warned the UAE of the consequences of their actions.
He argued that the Emiratis play the role of a traffic police officer who waits for the green light of other powers such as the US and Israel.
Asked why the UAE has attempted to buy anti-drone weapons from Israel and whether it wants to use it in the Yemen war, al-Thawr said the Arab country knows that it cannot fight against Yemen’s advanced weapons and is aware that it is being closely monitored by Yemeni forces.
(A P)
We know where the sheik’s horse is. But where is his daughter?
For almost 40 years, Dubai’s ruler has spent huge sums right here in central Kentucky. On hundreds of acres of lush bluegrass with gently rolling hills mapped by limestone and plank fences. On horses — stallions and mares to populate his farms with foals and yearlings bought within the gross sales ring.
All in pursuit of profitable a $3 million race, the Kentucky Derby.
After 11 failed makes an attempt, the ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, lastly has a horse with an actual shot to win the Derby, America’s most well-known race. Important High quality is the 2-1 morning line favourite to win its 147th working on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The prerace discuss amongst racing insiders is all about what Sheikh Mohammed’s ardour, perseverance and cash have achieved within the sport of kings. Explicitly not mentioned is the worldwide human rights scandal over the sheikh’s position within the disappearance of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, one in all his daughters.
However others are talking up. On Wednesday, a gaggle of human rights attorneys and college students on the College of Louisville filed a grievance with the Kentucky Horse Racing Fee, asking it to bar Sheikh Mohammed and Important High quality from the Derby.
https://www.ustodaylife.com/we-know-where-the-sheikhs-horse-is-but-where-is-his-daughter/
and also https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article251047994.html
(* B P)
UAE Openly Allying with France to Expand Its Influence in Horn of Africa
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been expanding its role in the Horn of Africa. Now it is openly allying with France for the same aim.
After years of covert action in service of its plots to gain influence and expand, the UAE has recently embarked on a public alliance with France.
The UAE Ministry of Defense announced the launching of “logistical support flights” as part of the so-called French-led counter-terror operations in the African Sahel.
According to observers, the aforementioned slogan is just a curtain that the UAE is using to expand its influence and plunder the resources and wealth of African countries.
The UAE announced that the first flight took off from Abu Dhabi watched by the commander of joint operations at the Ministry of Defense Saleh Mohammed Al-Ameri and France’s ambassador to the UAE Xavier Chatel.
Al-Ameri claimed that the UAE’s efforts would contribute to achieving security and stability in the Sahel region.
The UAE has been using the fight against terrorism and the transfer of humanitarian aid as a cover to consolidate its suspicious influence in the Horn of Africa for years.
France is involved in the war of armed groups in the African Sahel region, after receiving promises from the administration of US President Joe Biden to strengthen Atlantic cooperation between the two countries.
(* A K P)
The Lazio Regional Administrative Court rejects the appeal of RWM Italia: the stop to the Italian bombs towards the conflict in Yemen has been confirmed
Judges recognized the risk of using bombs against civilians and that the protection of the population is more important than economic returns
the Lazio Regional Administrative Court which, with an ordinance of the last week it rejected the requests made by the company RWM Italia against the government's decision to definitively revoke the licenses for the export of missiles and aircraft bombs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These are the Italian-made bombs used by the Saudi-led coalition in the conflict in Yemen also for indiscriminate bombings against the civilian population.
Although this is a precautionary decision, it is in fact significant that, after a few months, two judges - one criminal (regarding the criminal action against the export of these weapons) and one administrative - have recognized two fundamental points on which our mobilization is founded . In fact, the provision states that "the risks that the bombs covered by the authorizations issued by UAMA can hit the Yemeni civilian population are amply detailed and serious, in contrast with the clear principles of national and international regulations"and that RWM's appeal cannot be accepted since "the safeguarding and safety of the civilian population prevails over that of the applicant in maintaining its market share" .
In this regard, the lawyer Francesca Cancellaro (who represents civil society organizations in the legal action promoted in 2018 by Mwatana, ECCHR and the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network) said: "This is a further confirmation that the direction is the right one. , another step towards justice for the Yemeni victims killed by arms illegally exported from our country ”.
https://retepacedisarmo.org/2021/tar-lazio-respinge-ricorso-di-rwm-conflitto-yemen/
(* B P)
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Understanding the Houthi Threat to Israel
On March 7, 2021, Houthi rebels – also known as Ansar Allah – fired a salvo of missiles at Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Ras Tanura and Dhahran. Despite uncertainty regarding the motives behind the attack or its success, the very next day Iran’s IRGC sought to threaten Israel by forging an implicit link between the Houthi strike and the possibility of an attack on Eilat. This incident is only the latest evidence of Iran’s perception of the Houthis as a bargaining chip in its struggle against Israel, relating to the rebel group almost as if they are a missile unit in the IRGC Air Force. Yet although the Houthi threat to Israel has made headlines on numerous occasions in recent years, it remains poorly understood. This paper examines the Houthis’ strategic approach to Israel as well as the group’s operational capabilities and practices, provides an assessment of the Houthi threat to Israel, and concludes with five key insights for Israeli decision makers.
The paper’s conclusions are as follows: Despite their rhetoric, the Houthis do not appear to have taken a decision to strike Israel, and they might never decide to do so. However, strategic developments in the region, such as intensifying pressure from Iran or a shift in domestic Yemeni dynamics, could make a Houthi attack on Israel more likely. The Houthis’ willingness to strike Israel on behalf of Iran remains an open question, although at present, the Houthis do not appear to have the capabilities to pose a major strategic threat to Israel. Even without direct hostilities between Israel and the Houthis, developments in the Yemeni civil war could affect Israel negatively, as the theater serves as a testing ground of sorts for Iranian weapons systems. A Houthi strike on Israel or the group’s accumulation of a disproportionate stockpile of weaponry that threatens Israel will present the Israeli leadership with a dilemma of if/when to strike – at risk of being drawn into the Yemeni quagmire.
https://www.inss.org.il/publication/the-houthi-threat-to-israel/
Main page: https://www.inss.org.il/subjects_tags/yemen/
My remark: By Israeli “Institute for National Security Studies”. And by the Houthis:
(* B P)
Zionists' Fears Grow with Growth of Yemeni Capabilities
What is striking in the study is the accurate Israeli follow-up of events and developments in Yemen, in addition to its interest in Yemeni missiles and weapons, their accuracy and specifications, in addition to the Yemeni military maneuvers and strikes on Saudi Arabia and their dimensions.
It recognized the rapid improvement of Yemeni war capabilities during the years of war. In the context of talking about Yemeni weapons and capabilities, the study did not neglect the Yemeni ideology, and the slogan of Ansarullah, which says death to Israel and God's curse on Jews.
On the other hand, the study addressed the fact that developments in the war in Yemen could negatively affect it, indicating that the theater is a testing ground for the country's weapons systems.
The conclusion of the Israeli study, with the importance of its issuance by the Institute for National Security Studies, which is the closest center for Zionist decision-makers, is deliberate and not reckless and rushed in Israeli dealing with the Yemeni issue because of the threat the Yemenis carry to the occupying entity, today and in the future.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19128/Zionists-Fears-Grow-with-Growth-of-Yemeni-Capabilities
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* B K P)
Italian arms exports: almost 4 billion authorized in 2020, Egypt first buyer
The majority of Italian weapons destined for non-EU and non-NATO countries: among the top ten buyers also Qatar, Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia
In the course of 2020 the total number of new licenses for export of armaments has reached 3.927 billion euro of turnover , a significant decrease (-25%) than the total for 2019 (which was also in line with the ' last year). However, it should be remembered that 2020 was "the year of the pandemic" with a very strong impact on the country's economy which, however, does not seem to have overwhelmed the war sector in an excessive way. The volume of military exports would therefore be gradually decreasing after the authorization peaks that began with 2015 (8.2 billion in that year and then 14.9 billion in 2016 and 10.3 in 2017). However, this is an overall level ofone billion euros higher than the values of 2014 , so the analysis already made in the past can be confirmed: the record exports of the 2015-2017 three-year period dragged orders for the Italian military industry to an average level higher than that of beginning of the century. The real export figure is on the rise (as already assumed by our Network in the past, as a result of the high level of licenses granted in the past): the Customs Agency records annual progress of final deliveries for a total of 3,393 million euro (2,696 million for single licenses and 696 million for global project licenses) withan increase of 17% over the previous year .
The authorizations for new licenses constitute the salient political data with respect to the decisions taken by the government in office (in this case, for 2020, the Conte II government) and in this sense they must be analyzed. Egypt is confirmed as the recipient country of the highest number of licenses, increasing its share up to 991.2 million euros (+120 million) thanks to the sales license of the two FREMM frigates.
Saudi Arabia (144.4 million euros in licenses despite the blockade related to missiles and aircraft bombs).
But even more worrying is the fact that for the fifth consecutive year most of the Italian armaments and military systems are destined for the area of greatest tension in the world: North Africa and the Middle East .
https://retepacedisarmo.org/2021/export-armi-italiane-2020-4-miliardi-egitto-primo-acquirente/
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
Daesh (ISIS) emir survives assassination attempt
The so-called Emir of terrorist organisation Daesh (ISIS) in Ma’rib province has survived an assassination attempt on Thursday, local sources reported.
The sources said that Abu Ubaida al-Marabi, Emir of Daesh in Marib, had escaped an assassination attempt when his convoy was targeted by an airstrike by a drone believed to be from the US, in the Ubaidah valley.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/04/30/daesh-isis-emir-survives-assassination-attempt/
(A T)
Drone activity significantly increases in Shabwah as Al-Qaeda forces deploy across province
Local sources reported heavy flights of US drone aircraft over the skies of Shabwah province in eastern Yemen.
The sources explained that the directorates of Shabwah witnessed heavy and continuous flight of US drones during the last hours, after receiving military leaders of the Islah Party and al-Qaeda coming from Turkey in the region.
According to the sources, Islah has deployed al-Qaeda elements in the Al-Sawda Mountains and the Morra camp, west of the provincial capital of Ataq.
Al-Qaeda operatives have redeployed extensively and significantly in Shabwah province since early April, facilitated by Islah authorities in the province.
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
The good fortune of Yemen at this critical stage and leadership vacuum is that God bless them with a leader like Mr. Abdul-Malik, as he is one of the transformative leaders that are required by major transformations.
https://twitter.com/alejri77/status/1388236653815386119
This is the main goal Houthis fighting for, to rule Yemenis, not through democracy and peaceful means, but by force bc they're just "Sayyed" (supremacist Hashimets who believe they have noble blood as descendants of prophet Mohammed and that God has sent them to rule.)
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1388268073707245568
(A P)
Some Western researchers write nonsense about the Yemeni issue based on its biases and small personal qualities, or the considerations that govern the institutions in which he works or the advertising campaigns launched by them. They are, like others in the world, a product of a political-economic context and are not morally armored entities that have descended from the sky.
But some write their horrific nonsense out of sympathy, and think that their nonsense translates that sympathy. Here we arrive at an important conclusion: Empathy in the public sphere requires an understanding of reality. Mechanical sympathy based on the clichés of lack of it is better than its existence, while sincere sympathy is necessarily intelligent, hard-working and critical, and that is why it is difficult and rare.
https://twitter.com/AimanNabil1991/status/1388251918254936065
(A P)
Iran seeks tech in Sweden for nuclear weapons - Swedish intel. report
Iran, China and Russia are the biggest security threats to Sweden
Sweden’s Security Service disclosed in its 2020 intelligence report that the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks Swedish technology for its nuclear weapons program, The Jerusalem Post can reveal.
A damning section states that “Iran also conducts industrial espionage, which is mainly targeted against Swedish hi-tech industry and Swedish products, which can be used in nuclear weapons programs. Iran is investing heavy resources in this area and some of the resources are used in Sweden.”
The revelations about Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons procurement activities in Sweden comes on the heels of a German intelligence document, which declared last week that Iran’s regime has not ceased its drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction during 2020.
The Swedish and German intelligence documents might add new glitches to the US calculus to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal.
(A P)
Violent Saudi Bombing of Marib Amid US-Israeli Fear
Since Thursday morning, the Saudi aggression has launched dozens of crazy raids on Marib and Al-Jawf governorates, with the escalation of the battle and the approaching liberation of Marib, and the arrival of the US special envoy to Riyadh and Amman with the aim of ending the war before the fall of the city.
Here, the US administration, which is the first involved in this war, is trying to appear diplomatically and call to stop this unjust war, not out of love for the Yemenis who caused their bloodshed for many years, but rather to save itself and Saudi Arabia before the fall of Marib. It is an explicit admission that Saudi mercenaries will not withstand the strikes of the Yemeni Army and the Popular Committees, no matter what they gather from Al-Qaeedah and Daesh in this city. Therefore the few hours will be decisive, and the Saudi regime has to reach a settlement that will save it and perhaps by a US intervention.
We hope that the Saudi Crown Prince does not disappoint, as usual, and thinks that he is able to hold out in Marib. The mercenaries of the aggression will flee in front of the Yemeni heroes who believe in their cause as they fled from other places, and we all know that the crazy warplanes and raids have never prevented a city from falling into the hands of its attackers. So Saudi has either to end the siege and the war on the Yemenis and go to the Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue without intransigence, arrogance, dealing with the reality of things, or to loose .
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19119/Violent-Saudi-Bombing-of-Marib-Amid-US-Israeli-Fear
(A P)
Western media want Yemen to fall to Iran’ Shia militants
The international conspirators assume we are kids. Being a party in the conspiracy, western media and research institutions, present Marib these days as a city doomed to fall to Houthis if the Saudi warplanes stop backing the army there.
These wicked institutions hint that Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold, is too vulnerable now that it is more viable for Saudi Arabia to abandon it and let it face coup d’grace at the hands of Houthis.
While it is true that Marib’s fate hinges to a big extent on Saudi aerial backing, let’s not forget that this vulnerability and weakness is the result of an international conspiracy in which these western media outlets played the propaganda role –in favour of the Shia extremists.
It has been a stubborn international intent to not allow the government to restore territories or have access to armament
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46544
(A P)
Houthis commit 9,000 violations against education in al-Jawaf
The rights and media committee, a [Hadi] government authority, in al-Jawaf province has documented 9000 violations against education in al-Jawaf during the period between September 2014 and March 2021.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46545
(A P)
Yemen's government backs Saudi Arabia's rejection of Houthi presence on its borders
Yemen’s internationally recognised government said it backs Saudi Arabia's rejection of armed groups outside of the state's authority such as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Thursday.
My comment: LOL. It’s the regular Sanaa government’s army.
(A P)
Yemeni government calls on Iran to prove its efforts to bring peace
The Yemeni government called on Tehran to prove its credibility in supporting peace efforts for the country by withdrawing its military governor in Sana’a, Hassan Erlo, state news agency Saba reported.
The government also called on Tehran to halt the smuggling of weapons shipments – including ballistic missiles and drones – and the sending of experts in weapons development such as mines and improvised explosive devices, Muammar Al-Eryani, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Yemeni official’s comments were in response to statements made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his meeting with the representative of the Houthi militia.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1850966/middle-east
(A P)
Yemen’s Clash of Two Revolutions
The Houthi political ideology is based on the teachings of Hussein Al-Houthi and deeply influenced by Khomeinism. The familiar Houthi chant “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews and Victory to Islam” came as a direct result of Hussein Al-Houthi’s visit to Iran and is a clear sign of Tehran’s continuing influence. The Houthis believe that they are fighting U.S. imperialism and a world order that is run by Zionists. They have nothing but enmity toward the Jews, who are perceived as the source of all evil. They further believe that the Yemeni government, political parties and civil society are subservient to U.S. interests in Yemen. Likewise, the Houthis see Saudi Arabia as subservient to the U.S., and they do not believe the kingdom’s current rulers are worthy of being the custodians of the holy mosques and the holiest land for Muslims
Some Western policymakers and researchers today, like many in the Yemeni pro-democracy movement during the early days of the Arab Spring, mistakenly see the Houthis as a traditionalist rebel group that is only responding to a conflict waged against it first by the Sanaa government and now by foreign powers (mainly Saudi Arabia and the U.S.). A further assumption is that less military pressure on the Houthis will bring them to negotiate. This simplistic view disregards the fact that the Houthi bid to establish a theocracy pre-dates the current conflict and that the movement also receives enormous operational and political support from Iran’s revolutionary regime.
Since 2015, the Houthis have lost some territory due to military operations conducted by the Saudi-led coalition against it and not because of the political talks led by the UN envoy. Therefore, the calls by some Western policymakers to reduce military pressure against the Houthis are counterproductive to achieving peace and stability in Yemen. The world needs to understand the Houthis for what they are: a theocratic, armed movement with a transnational agenda. Like many extremist groups, the conflict and humanitarian catastrophe that the Houthis have caused in Yemen is the result of their extremist ideology and ambitions. Yemen’s core struggle today is to defeat the Houthi movement by rebuilding a state that enjoys a monopoly of power and establishing a republic that is rooted in the principles that many Yemenis have held since 1962, including the belief that all people are created equal and with inalienable rights, including the right to vote on their government.
https://www.hudson.org/research/16848-yemen-s-clash-of-two-revolutions = https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27836
(A P)
Information minister warns: Yemen risks grave conspiracy
Yemen risks a "grave conspiracy by Tehran's regime and its racialist militias, led by the Lebanese Hezbollah," the Yemeni information minister tweeted late on Tuesday.
"The Iranian regime blatantly uttered its expansionist ambitions, admitted its political and military interferences, and channeled all its resources to support the Houthi group's coup against the State and use it as a tool to settle its regional scores," Moammar al-Eryani added.
"The plot against the Yemeni territory and people aimed to abuse its social texture and demographic structure, to efface its national and Arab identity, and to steal its will and dignity.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24763.html
(A P)
Russia is astutely playing the players in Yemen
Since February, US President Joe Biden’s administration has clearly communicated its approach to the war in Yemen,
If this playbook seems familiar, that’s because it’s identical to the approaches taken by the last two American administrations to Syria, where Russia firmly established itself as kingmaker in partnership with US allies and adversaries—a result unfortunately facilitated by the US itself.
The inevitable outcome of the Biden administration’s policy on Yemen, with its overarching goal of ending the Saudi intervention, will again see Russia assume the role of supreme arbiter, as it has in several conflicts and crises across the region.
One of the keys to Russia’s success in this regard is its ability to maintain friendly contact with every state and non-state actor involved in a particular conflict, while still somehow retaining an aura of pragmatic neutrality and reliability, a phenomenon documented by Samuel Ramani in May 2019 in Yemen.
The first thing the Houthis did after their coup d’etat in 2015 was to reach out to Moscow.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/russia-is-astutely-playing-the-players-in-yemen/
(A P)
Audio: Houthi Rebels In Yemen Advance On Saudi Stronghold Of Marib
Until recently, Marib was under Saudi control. The U.S. has ended support for the Saudi Arabian military intervention in Yemen — which contributed to civilian casualties, famine and displacement.
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/991503929/houthi-rebels-in-yemen-advance-on-saudi-stronghold-of-marib
(A P)
Iran Aims to Expand WMD Program, German Intel Agency Concludes
German report refutes Iranian claims that Islamic Republic has no interest in developing nuclear weapon
Iran sought to produce and source weapons of mass destruction as recently as 2020, efforts that are likely ongoing, according to a new intelligence report issued by a German government security agency.
Iran is working to expand its "conventional arsenal of weapons through the production or constant modernization of weapons of mass destruction," according to a German-language report issued last week by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a state security agency equivalent to the FBI. The report, which covers the year 2020 and was independently translated for the Washington Free Beacon, provides the firmest evidence to date that Iran is misleading the world about the nature of its nuclear program.
The findings contained in the German intel report directly refute claims by Iran's leaders that the country has no interest in building a nuclear bomb. It is unclear how the report could influence discussions with Iran, which include the United States and Germany. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment on the report and Iran's proliferation activities. Germany's government under Chancellor Angela Merkel has been one of the leading proponents of the nuclear accord and reopening business ties with Iran.
"In order to obtain the necessary know-how and corresponding components," Iran sought to establish business contacts with German companies operating in the high-tech field, according to the report's section on proliferation. Iran is likely skirting U.S. and international sanctions to source these materials.
The German report additionally found that Iran is waging sophisticated espionage activities in the country. Germany is one of several European countries where Iranian spies are known to operate.
My comment: The bad joke: there is no word on the Iranian atomic program or even an Iranian nuclear weapon in the whole German report: https://www.verfassungsschutz.bayern.de/mam/anlagen/vsb-2020_210414.pdf
(A P)
Saudi Press: Vision 2030 constitutes a comprehensive strategy for Saudi Arabia
Al-Riyadh, Al-Yaum, and Al-Eqtisadiah newspapers reported in their editorials that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, over the past five years, has witnessed exceptional achievements, which represent the determination of the Kingdom and its leaders, as well as Saudi Arabia's people desire to make fundamental changes based on everyone's desire to enhance Saudi Arabia's regional and international position.
With the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has led the process of change and development, drawing all help and support from the ambitious Saudi people, who believed in the Kingdom's Vision and its goals, realizing that it is an ambitious road map that will bring further progress, prosperity, and development to Saudi Arabia, the newspapers added.
All achievements that the Kingdom witnessed over the past five years resulted in making leaps in the ranking of Saudi Arabia in the Global Competitiveness Index issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Saudi Arabia also topped the world in the macroeconomic stability index for two consecutive years.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2221924
(A P)
Diplomatic Arson in the Middle East
Taken together with announcements that the U.S. is removing military assets from the Kingdom and re-entering diplomacy with Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival Iran, Riyadh today must feel a frigid wind blowing from Washington.
Now, the Saudis undoubtedly have made terrible mistakes in recent years. But the long-term impact of the Biden administration’s actions could be wide-reaching and deleterious to American interests, especially given the extraordinary changes the region has seen in just the past year.
To be sure, a formal Saudi-Israel peace is still possible. But the Saudis are reassessing their options now that America is no longer cheering from the sidelines. It’s also fair to wonder whether the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco will remain committed to peace deals given the changes in the political winds.
The Abraham Accords may not be the only strategic gains to suffer. The Eastern Mediterranean countries also wonder what their future holds. The Saudis, with significant assistance from the UAE, have invested heavily to counter Qatar- and Turkey-backed Islamist violence in Libya, to help stabilize Egypt, and to deter Turkey from wreaking havoc with illegal drilling for gas.
Israel, Greece, and Cyprus eagerly welcomed the inclusion of the Gulf Arab states into their budding strategic alliance.
But Hellenic and Israeli diplomats are now quietly wondering whether the Saudi-led Arab states will remain committed to their Mediterranean outreach after America’s dramatic and undiplomatic rebuke of Riyadh.
For now, Saudi Arabia appears committed to the Eastern Mediterranean. But without American encouragement and involvement, the region could lose a prominent and unlikely advocate for a greater Eastern Mediterranean that reaches from the Persian Gulf to the Balkans. Should the Saudis walk, it will be Russia, Turkey, and perhaps China that gain – by Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies
My comment: What an US-centered geopolitical propaganda BS.
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2224131
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2224128
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2223860
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2223836
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2223835
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32820
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2223483
https://wam.ae/en/details/1395302930375
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
April 27: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/2004605939689761/
April 26: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/2004605539689801/
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138342.htm / https://english.almasirah.net/post/19117/US-Saudi-Warplanes-Launch-20-Raids-on-Marib Marib p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138242.htm Jawf p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138233.htm marib p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138131.htm Marib p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138130.htm Jawf p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Im Jemen herrscht ein militärisches Patt. Eine größere Offensive mit größeren Erfolgen und Geländegewinnen für eine Seite bleiben seit der Offensive der saudischen Koalition gegen Hodeidah im Jahr 2018 aus. Kleinere Offensiven, ständige gegenseitige Angriffe und Gefechte mit Toten auf beiden Seiten und Opfern unter der Zivilbevölkerung gibt es aber ständig. Besonders betroffen sind die Provinzen Hodeidah, Taiz, Al Bayda, Al Dhalea, der Bezirk Nehm in der Provinz Sanaa, die Provinzen Al Jawf, Marib, Hajjah und Saada.
There is a military stalemate in Yemen. A larger offensive with greater successes and territorial gains for one side has been absent since the Saudi coalition's offensive against Hodeidah in 2018. Smaller offensives, constant mutual attacks and skirmishes killing fighters of both sides and causing victims among the civilian population are constant. The provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Al Bayda, Al Dhalea, the district of Nehm in the province of Sanaa, the provinces of Al Jawf, Marib, Hajjah and Saada are particularly affected.
Siehe / Look at cp17a, 18
(A K pS)
Film: Circulated video of people celebrating after their areas liberated from Iran-backed Houthis today in al-Fakher souq in Qatabah, #Yemen's southern al-Dhale governorate.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1388350045590806531
(A K)
Hostile air target intercepted' over Jeddah port in southern Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia says the kingdom’s air defense units have “intercepted and destroyed” an unspecified “hostile air target” aimed at the strategic Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
The kingdom’s Defense Ministry did not provide further information nor did it say who could have been behind the attack which took place early on Saturday.
and also https://www.arabnews.com/node/1851876/saudi-arabia
and
(A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni army attacks Saudi Jeddah port
The Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack, claiming that the enemy air target towards Jeddah had been intercepted and destroyed.
So far, Yemeni officials have not reacted to the attack.
Saudi Arabia has not commented on the type or details of the attack.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/172816/Yemeni-army-attacks-Saudi-Jeddah-port
(A K)
[Hadi gov.] Al-Jawf Governor announces” General Alarm” to defend Houthi militia
(A K)
Current battles fateful to end blockade on Taiz, [Hadi gov.] army commander says
The government forces are seeking to retake all mountainous areas on the front-lines in Maqbanah and Al-Kadaha through Al-Barh in order to end the six-year blockade on Taiz city, he said in a statement carried by the army's mouthpiece 26th September news website said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24818.html
(A H K pS)
A woman from Haimah fled with her 6 children- together with her widow sister and her 7 children from Houthis to Hithran west of #Taiz A Houthi sniper shot dead her sister and now she’s stuck with 13 children Investigated by HRs activist #Ishraq_Maqtary
https://twitter.com/alguneid/status/1387089924516503557
referring to https://twitter.com/EshraqAlmaqtari/status/1387088139408351243
(A K pS)
Houthi militants killed two sisters by firing a shell on their house in Maqbana district of central Yemen’s Taiz province./Alsahel Algharbi and other websites reported this story publishing a picture of one of the sisters.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46532
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/32829
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27843 (with photo)
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDL_7czVHWE
Photo: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1387517914111258624
(A K)
[Hadi] Yemeni gov't troops claim recapturing new sites in Jawf
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24765.html
(A K pH)
Army hits King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait
The drone force on Wednesday dawn carried out an offensive operation at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushit, armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare'i said.
The air force targeted King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait with a Qasef-2k drone, stressing that the injury was accurate, Sare'i said.
He indicated the attacks came in response to the escalation of aggression and the continuation of the siege on the Yemeni people.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138134.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/19084/Yemeni-Drones-Target-Saudi-Air-Base
(A K pS)
[Saudi] Ministry of Defense: Interception, Destruction of a Bomb-Laden USV in the Red Sea Off the Shores of Yanbu City
Naval units were able to detect and monitor the activity of the bomb-laden USV in the Red Sea waters off the shores of (Yanbu). The explosive USV was engaged in accordance with the Rules of Engagement.
Investigations by competent authorities to reach more details regarding this hostile act and determine the party responsible are ongoing.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2221948
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-24747.html
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle
Siehe / Look at cp4
(A K)
17 Houthis killed, injured in Marib ambush, government forces say
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24814.html
(A K pS)
Yemen’s army foils Houthi infiltration of Marib
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1850891/middle-east
(B K)
Film: Kämpfe im Jemen: Viele Menschen fliehen in die Region Marib
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-856129.html
(B K)
Film: Schwere Gefechte im Jemen
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-856239.html
(* B H K)
Civilian Impact Monitoring Project: Thematic Report: A review of the civilian impact of recent hostilities in Ma’rib April 2021
In early February, having seen months of stalemated hostilities, the offensive in Ma’rib resumed, with frontlines shifting eastbound along the two main asphalted roads connecting Ma’rib city with Sana’a. The frontlines have progressed towards Ma’rib city, with an increasingly significant impact on the civilian population. Amid the intensive fighting, civilian casualties and displacements have been mounting, with several reports of artillery fire landing on and near IDP sites, while rockets and missiles continue to hit neighbourhoods in Ma'rib city and heavy airstrikes persist across the governorate. This report summarises recent Ma'rib conflict developments and uses CIMP data to examine the direct impact this renewed fighting has had on civilians in Ma'rib.
Since the start of 2021, CIMP has recorded 79 incidents of armed violence that have directly impacted civilians in Ma’rib governorate, resulting in 74 civilian casualties, including 18 fatalities. Of these casualties, 40 were reported in March; the highest civilian casualty count CIMP has recorded in one month in Ma'rib since the project commenced, at the start of 2018. Moreover, the first quarter of 2021 has seen over half the civilian casualty count recorded throughout 2020.
The analysis presented in this report is based on data analysed as at 12 April 2021, derived solely from open source reporting that is systematically cross-checked.
Numerous IDP sites are situated around Ma’rib city, and the city itself has a high IDP presence. Reports have suggested that violence has spread into and around IDP sites, with the risk to IDPs compounded by unconfirmed reports of authorities restricting the movement of IDPs away from these areas, as well as reports of military forces establishing positions within IDP sites. CIMP has recorded nine incidents of IDP sites being directly impacted by armed violence in Ma’rib so far this year, affecting at least seven different sites, some more than once. All IDP sites impacted are in Sirwah, and all have been affected since 15 February, corresponding with the escalation of the fighting in the governorate. A map of the sites impacted is shown on Page 1. Six IDP sites have been impacted by shelling, and two by airstrikes, cumulatively displacing as many as 1,980 households. This is a significant increase from 2020, when one IDP site had been impacted by shellfire in the governorate, in As Safra area in Medghal, in November, injuring a child.
When IDP sites in Sirwah were first impacted by frontline hostilities in late February and early March, no civilian casualties were reported, but there were reports of livestock being killed in some incidents, likely disrupting a critical source of sustenance and livelihood for local families. It is highly likely that many of the families inhabiting the IDP sites had previously fled in the face of fast-approaching hostilities, which may explain the absence of civilian casualties. IDP sites in the Dhanah area (As Sawabin and Wadi Hayyal) were impacted several times by both shelling and airstrikes, and Al-Mil camp has also now been impacted at least twice, resulting in damage to tents, shelter materials and water tanks. Suwaydah camp has also been impacted by shellfire, on 3 April, although no casualties were reported. However, in March, civilian casualties on IDP sites increased: 13 civilian casualties have now been reported this year on account of shelling in Sirwah, 12 of whom were women, including one fatality, a pregnant woman. Women and children constitute a large proportion of the IDP population in Yemen (around 80 percent), and are particularly vulnerable when IDP camps are impacted, more-so because a large proportion of IDP households are headed by women and children.
Due to the high IDP population and multitude of IDP camps around Ma’rib as hostilities continue, the risk to IDP sites is also likely to persist, particularly those situated along main roads in the vicinity of the city. Should fighting progress towards Ma’rib city, fears have been expressed about the increasing risk to civilians, as frontlines will move closer to more densely populated areas, especially those to the west and northwest of the city.
(* A B K)
Erbitterte Schlacht um Marib
Um die Stadt Marib im Norden des Jemen tobt eine Schlacht, die das Kräfteverhältnis im Bürgerkrieg und die Suche nach einem Ausweg erheblich beeinflussen könnte. Den Preis zahlt einmal mehr die Bevölkerung.
Sie stehen nur noch wenige Kilometer vom Stadtzentrum entfernt, die Verteidigungslinien der Regierungstruppen bröckeln. Auch die Luftunterstützung durch saudische Kampfjets kann den Vormarsch der Huthi-Rebellen offenbar kaum noch stoppen. Marib steht unter Dauerbeschuss. Es könnte nur noch eine Frage der Zeit sein, bis die Provinzhauptstadt fällt.
Marib ist die letzte Hochburg der Regierung im Norden des Jemen. Ihr Verlust wäre für sie eine herbe Niederlage.
Den Huthi-Rebellen scheint jedes Mittel Recht, Marib einzunehmen. Seit Tagen schicken sie Hunderte weitere Kämpfer in die Region, laut Militärs auch Kindersoldaten, die an der Front ihr Leben lassen müssen. Von Hunderten Toten seit Beginn der Offensive im Februar ist die Rede.
Augenzeugen berichten uns von extrem schweren Gefechten, vielen Toten, von zunehmender Lebensmittelknappheit, Hunger. Sehr viele Menschen sind vertrieben worden."
Die 140 Flüchtlingscamps in der Region seien schon überfüllt, in einigen lebten 400.000 Menschen in Zelten und improvisierten Unterkünften, umgeben von Wüste. Trinkwasser und Lebensmittel sind knapp.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/jemen-kaempfe-111.html
(A K pS)
Marib governor rallies troops for decisive battle in north Yemen
The governor of the battleground Marib province in Yemen rallied troops on Wednesday to defend it against a Houthi advance amid potentially decisive fighting for the provincial capital.
Gov. Sultan Al-Arada vowed that the people of Marib, the Yemeni army and the Saudi-led Arab coalition would defeat the Iran-backed militia.
“We will not allow those who raise pictures of Qassem Soleimani to rule us,” the governor said. Soleimani was the commander of Iran’s Quds Force who was killed in an American airstrike in January last year.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1850766/middle-east
(A K pH)
9 prisoners released in Marib front
The [Sanaa gov.] National Center for Returnees in Marib front announced on Wednesday the release of 9 prisoners of the army and popular committees in Marib front.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138240.htm
and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/04/28/nine-yemeni-soldiers-freed-in-new-prisoner-swap-deal/
(A K pH)
Powerful explosions hit mercenary camps around Ma’rib as Yemeni forces advance
Powerful explosions have rocked Ma’rib, amid continuing fighting in its vicinity between Yemeni forces and Hadi loyalists, local sources reported on Wednesday.
Local residents said they heard two powerful explosions believed to be missiles targeting Hadi troops’ camps.
According to sources, the shelling targeted the camp of the Third Military Region, as well as the Sahn al-Jinn camp.
and
(A K)
Senior Yemeni army official killed in Houthi missile attack on Ministry of Defence
The Director of the Officers' Affairs Department at Yemen's Ministry of Defence Brig. Gen. Abdulghabi Salman was killed after the Houthi group launched a ballistic missile at the headquarters of the ministry in Marib province, military sources said on Wednesday.
A number of army officials were injured in the attack late on Tuesday, the sources said, pointing out that the attack was directed against the Minister of Defence Mohammed Al-Maqdishi. The ministry has not officially announced the killing of Salman.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24769.html
(A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni Forces Come within 2 km from Ma’rib Amid Lightning Advances
The Unews website, which covers regional developments, especially those of Yemen, reported the victory on Tuesday, saying the forces were now only two kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the city’s entrance.
Yemeni military sources said the lightning advances had taken the ranks of Saudi-led mercenaries apart, forcing them to move their military equipment outside the city and try to set up some bases there.
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Marib governor calls on Yemenis to join army
Marib Governor Sultan Al-Arada has called Yemenis to join the Yemeni army to fight the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias and defend their state.
In a meeting with members of the local authorities, Al-Arada stressed that Marib is able to defend itself, pointing out that Yemenis should band together to put an end to the Houthi coup and drive them out from all Yemeni provinces.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46534
and
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Governor of #Marib General Sultan Al-Arada holds an expanded meeting of the local authority's leadership to discuss latest developments and back up the #Yemeni National Army.
https://twitter.com/MaribGov_En/status/1387151494865199104
General Sultan Al-Arada calls on the #Yemen's young people to join the National Army to defend their future along their colleagues and comrades in the battlefronts.
https://twitter.com/MaribGov_En/status/1387151494865199104
and
(A K pS)
Marib Governor: Houthis and Iran will never achieve their destructive goal
Marib Governor Sultan al-Arada affirmed on late Tuesday that Houthis, backed by Iran, are far away from taking control of the city.
Heading a meeting with the local authority in Marib, al-Arada ensured that the destructive project of Iran and its proxy militia will be failed.
He assured that the city of Marib is safe from Houthis and will always stand to Iran’s destructive agenda in the region.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27833
and also http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/04/30/marib-strong-enough-to-defend-itself-says-governor/
(A K pH)
Two entire military battalions defect from Saudi side and join [Sanaa gov.] Yemeni resistance
Two military battalions in Ma’rib province have on Monday announced their defection from coalition forces, and joined the Yemeni army. This was reported by Yemen Press Agency.
Sources told Yemen Press Agency that two military battalions from the 125th Infantry Brigade announced their defection from fighting among coalition forces west of Ma’rib city, and their decision to join the National Salvation Government forces .
The sources quoted the Major General Nasser al-Thaybani, commander of joint military operations in the Ministry of Defence of the Saudi-led Hadi Government, as saying that the battalions handed over their military positions with full military equipment to the Yemeni army forces.
According to information from the sources, Major General Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, head of intelligence and reconnaissance, received the battalion recruits who announced their return to the ranks of the homeland.
(A K)
[Hadi] Government forces retake positions from Houthis in west Marib
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24750.html
(* A H K)
UN opens humanitarian air bridge to Yemen’s Marib
Aid flights will help civilians caught in rebel assault on oil-rich province
The UN launched humanitarian flights to Yemen's Marib region on Tuesday, where a Houthi rebel assault on a government-held city killed dozens of civilians and forced tens of thousands from their homes.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the flights were possible after co-ordination with "de facto authorities" in Yemen. A schedule for the flights was being finalised.
“Today, the UN started regular humanitarian air service flights to Marib,” Mr Haq said.
“This will cut the journey down to two hours from seven and will help the humanitarian community to quickly deliver much-needed assistance.”
He said the flights, which travel from Djibouti through Aden, would deliver life-saving supplies to civilians forced from their homes by “fierce fighting” in Marib.
“Nearly 20,000 people have been displaced by violence in the region since early February and dozens of civilians have been killed or injured,” Mr Haq said.
“Humanitarian organisations are on the ground responding to these growing humanitarian needs.”
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/un-opens-humanitarian-air-bridge-to-yemen-s-marib-1.1212296
and also http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/28/c_139910836.htm
(A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni army takes control of resigned government's HQ: report
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/172660/Yemeni-army-takes-control-of-resigned-government-s-HQ-report
(A K pH)
War in Ma'rib to end only when foreigners leave
Mohammed al-Houthi, the head of the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee underlined that the war in Ma'rib will end only when foreigners withdraw their forces.
In an interview with Almasirah, he said: "We do not want a military solution, neither in Marib nor anywhere else in Yemen."
"The aggressors, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Britain, are imposing a military option on the besieged nation of Yemen," he noted.
He noted that: "We tell the aggressors that the battle in Ma'rib will stop only when foreigners, as well as terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda, leave the city."
"I advise foreigners to leave Ma'rib," he said.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/172668/War-in-Ma-rib-to-end-only-when-foreigners-leave
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
Seit dem Abkommen von Stockholm vom 13. Dezember 2018 gibt es einen Waffenstillstand für Hodeidah. Zwar bleiben größere Offensiven aus, kleinere Gefechte gibt es aber laufend, und beide Seiten werfen sich ständig Verstöße gegen den Waffenstillstand vor.
Since the Stockholm Agreement of December 13, 2018, a ceasefire has been in place for Hodeidah. There are no major offensives, but smaller battles are going on and both sides constantly are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
(* A K pH)
Six civilians killed, wounded in Hodeida
Three children were killed and two others injured, including a woman, on Wednesday in a bomb explosion of the aggression's remnants in al-Qais village in al-Marawi'a district in Hodeida province.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3138256.htm
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-24799.html
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19104/Saudi-Cluster-Bomb-Kill-Two-children%2C-Injure-4-Civilians-in-Hodeidah (2 killed, 4 injured)
Photos: https://twitter.com/mineaction_ye/status/1387484322869940227
while a day later the Hadi government side claimed it had been a Houthi landmine: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-yemen-land-mines-3474eaa5d7e0ad5b2299187692deb548
(A K pS)
Child, elderly injured by Houthi shelling in Hodeidah
A child and an old man were injured in a violent bombardment by the Iran-backed militias on residential neighborhoods of Hays district, south of Hodeidah, Al-Amalika Media Centre reported on Wednesday.
According to local sources, the 70-year-old man, Haron Rashid and the child, Mithaq Fuad were seriously injured by shrapnel when a Houthi shell landed near their home.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32822
(A K pH)
Jemenitischer Außenminister [Sanaa-Regierung]: USA, Saudi-Arabien und VAE verstoßen absichtlich gegen Waffenstillstandsabkommen in Hudaida
(A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni FM: US, Saudi Arabia, UAE Deliberately Violate Hudaydah Truce
(A K pH)
Daily violations, as recorded by the Houthi side
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
(* -)
Yemen: 226 photos
https://www.raoul-kieffer.net/de/Jemen
(B H P)
Film: Yemen- Families Launch an Initiative to Reopen A Road that Connects Taiz, Lahij, and Aden
In an attempt to mitigate the burden of the Houthi militias-imposed siege on Taiz, Families exerted concerted efforts to reopen one of the oldest roads in the city that connects Taiz, Lahij, and Aden. The road has a fundamental role in boosting development. The project coordinator Abdullah Al-Muhammadi illustrated that reconstructing the road, which was suspended for 5 years, cost 800 million rials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwZix4WHrFQ
(C)
Ringvorlesung Informationswissenschaft: Spuren dspr. Wissenschaftler*innen in der Jemen-Forschung
Erst seit 1970 kann man von einer systematischen Jemen-Forschung im deutschsprachigen Raum sprechen. In dieser Zeit besuchte die sogenannte Deutsche Jemen-Expedition den Nordjemen und legte damit den Grundstein für die Jemen-Forschung. Für den Zeitraum 1965-2017 konnte eine Jemen-Forschungsbibliografie mit ca. 4.154 wissenschaftlichen Publikationen erstellet werden. In diesem Vortrag freue ich mich Ihnen einen Einblick in mein Forschungsfeld „Bibliometrie und ihre Anwendungen in der Jemen-Forschung" zu ermöglichen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjU3TsG973s
(-)
Film: A little break from politics and war! YemeKnight - Yemeknight Dance #YemekNightDanceChallenge
https://twitter.com/BashaReport/status/1387822111205511173
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-737-yemen-war-mosaic-737
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-737 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-737:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
