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Showing posts with label Yemen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yemen. Show all posts

#Yemenwar: Houthis forces announce they have captured 3,500 sq. km of territory

#Yemenwar: Houthis forces announce they have captured 3,500 sq. km of territory

The Ansarallah forces (Houthis) announced on Wednesday evening, the end of their large-scale operation, stating that they control 95% of Al-Jawf Governorate, a media source confirmed.

Al-Masirah TV quoted a spokesman for the Ansarallah-aligned Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier Yahya Sari’a, as saying that his forces killed approximately 1,200 enemy fighters, while capturing several sites across Al-Jawf.

He confirmed that the newly captured areas amounted to 3,500 square kilometers, that is, the entire Al-Hazm desert, in addition to the areas of Khub and Al-Sha’af, pointing out that Al-JawfDesert formed the most important den for Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

“The importance of the camp is that it is the last stronghold of mercenaries in Al-Jawf, and it is a key to the Marib Governorate. The forces of aggression have escalated in Marib greatly during the last period and that the army and the committees are confronting them,” Sari’a said.

He said his forces have “strategic options that will make the enemy regret its escalation, and they must bear the consequences, and that the aggression’s war launched more than 256 raids since the end of March and until the beginning of April on Al-Jawf.”

Earlier this year, the Ansarallah forces announced that their troops captured the administrative capital of Al-Jawf after a fierce battle for the city.

Since then, they have managed to take control of almost all of the Al-Jawf Governorate and much of neighboring Marib.
The Ansarallah forces (Houthis) announced on Wednesday evening, the end of their large-scale operation, stating that they control 95% of Al-Jawf Governorate, a media source confirmed.

Al-Masirah TV quoted a spokesman for the Ansarallah-aligned Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier Yahya Sari’a, as saying that his forces killed approximately 1,200 enemy fighters, while capturing several sites across Al-Jawf.

He confirmed that the newly captured areas amounted to 3,500 square kilometers, that is, the entire Al-Hazm desert, in addition to the areas of Khub and Al-Sha’af, pointing out that Al-JawfDesert formed the most important den for Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

“The importance of the camp is that it is the last stronghold of mercenaries in Al-Jawf, and it is a key to the Marib Governorate. The forces of aggression have escalated in Marib greatly during the last period and that the army and the committees are confronting them,” Sari’a said.

He said his forces have “strategic options that will make the enemy regret its escalation, and they must bear the consequences, and that the aggression’s war launched more than 256 raids since the end of March and until the beginning of April on Al-Jawf.”

Earlier this year, the Ansarallah forces announced that their troops captured the administrative capital of Al-Jawf after a fierce battle for the city.

Since then, they have managed to take control of almost all of the Al-Jawf Governorate and much of neighboring Marib.

Yemen crisis deepens as separatists declare self-governance

Yemen crisis deepens as separatists declare self-governance

Aden (AFP) - Yemeni separatists early Sunday declared self-rule of the country's south as a peace deal with the government crumbled, complicating a long and separate conflict with Huthi rebels who control much of the north.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) accused the government of failing to perform its duties and of "conspiring" against the southern cause, and said self-governance had begun at midnight.

The government condemned the move and said the separatists -- who have long agitated for independence in the south -- would be responsible for the "catastrophic and dangerous" outcome.

The breakdown between the one-time allies comes as a Saudi-led coalition, which backs the internationally recognised government in a battle against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, has extended a unilateral ceasefire aimed at fending off the coronavirus pandemic -- a move rejected by the Huthis.

Yemen's separatists signed a power-sharing deal in Riyadh last November that quelled a battle -- dubbed a "civil war within a civil war" -- for the south that had in August seen them seize control of the second city of Aden.

The Riyadh pact quickly became defunct, failing to meet deadlines for key measures including forming a new cabinet with equal representation for southerners, and the reorganisation of military forces.

The STC announced in its statement that it was declaring "self-governance in the south starting midnight on Saturday April 25th, 2020.

"A self governing committee will start its work according to a list of tasks assigned by the council's presidency," it said.

Aden residents reported heavy deployments of STC forces in the city and a separatist source told AFP they had set up checkpoints "at all government facilities, including the central bank and port of Aden".

Military vehicles drove through the city with STC flags flying aloft.

The political landscape in the south is complex, and despite the STC's declaration some southern cities said they did not recognise the call to self-rule and would remain aligned with the central government.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Mohammad al-Hadhrami said the STC move was "a continuation of the armed rebellion last August and a declaration of rejection" of the Riyadh agreement.

The Saudi-led coalition has yet to comment on the STC's declaration.

- Deep divisions -

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed over the past five years in the war between the government and the Huthi rebels.

Earlier this month, Yemen reported its first case of coronavirus in Hadramawt, a southern government-controlled province, raising fears of an outbreak.

Compounding the country's troubles, at least 21 people were killed in flash flooding this month, with Aden's streets submerged and homes destroyed.

The UAE, like the STC, has a zero tolerance policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood and Yemen's Brotherhood-influenced Al-Islah party, which has representatives in the internationally recognised government.

Last August, deadly clashes broke out between the government and STC forces who seized control of Aden, ousting unionist forces who had set up base there when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled the Huthi-held capital Sanaa in February 2015.

The tussle for control of the south exposed divisions between the coalition partners -- Saudi Arabia, which backs the government, and the United Arab Emirates, a backer and funder of the STC.

The Riyadh agreement had been welcomed as preventing the complete break-up of Yemen, and hailed as a possible stepping stone towards ending the wider conflict in Yemen.

But cracks soon emerged, with complaints over food shortages in the south, a sharp depreciation of the currency and a lack of funds to pay public sector employees.

The STC's statement Sunday said there had been a marked deterioration of public services, which "was clearly reflected in the latest torrential rains that caused the people in Aden deep suffering".

The government was using its powers as "a weapon to bring the southerners to kneel," it said.

While the government and the STC are technically allies in the long war against the Huthis, the secessionists believe the south should be an independent state -- as it was before unification in 1990.

According to Hussam Radman, a research fellow for the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, the separatists were already in control of the military and security in Aden, where they have popular support.

"But with this declaration, it will become responsible for the administrative side in the provisional capital that has witnessed an unprecedented decline lately" in the provision of services and economic performance, he told AFP.

"According to the STC statement, this step is not a blow to the Riyadh agreement, but a bold attempt to activate and push it forward and pressure (Yemen's central) government and Saudi Arabia."

Radman said that the kingdom will likely try and contain the situation, in a bid to rescue the Riyadh agreement.


Aden (AFP) - Yemeni separatists early Sunday declared self-rule of the country's south as a peace deal with the government crumbled, complicating a long and separate conflict with Huthi rebels who control much of the north.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) accused the government of failing to perform its duties and of "conspiring" against the southern cause, and said self-governance had begun at midnight.

The government condemned the move and said the separatists -- who have long agitated for independence in the south -- would be responsible for the "catastrophic and dangerous" outcome.

The breakdown between the one-time allies comes as a Saudi-led coalition, which backs the internationally recognised government in a battle against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, has extended a unilateral ceasefire aimed at fending off the coronavirus pandemic -- a move rejected by the Huthis.

Yemen's separatists signed a power-sharing deal in Riyadh last November that quelled a battle -- dubbed a "civil war within a civil war" -- for the south that had in August seen them seize control of the second city of Aden.

The Riyadh pact quickly became defunct, failing to meet deadlines for key measures including forming a new cabinet with equal representation for southerners, and the reorganisation of military forces.

The STC announced in its statement that it was declaring "self-governance in the south starting midnight on Saturday April 25th, 2020.

"A self governing committee will start its work according to a list of tasks assigned by the council's presidency," it said.

Aden residents reported heavy deployments of STC forces in the city and a separatist source told AFP they had set up checkpoints "at all government facilities, including the central bank and port of Aden".

Military vehicles drove through the city with STC flags flying aloft.

The political landscape in the south is complex, and despite the STC's declaration some southern cities said they did not recognise the call to self-rule and would remain aligned with the central government.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Mohammad al-Hadhrami said the STC move was "a continuation of the armed rebellion last August and a declaration of rejection" of the Riyadh agreement.

The Saudi-led coalition has yet to comment on the STC's declaration.

- Deep divisions -

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed over the past five years in the war between the government and the Huthi rebels.

Earlier this month, Yemen reported its first case of coronavirus in Hadramawt, a southern government-controlled province, raising fears of an outbreak.

Compounding the country's troubles, at least 21 people were killed in flash flooding this month, with Aden's streets submerged and homes destroyed.

The UAE, like the STC, has a zero tolerance policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood and Yemen's Brotherhood-influenced Al-Islah party, which has representatives in the internationally recognised government.

Last August, deadly clashes broke out between the government and STC forces who seized control of Aden, ousting unionist forces who had set up base there when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled the Huthi-held capital Sanaa in February 2015.

The tussle for control of the south exposed divisions between the coalition partners -- Saudi Arabia, which backs the government, and the United Arab Emirates, a backer and funder of the STC.

The Riyadh agreement had been welcomed as preventing the complete break-up of Yemen, and hailed as a possible stepping stone towards ending the wider conflict in Yemen.

But cracks soon emerged, with complaints over food shortages in the south, a sharp depreciation of the currency and a lack of funds to pay public sector employees.

The STC's statement Sunday said there had been a marked deterioration of public services, which "was clearly reflected in the latest torrential rains that caused the people in Aden deep suffering".

The government was using its powers as "a weapon to bring the southerners to kneel," it said.

While the government and the STC are technically allies in the long war against the Huthis, the secessionists believe the south should be an independent state -- as it was before unification in 1990.

According to Hussam Radman, a research fellow for the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, the separatists were already in control of the military and security in Aden, where they have popular support.

"But with this declaration, it will become responsible for the administrative side in the provisional capital that has witnessed an unprecedented decline lately" in the provision of services and economic performance, he told AFP.

"According to the STC statement, this step is not a blow to the Riyadh agreement, but a bold attempt to activate and push it forward and pressure (Yemen's central) government and Saudi Arabia."

Radman said that the kingdom will likely try and contain the situation, in a bid to rescue the Riyadh agreement.


Saudi jet 'downing' in Yemen stirs alarm over Huthi weaponry

Saudi jet 'downing' in Yemen stirs alarm over Huthi weaponry

Riyadh (AFP) - Claims that Yemeni rebels shot down a Saudi warplane have spotlighted the increasingly potent Huthi arsenal -- cause for alarm in Riyadh as fighting escalates amid faltering efforts to end the five-year conflict.

The Iran-aligned Huthi rebels said they downed the Tornado aircraft on Friday over the volatile northern province of Al-Jawf, in a setback for the Riyadh-led military coalition that has always enjoyed air supremacy in the conflict.

The fate of the two Saudi crewmen who ejected from the plane remains unknown.

The rebels, once dismissed as a ragtag militia, said they hit the jet with an "advanced surface-to-air missile". The claim followed recent UN reports that the Huthis had received weapons bearing signs of Iranian origin.

Tehran has long denied arming the rebels.

Following the crash, a Huthi spokesman said Yemeni airspace was off-limits and not a "picnic" spot for its enemies.

"This is definitely a cause for alarm for the coalition," Becca Wasser, a policy analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation, told AFP.

"They need to plan as though this is the new normal and that the Huthis have the capability to shoot down more aircraft, which is going to affect their operations and how they plan their air missions."

The coalition did not respond to AFP's request for comment.

- 'Iranian assistance' -

Saudi Arabia has long asserted dominance over Yemeni air space. The kingdom has faced repeated international criticism for its aerial bombing raids in Yemen that have often resulted in civilian deaths.

But the rebels are countering the threat by bolstering their air defence capabilities, notably with what they call self-made surface-to-air missiles.

"While the Huthis claim a self-produced missile shot down the Saudi Tornado, it remains to be seen whether that is truly the case as this has been an area where they have received Iranian assistance," said Wasser.

Last year, the Huthis claimed to have downed an American drone with a rebel-made missile. At the time, the US military said it was probing reports of the incident, which came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Iran.

A UN report seen by AFP earlier this month said the rebels obtained new weapons last year with "technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran".

The report compiled by a panel of UN experts did not say whether the weapons were delivered directly by the Iranian government.

But earlier this month, Saudi media said coalition air strikes killed four operatives of the Iranian ally Hezbollah, Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement, close to the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

The presence of Iran-backed operatives in Yemen likely boosted "Huthi preparedness in combating Saudi Arabia's aerial activity", Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, told AFP.

"They did not have this capacity five years ago," she said.

Friday's events followed fresh clashes in northern Yemen after a months-long relative lull as the warring parties showed an apparent interest in de-escalating the conflict.

- 'Open channel' -

In November, a Saudi official said Riyadh had an "open channel" with the rebels, with the goal of ending the war.

Riyadh had reportedlyhoped for a quick win when it led a military intervention in Yemen in 2015, but instead waded into a quagmire that has cost it billions of dollars and devastated the Arab world's poorest country.

The Huthis had also offered to halt all attacks on Saudi Arabia as part of a wider peace initiative.

But those efforts appear to be unravelling, with some observers saying the rebels have repeatedly used periods of quiet to bolster their military capabilities.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which labels the Huthis an Iranian proxy, is looking to extricate itself from the grinding conflict.

Friday's crash triggered coalition air strikes in the area where the plane went down that were widely seen as a Saudi retaliation. The United Nations said 31 civilians were killed and 12 others wounded.

But the strikes may have had another motive, some analysts say.

"The decision to bomb the crash site was most likely to ensure that key technology did not fall into Huthi hands and increase their ability to better target coalition aircraft," said Wasser.


Riyadh (AFP) - Claims that Yemeni rebels shot down a Saudi warplane have spotlighted the increasingly potent Huthi arsenal -- cause for alarm in Riyadh as fighting escalates amid faltering efforts to end the five-year conflict.

The Iran-aligned Huthi rebels said they downed the Tornado aircraft on Friday over the volatile northern province of Al-Jawf, in a setback for the Riyadh-led military coalition that has always enjoyed air supremacy in the conflict.

The fate of the two Saudi crewmen who ejected from the plane remains unknown.

The rebels, once dismissed as a ragtag militia, said they hit the jet with an "advanced surface-to-air missile". The claim followed recent UN reports that the Huthis had received weapons bearing signs of Iranian origin.

Tehran has long denied arming the rebels.

Following the crash, a Huthi spokesman said Yemeni airspace was off-limits and not a "picnic" spot for its enemies.

"This is definitely a cause for alarm for the coalition," Becca Wasser, a policy analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation, told AFP.

"They need to plan as though this is the new normal and that the Huthis have the capability to shoot down more aircraft, which is going to affect their operations and how they plan their air missions."

The coalition did not respond to AFP's request for comment.

- 'Iranian assistance' -

Saudi Arabia has long asserted dominance over Yemeni air space. The kingdom has faced repeated international criticism for its aerial bombing raids in Yemen that have often resulted in civilian deaths.

But the rebels are countering the threat by bolstering their air defence capabilities, notably with what they call self-made surface-to-air missiles.

"While the Huthis claim a self-produced missile shot down the Saudi Tornado, it remains to be seen whether that is truly the case as this has been an area where they have received Iranian assistance," said Wasser.

Last year, the Huthis claimed to have downed an American drone with a rebel-made missile. At the time, the US military said it was probing reports of the incident, which came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Iran.

A UN report seen by AFP earlier this month said the rebels obtained new weapons last year with "technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran".

The report compiled by a panel of UN experts did not say whether the weapons were delivered directly by the Iranian government.

But earlier this month, Saudi media said coalition air strikes killed four operatives of the Iranian ally Hezbollah, Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement, close to the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

The presence of Iran-backed operatives in Yemen likely boosted "Huthi preparedness in combating Saudi Arabia's aerial activity", Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, told AFP.

"They did not have this capacity five years ago," she said.

Friday's events followed fresh clashes in northern Yemen after a months-long relative lull as the warring parties showed an apparent interest in de-escalating the conflict.

- 'Open channel' -

In November, a Saudi official said Riyadh had an "open channel" with the rebels, with the goal of ending the war.

Riyadh had reportedlyhoped for a quick win when it led a military intervention in Yemen in 2015, but instead waded into a quagmire that has cost it billions of dollars and devastated the Arab world's poorest country.

The Huthis had also offered to halt all attacks on Saudi Arabia as part of a wider peace initiative.

But those efforts appear to be unravelling, with some observers saying the rebels have repeatedly used periods of quiet to bolster their military capabilities.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which labels the Huthis an Iranian proxy, is looking to extricate itself from the grinding conflict.

Friday's crash triggered coalition air strikes in the area where the plane went down that were widely seen as a Saudi retaliation. The United Nations said 31 civilians were killed and 12 others wounded.

But the strikes may have had another motive, some analysts say.

"The decision to bomb the crash site was most likely to ensure that key technology did not fall into Huthi hands and increase their ability to better target coalition aircraft," said Wasser.


Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen kill 31 people after jet crash: UN

Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen kill 31 people after jet crash: UN

Dubai (AFP) - Thirty-one people were killed in air strikes on Yemen Saturday, the United Nations said, the victims of an apparent Saudi-led retaliation after Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have shot down one of its jets.

The Tornado aircraft came down Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, a rare shooting down that prompted operations in the area by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels.

The deadly violence follows an upsurge in fighting in northern Yemen between the warring parties that threatens to worsen the war-battered country's humanitarian crisis.

"Preliminary field reports indicate that on 15 February as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al-Hayjah area... in Al-Jawf governorate," the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said in a statement.

Lise Grande, the UN coordinator, denounced the "terrible strikes".

"Under international humanitarian law, parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians," she said.

"Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility. It's shocking."

The rebels reported multiple coalition air strikes in the area where the plane went down, adding that women and children were among the dead and wounded, according to rebel television station Al-Masirah.

The coalition conceded the "possibility of collateral damage" during a "search and rescue operation" at the site of the jet crash, which left the fate of its crew uncertain.

- 'A major blow' -

Without stating the cause of the crash, a coalition statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency said the crew, comprising two officers, ejected from the plane before it crashed but the rebels opened fire at them in "violation of the international humanitarian law".

"The lives and wellbeing of the crew is the responsibility of the terrorist Huthi militia," the statement said, without specifying whether they had survived.

The Huthi rebels released footage of what they called the launch of their "advanced surface-to-air missile" and the moment it struck the jet in the night sky, sending it crashing down in a ball of flames.

"The downing of a Tornado in the sky above Al-Jawf is a major blow to the enemy and an indication of remarkable growth in Yemeni (rebel) air defence capabilities," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted.

The escalation follows fierce fighting around the Huthi-held capital Sanaa, with the rebels seen to be advancing on several fronts towards Al-Hazm, the regional capital of Al-Jawf.

The province of Al-Jawf has been mostly controlled by the Huthis, but its capital remains in the hands of the Saudi-backed government.

- 'Massively expanded arsenal' -

The downing of a coalition warplane marks a setback for a military alliance known for its air supremacy and signals the rebels' increasingly potent military arsenal.

"At the start of the conflict the Huthis were a ragtag militia," Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, told AFP.

"Today they have massively expanded their arsenal with the help of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah," Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement.

Huthi rebels now possess weapons bearing signs of Iranian origin, according to a UN report obtained by AFP earlier this month, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo.

Some of the new weapons, which the rebels obtained last year, "have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran," said the report, compiled by a panel of UN experts tasked with monitoring the embargo.

The panel did not say whether the weapons were delivered to the Huthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms.

The coalition intervened against the Huthis in 2015, in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The coalition force has been widely criticised for the high civilian death toll from its bombing campaign, which has prompted some Western governments to cut arms deliveries to the countries taking part.

On Wednesday, the coalition said it would put on trial military personnel suspected of being behind deadly air strikes on Yemeni civilians.
Dubai (AFP) - Thirty-one people were killed in air strikes on Yemen Saturday, the United Nations said, the victims of an apparent Saudi-led retaliation after Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have shot down one of its jets.

The Tornado aircraft came down Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, a rare shooting down that prompted operations in the area by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels.

The deadly violence follows an upsurge in fighting in northern Yemen between the warring parties that threatens to worsen the war-battered country's humanitarian crisis.

"Preliminary field reports indicate that on 15 February as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al-Hayjah area... in Al-Jawf governorate," the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said in a statement.

Lise Grande, the UN coordinator, denounced the "terrible strikes".

"Under international humanitarian law, parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians," she said.

"Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility. It's shocking."

The rebels reported multiple coalition air strikes in the area where the plane went down, adding that women and children were among the dead and wounded, according to rebel television station Al-Masirah.

The coalition conceded the "possibility of collateral damage" during a "search and rescue operation" at the site of the jet crash, which left the fate of its crew uncertain.

- 'A major blow' -

Without stating the cause of the crash, a coalition statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency said the crew, comprising two officers, ejected from the plane before it crashed but the rebels opened fire at them in "violation of the international humanitarian law".

"The lives and wellbeing of the crew is the responsibility of the terrorist Huthi militia," the statement said, without specifying whether they had survived.

The Huthi rebels released footage of what they called the launch of their "advanced surface-to-air missile" and the moment it struck the jet in the night sky, sending it crashing down in a ball of flames.

"The downing of a Tornado in the sky above Al-Jawf is a major blow to the enemy and an indication of remarkable growth in Yemeni (rebel) air defence capabilities," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted.

The escalation follows fierce fighting around the Huthi-held capital Sanaa, with the rebels seen to be advancing on several fronts towards Al-Hazm, the regional capital of Al-Jawf.

The province of Al-Jawf has been mostly controlled by the Huthis, but its capital remains in the hands of the Saudi-backed government.

- 'Massively expanded arsenal' -

The downing of a coalition warplane marks a setback for a military alliance known for its air supremacy and signals the rebels' increasingly potent military arsenal.

"At the start of the conflict the Huthis were a ragtag militia," Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, told AFP.

"Today they have massively expanded their arsenal with the help of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah," Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement.

Huthi rebels now possess weapons bearing signs of Iranian origin, according to a UN report obtained by AFP earlier this month, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo.

Some of the new weapons, which the rebels obtained last year, "have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran," said the report, compiled by a panel of UN experts tasked with monitoring the embargo.

The panel did not say whether the weapons were delivered to the Huthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms.

The coalition intervened against the Huthis in 2015, in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The coalition force has been widely criticised for the high civilian death toll from its bombing campaign, which has prompted some Western governments to cut arms deliveries to the countries taking part.

On Wednesday, the coalition said it would put on trial military personnel suspected of being behind deadly air strikes on Yemeni civilians.

Yemeni air defenses down enemy warplane in Southern #Jawf Province - Spokesperson

Yemeni air defenses down enemy warplane in Southern #Jawf Province - Spokesperson

Yemeni air defenses down enemy warplane in Southern #Jawf Province says Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saria, Press tv reported.

The Ansarallah forces shot down a Tornado jet as it was carrying out airstrikes over the Al-Jawf Governorate of northern Yemen. “It was shot down by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile,” he said.

The Houthis claimed downing 'Tornado' warplane carrying out 'hostile missions was also confirmed by Sputnik reports.

Houthis' military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saria claimed that the rebel movement had allegedly hit an "enemy jet" over the northern part of Yemen, adding that the newly-developed technology has enabled downing of the target.

Houthis claimed that they have downed a Tornado warplane - a particular type of jet that comprises the air fleet of the Saudi-led coalition - with a cutting-edge surface-to-air missile. There has been no statement issued by Riyadh or the Saudi-led coalition regarding the alleged incident.

“By the grace of God and his kindness, the Yemeni air defenses were able to shoot down a Tornado warplane over the sky of the Al-Jawf Governorate as they were carrying out hostile missions. It was shot down by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile”, Saria said on Twitter.



بفضل الله وكرمه الدفاعات الجوية اليمنية تتمكن من إسقاط طائرة حربيه نوع تورنيدوا في سماء محافظة الجوف وهي تقوم بمهام عدائية
وقد تم إسقاطها بصاروخ أرض جو متطور ويمتلك تكنلوجيا حديثة.
فسماء اليمن ليست للنزهه وعلى العدو ان يحسب الف حساب لذاك .— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) February 14, 2020

​Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels since 2015. The country’s north, including the capital of Sanaa, is controlled by the Houthi movement.

In the most recent wave of escalation in late January, 80 people were killed and dozens more injured in a missile attack on a Yemeni military camp in the country’s northeast. UN Special Envoy on Yemen Martin Griffiths then arrived in Sanaa to hold talks with the Houthis on reducing the military escalation between the warring parties.

The war-torn nation has also been hit by a severe humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing military conflict. According to the United Nations, some 22 million people in Yemen – or 75 percent of the country’s population – are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Earlier this week, the United Nations said it could reduce the humanitarian assistance to the northern Yemeni areas over the new restrictions imposed in the Houthi-controlled areas. 

Similar statements have been made by the United Kingdom and the United States.

The latest downing of this aircraft by the Ansarallah forces has not been confirmed by the Arab Coalition frighting in Yemen however, the Ansarallah (Houthi) forces typically release footage a day after these incidents.

According to Press TV reports, the Yemeni army has devised and manufactured its own ballistic missiles and combat drones, which has changed power balance against the failing Saudi-led coalition.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia, with the help of a number of its allies, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched a brutal military campaign against impoverished Yemen, whose former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had fled to Riyadh a few months earlier after stepping down the previous year.

The Saudi-led campaign, code-named Operation Decisive Storm, was launched to achieve two main objectives: bringing Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, back to power, and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement, whose fighters have proved to be of significant help to the Yemeni army in defending the Arab country against the invaders since the onset of the imposed war.

However, despite spending millions of dollars and employing foreign mercenaries, particularly from Sudan, the Saudi regime has deeply bogged down in Yemen and has practically failed in achieving both of its objectives.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past nearly five years.

The Saudi-led coalition has put Yemen under a tight naval blockade as it also imposed a crippling blockade on the capital’s international airport, one of the lifelines of the county for the past three years or so.

The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.


Yemeni air defenses down enemy warplane in Southern #Jawf Province says Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saria, Press tv reported.

The Ansarallah forces shot down a Tornado jet as it was carrying out airstrikes over the Al-Jawf Governorate of northern Yemen. “It was shot down by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile,” he said.

The Houthis claimed downing 'Tornado' warplane carrying out 'hostile missions was also confirmed by Sputnik reports.

Houthis' military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saria claimed that the rebel movement had allegedly hit an "enemy jet" over the northern part of Yemen, adding that the newly-developed technology has enabled downing of the target.

Houthis claimed that they have downed a Tornado warplane - a particular type of jet that comprises the air fleet of the Saudi-led coalition - with a cutting-edge surface-to-air missile. There has been no statement issued by Riyadh or the Saudi-led coalition regarding the alleged incident.

“By the grace of God and his kindness, the Yemeni air defenses were able to shoot down a Tornado warplane over the sky of the Al-Jawf Governorate as they were carrying out hostile missions. It was shot down by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile”, Saria said on Twitter.



بفضل الله وكرمه الدفاعات الجوية اليمنية تتمكن من إسقاط طائرة حربيه نوع تورنيدوا في سماء محافظة الجوف وهي تقوم بمهام عدائية
وقد تم إسقاطها بصاروخ أرض جو متطور ويمتلك تكنلوجيا حديثة.
فسماء اليمن ليست للنزهه وعلى العدو ان يحسب الف حساب لذاك .— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) February 14, 2020

​Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels since 2015. The country’s north, including the capital of Sanaa, is controlled by the Houthi movement.

In the most recent wave of escalation in late January, 80 people were killed and dozens more injured in a missile attack on a Yemeni military camp in the country’s northeast. UN Special Envoy on Yemen Martin Griffiths then arrived in Sanaa to hold talks with the Houthis on reducing the military escalation between the warring parties.

The war-torn nation has also been hit by a severe humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing military conflict. According to the United Nations, some 22 million people in Yemen – or 75 percent of the country’s population – are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Earlier this week, the United Nations said it could reduce the humanitarian assistance to the northern Yemeni areas over the new restrictions imposed in the Houthi-controlled areas. 

Similar statements have been made by the United Kingdom and the United States.

The latest downing of this aircraft by the Ansarallah forces has not been confirmed by the Arab Coalition frighting in Yemen however, the Ansarallah (Houthi) forces typically release footage a day after these incidents.

According to Press TV reports, the Yemeni army has devised and manufactured its own ballistic missiles and combat drones, which has changed power balance against the failing Saudi-led coalition.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia, with the help of a number of its allies, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched a brutal military campaign against impoverished Yemen, whose former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had fled to Riyadh a few months earlier after stepping down the previous year.

The Saudi-led campaign, code-named Operation Decisive Storm, was launched to achieve two main objectives: bringing Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, back to power, and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement, whose fighters have proved to be of significant help to the Yemeni army in defending the Arab country against the invaders since the onset of the imposed war.

However, despite spending millions of dollars and employing foreign mercenaries, particularly from Sudan, the Saudi regime has deeply bogged down in Yemen and has practically failed in achieving both of its objectives.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past nearly five years.

The Saudi-led coalition has put Yemen under a tight naval blockade as it also imposed a crippling blockade on the capital’s international airport, one of the lifelines of the county for the past three years or so.

The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.


Yemen's Huthi rebels drop 'tax' threat that jeopardised aid: UN official

Yemen's Huthi rebels drop 'tax' threat that jeopardised aid: UN official

Dubai (AFP) Yemen's Huthi rebels have dropped a threat to tax aid, a UN official told AFP Friday, in a significant step towards resolving a crisis that has jeopardised the world's biggest humanitarian operation.

United Nations leaders and humanitarian groups held crunch talks in Brussels on Thursday to address obstruction by the Iran-backed militia that has threatened to sever the lifeline to millions at risk of starvation.

They heard that vital supplies could be cut off, after humanitarian agencies complained of a deteriorating situation in the Huthi-controlled north where aid workers face arrest and intimidation.


But a UN official in Sanaa said the rebels had backed away from a proposed 2.0 percent levy on NGOs pushed by the Huthi aid body SCMCHA, criticised for hobbling aid with interference and layers of bureaucracy.

The rebel administration "in its meeting on 12 February, has decided to cancel the 2.0 percent that was included in SCMCHA regulations," said the official, who asked not to be named.

"The cancellation of the tax is a positive development for sure," he said, noting that other issues that still need to be dealt with relate to "access and bureaucratic impediments".

The outcome of the Brussels meeting has not been released.

But before the talks, the European commissioner for crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, demanded that all parties in the Yemen conflict "uphold international humanitarian law and guarantee safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian organisations."

Yemen has been driven to the brink of famine during five years of fighting between the Huthis based in Sanaa, and the Saudi-backed government based in the southern city of Aden.

The Brussels meeting heard that, while both sides have made trouble for humanitarian and UN agencies, the Huthi attempts to tax shipments triggered the latest crisis.

"It cannot continue, the biggest lifeline on earth is at stake. There are 20 million people in need in Yemen," Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told AFP on Thursday.

"We cannot pay donated aid money to one of the parties to the conflict. So that is one of the many red lines that we are fearful of having to cross. We cannot do it," he said. AFP
Dubai (AFP) Yemen's Huthi rebels have dropped a threat to tax aid, a UN official told AFP Friday, in a significant step towards resolving a crisis that has jeopardised the world's biggest humanitarian operation.

United Nations leaders and humanitarian groups held crunch talks in Brussels on Thursday to address obstruction by the Iran-backed militia that has threatened to sever the lifeline to millions at risk of starvation.

They heard that vital supplies could be cut off, after humanitarian agencies complained of a deteriorating situation in the Huthi-controlled north where aid workers face arrest and intimidation.


But a UN official in Sanaa said the rebels had backed away from a proposed 2.0 percent levy on NGOs pushed by the Huthi aid body SCMCHA, criticised for hobbling aid with interference and layers of bureaucracy.

The rebel administration "in its meeting on 12 February, has decided to cancel the 2.0 percent that was included in SCMCHA regulations," said the official, who asked not to be named.

"The cancellation of the tax is a positive development for sure," he said, noting that other issues that still need to be dealt with relate to "access and bureaucratic impediments".

The outcome of the Brussels meeting has not been released.

But before the talks, the European commissioner for crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, demanded that all parties in the Yemen conflict "uphold international humanitarian law and guarantee safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian organisations."

Yemen has been driven to the brink of famine during five years of fighting between the Huthis based in Sanaa, and the Saudi-backed government based in the southern city of Aden.

The Brussels meeting heard that, while both sides have made trouble for humanitarian and UN agencies, the Huthi attempts to tax shipments triggered the latest crisis.

"It cannot continue, the biggest lifeline on earth is at stake. There are 20 million people in need in Yemen," Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told AFP on Thursday.

"We cannot pay donated aid money to one of the parties to the conflict. So that is one of the many red lines that we are fearful of having to cross. We cannot do it," he said. AFP

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