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Air Strikes Continue on Yemen and Saudi Airports, UAE Forces Continue Withdrawal

July 21, 2019 

A displaced Yemeni family, file, July 20, 2019	A Yemeni drone

 

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The following news stories are from the Yemeni independent website Al-Masdar ( http://www.almasdaronline.com/category/42  ):

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Houthis announce an attack on Saudi air base in southern, coalition confirms interception and destruction of the drone

July 20, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٢٠ يوليو ٢٠١٩

Houthi militias in Yemen announced attacks by drones, on the King Al-Khalid air base in Khamis Mushait In Assir, while the Arab coalition said that its forces intercepted a drone and shot it down without causing damage.

The group's air force carried out several attacks by Qasif 2K drones on Saturday targeting radars and important military positions at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait in Asir, said Yahya Suray’a, spokesman for the Houthi militias.

The Houthi leader stressed that the attacks hit their targets accurately, considering that the operation, "comes in response to the crimes of aggression and its continuous siege on the Yemeni people."

In the past few hours, the Saudi-led Arab coalition to support the government in Yemen has claimed more than 25 airstrikes.

For his part, the spokesman for the Arab coalition, Turki al-Maliki, said that the Saudi-led coalition forces managed, on Saturday morning, to intercept and shoot down a drone launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia from Amran province towards civilian facilities and civilians in Abha city.

Al-Maliki stressed that while the militia continues its tampering and failed terrorist attempts to target civilian facilities and civilians, the joint forces command of the coalition will take all strict measures to paralyze and neutralize all hostile capabilities of the militia within international humanitarian law and its rules. customary.

It was the third attack of its kind for Houthi militias on the base of King Khalid, where militias targeted the base on Wednesday, but the coalition confirmed the interception and destruction of aircraft, while the civil defense in Asir reported that debris fell on one of the residential neighborhoods of the city.

The new militia attack came hours after the Arab Coalition announced large-scale military operations that destroyed five air defense sites and a ballistic missile storage site in Sana'a province.

From time to time, The Houthi militias announce the targeting of civilian and military airports and sites in southern Saudi Arabia, while the coalition repeatedly announces the targeting of depots of drones and ballistic missiles as part of preventive measures to protect civilians and spare them collateral damage.

Houthis intensify their shelling on government forces in west coast

July 20, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٢٠ يوليو ٢٠١٩

Houthi militias have launched heavy artillery shelling on government forces positions over the past few hours on the outskirts of the southern province of Al-Hodeidah.

Local sources told Al-Masdar Online that Houthi militias shelled with mortars, medium machine guns and snipers the government forces position east of al-Saleh city on the outskirts of Hodeidah.

Houthi militias also shelled several government positions and positions east of al-Duraihimi, Al-Tahita and Hees.

At the same time, Houthi militias continue to mobilize more of their troops and military equipment to areas east of the Duraihimi and Hees directorates in preparation for new attacks.

Coalition announces destruction of 5 air defense sites and ballistic missile depot in Sana'a

July 20, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٢٠ يوليو ٢٠١٩

The Arab Coalition announced that it was able to destroy five air defense sites and a ballistic missile storage site belonging to the Houthi militias in Sana'a province.

Coalition fighters carried out several raids early Saturday on Houthi camps and positions northeast of Sanaa, and explosions heard by residents of the capital.

Later in the raids, the coalition announced the start of a qualitative operation to target legitimate military targets in Sana'a province and asked civilians to avoid approaching targeting sites.

According to a report published by the Saudi media, the coalition said that the air defenses of the Houthi militia threaten the air traffic of the united nations aircraft and international organizations to Sana'a airport, and that the objectives included in the operation target air defense sites and the storage site of ballistic missiles belonging to the militia backed by Iran.

For his part, the media affiliated with the Houthi group said that the raids targeted the camp "Furaijah" in the directorate of Arhab north of Sana'a and the headquarters of the 1st Armored brigade in the capital Sana'a.

Newspaper: Riyadh asked Washington to help fill the vacuum created by UAE withdrawal from Yemen

July 20, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ١٩ يوليو ٢٠١٩

The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia is counting on U.S. military support to fill the vacuum created by the UAE's decision to withdraw most of its troops from Yemen.

In a report published Thursday, translated by Russia Today, the newspaper quoted diplomats familiar with the matter as saying that Riyadh had asked Washington to increase its support to the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi group in Yemen.

Diplomats said the kingdom hopes to get more intelligence from the United States and Washington to deploy special forces and military advisers in Yemen, as well as its logistical support and arms exports to the Saudis.

The newspaper pointed out that the Saudis complain about receiving conflicting messages about Washington's position on the Yemeni war, where Congress adopted earlier this year a draft resolution to end U.S. support for Arab coalition operations, while Pentagon officials concluded that the war has reached a dead end for months, and they urged the Saudis to begin negotiations to end the conflict.

President Donald Trump has used all his powers to counter congressional initiatives, while the Hawks in his administration, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, are taking tough positions on the Yemeni war.

Pompeo, a diplomat who attended Washington’s international conference on Middle East issues in February, said Pompeo stressed the need to "eliminate the Houthis."

The newspaper pointed out that the UAE withdrawal dealt a severe blow to the Arab coalition, especially since Saudi participation in the war was mostly limited to air operations while the UAE forces played a prominent role in almost all successes on the ground.

Moreover, the newspaper confirmed that the UAE was the one that pushed various Yemeni armed factions to fight together against the Houthis, so its withdrawal threatens to disperse the coalition ground forces.

Differences emerged among former allies over who would take the lead after the UAE withdrawal, with allies of Tarek Saleh, the son of the late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh' son, last week promoting his appointment as commander of the joint forces on Yemen's west coast, and soon deployed forces. The Giants' Brigades (also backed by the UAE) have expressed their disapproval, while the southern factions see themselves as a new advanced force after the UAE withdrawal.

The newspaper pointed out that the Saudis cannot withdraw from Yemen as easily, even if they wish, because of the kingdom's long land border with this country.

The newspaper stressed that some Western and International diplomats see the UAE withdrawal as a step that will push Riyadh to start negotiating a peace agreement with the Houthis and will end air operations that the coalition has been heavily criticized for causing civilian casualties.

But it is unclear whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will take the move, especially since statements by Trump administration officials encourage him to continue fighting, while not under significant pressure within the kingdom, diplomats and analysts say.

5 soldiers killed in attack on checkpoint southeast of Abyan

July 19, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ١٩ يوليو ٢٠١٩

A local source told Al-Masdar Online that five soldiers of local UAE-backed forces were killed and others injured in an attack by gunmen at a checkpoint Abyan south of Ymen.

The source said that gunmen believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda, which is active in the area, attacked a security post belonging to the security forces of the security belt forces in Lahmar town, located between the directorates of Modia and Al-Mahfad in south-east Abyan province, killing five soldiers and injuring four others in different injuries.

The source said that the gunmen used RPGs in the attack and some shells in addition to machine guns. 

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The following news stories are from the pro-Houthi website Yemen Extra (http://www.yemenextra.net/):

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UNHCR :More than 274,000 Yemenis are displaced since 2019

On Jul 20, 2019, YemenExtra, SH.A.

United Nations  Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) announced  that more than 274,000 Yemenis had been displaced since the start of 2019 .

The UNHCR noted that 75 people are reported dead or injured each week in Yemen.

The UNHCR called for all the parties of the conflict to do their best to protect the civilians and the infrastructure.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began its war on Yemen , and it has carried out several attacks that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians.

Saudi-Led Coalition Destroys Citizen’s Home in Sa’adah

On Jul 19, 2019, YemenExtra, M.A.

The Saudi-led coalition, on Thursday, launched an airstrike on a citizen’s home in the border district of Razih in Sa’adah province.

The airstrike has destroyed the citizen’s home completely, a local source reported to YemenExtra.

Villages and residential areas in the border district of Sa’adah province are subjected to constant rocketry and artillery bombardments on a daily basis, causing casualties and heavy losses in the homes and property of citizens.

Saudi American War Crimes on Wednesday, July 18th, 2019: Record

On Jul 19, 2019, YemenExtra, M.A.

The Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries, on Wednesday, continued to launch raids and bomb a number of provinces, causing material damage to public and private property, while the mercenaries continued to violate the cease-fire agreement in Hodeidah.

In Hodeidah, a local source reported that US-Saudi paid-fighters indiscriminately targeted a number of mortar shells, homes in different residential neighborhoods of the Al-Haly district. They also bombed, with a number of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells, residential neighborhoods in 50th Street in Al-Durahemi.

In Sa’ada province, the US-backed coalition destroyed a house in the border district of Gammar. They launched 3 raids on different areas of Al-Zaher and a raid on Baqem.

In Dhala, a citizen was wounded after his vehicle was hit by a missile fired by Saudi-paid fighters. In Hajjah, the US-backed coalition raided Abass military camp three times.

Yemeni Air Force launches a drone attack on Jizan Airport

On Jul 17, 2019, YemenExtra, Y.A

Yemeni Air Force, on Wednesday, carried out a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jizan airport.

The spokesman of the Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e said that the Air Force carried out this morning a broad operation hitting important military sites at the airport using Qasif-K2 combat drones.

“The drone strikes had accurately hit the targets and led to the disruption of air traffic at the airport,” he added.

In March 2015, the US -backed –Saudi-led coalition started  a war against Yemen with the declared aim of crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement, who had taken over from the staunch Riyadh ally and fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, while also seeking to secure the Saudi border with its southern neighbor. Three years and over 600,000 dead and injured Yemeni people and  prevented the patients from travelling abroad for treatment and blocked the entry of medicine into the war-torn country, the war has yielded little to that effect.

Despite the coalition claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

More than 2,200 others have died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.

Yemenis respond to the Saudi-led coalition hardly and softly!

On Jul 16, 2019, YemenExtra, Y.A

The Yemeni army forces launched drone attacks on Tuesday against military airbase in Khamis Mushayt of Asir province in the south of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the army spokesman said in a statement obtained by YemenExtra.

The Qasef 2K drones targeted military facilities and aircraft hangars in the airbase, hitting the targets accurately, spokesman confirmed.

He added the strikes come in retaliatory response to the war crimes and violations against the Yemeni people.

Leader of the Revolution Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi met on the same day with the UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to discussed the UN-sponsored Sweden agreement developments on Hodeidah province.

At the meeting, al-Houthi held the coalition and its paid fighters the fully responsible for the crimes and violations committed against citizens in Hodeidah.

“Yemen is ready for a just peace if the aggression states stop the brutal war, lift the unjust siege for airports and ports,” al-Houthi said.

During the meeting, Sayyed al-Houthi touched upon the Supreme Political Council’s initiative to open a special account at the Central Bank branch in Hodeidah for the states employees’ salaries, reminding the United Nations that the initiative agreeing with Stockholm Agreement.

In March 2015, the US -backed –Saudi-led coalition started  a war against Yemen with the declared aim of crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement, who had taken over from the staunch Riyadh ally and fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, while also seeking to secure the Saudi border with its southern neighbor. Three years and over 600,000 dead and injured Yemeni people and  prevented the patients from travelling abroad for treatment and blocked the entry of medicine into the war-torn country, the war has yielded little to that effect.

Despite the coalition claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

More than 2,200 others have died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.

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