Demonstrators are on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
The Sanaa University announces that students expelled from US universities over pro-Palestinian protests could continue pursuing their degrees at the Yemeni institute.
A Yemeni university is offering a place for students expelled from universities in the United States for staging on-campus pro-Palestinian protests against the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which entered its seventh month
“The very least we can do is to open the doors of our universities to accommodate them after they were expelled and oppressed,” the head of Sanaa University told Reuters.
Over 2,000 people have been arrested on US university campuses in the past three weeks as they took part in the protests urging universities to divest from all investments linked to the Israeli occupation. Others were suspended, expelled, or put on probation.
Sanaa University had previously hailed the “humanitarian” stance of the students in the United States and announced that they could continue pursuing their degrees at the institute.
The announcement echoed a similar one by the head of Iran’s internationally renowned Shiraz University, who confirmed the institute’s readiness to grant scholarships to the students expelled from US and European universities over the pro-Palestinian protests.
Pro-Palestine encampments take over the world in support of Gaza against the ongoing Israeli genocide which has killed over 34,600 Palestinians since October 7. pic.twitter.com/bpdaT9kl4B
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 3, 2024
“Students and even professors who have been expelled or threatened with expulsion can continue their studies at Shiraz University and I think that other universities in Shiraz as well as Fars Province are also prepared [to provide the conditions],” said Mohammad Moazzeni, as reported by Iran’s Press TV.
This comes as US police continue to violently crack down on the pro-Palestinian student protests and dismantle encampments across the nation.
“This strike was conducted by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and was a follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on Jan. 12 designed to degrade the Houthi’s ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels,” Centcom said in a statement on X.
The US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed on Saturday that US forces carried out a strike that targeted an alleged radar site used by the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen.
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in Yemen confirmed early Saturday that airstrikes targeted the vicinity of Sanaa airport and its vicinity north of the Yemeni capital.
Al Mayadeen‘s bureau chief in Yemen also confirmed that airstrikes or missile strikes targeted the al-Dailami base near Sanaa airport, following Friday’s US-UK-led strikes against various areas in Yemen.
CNN cited a US official as saying that “the latest strike was carried out unilaterally by the United States,” adding that “the additional strikes carried out Friday night (Eastern Time) were much smaller in scope than the previous night.”
Commenting on the renewed aggression on Yemen, military expert Brigadier General Abed al-Thawr told Al Mayadeen that Washington is facing difficulties in its movements in the Red Sea, adding that any expansion poses a danger to US forces after Yemen has proven its ability to target them.
Al-Thawr pointed out that on the international level, the US position has weakened, as Washington has not been able to rally European countries to its maritime coalition against Yemen.
The Yemeni Brigadier General added that the US administration is well aware of the strategic military capabilities of Yemen, and it is genuinely concerned about a response in the Gulf and the Red Sea.
Earlier, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held Saturday an emergency session in New York, called for urgently by Russia, to discuss the widening crisis in the Middle East and the recent US-British aggression on Yemen.
Russia’s representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, called the joint US-UK strikes on Yemen “blatant armed aggression against another country.”
According to Nebenzia, the massive strikes by the US and UK have “nothing in common” with the right to “self-defense”.
“The actions of the coalition violate Article II of the UN Charter,” Nebenzia stressed. “The freedom of navigation is governed by the Law of the Sea.”
On his part, China’s representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said that the last thing the region needs is reckless military adventures, adding that what is required is dialogue, consultation, and restraint.
The Chinese representative added that the attacks on Yemen did not stop at the destruction of facilities but further escalated tensions in the region, wondering how these attacks contribute to a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.
It is noteworthy that in the early hours of Friday, the US and the UK carried out airstrikes against more than 60 targets in 16 different locations in Yemen, the US Air Forces Central confirmed. In response, the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement threatened that the United States and the United Kingdom would pay a “high price” for the aggression.
The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, underlined that the aggression won’t go unpunished. According to Saree, the US-British airstrikes resulted in the martyrdom of five individuals and the injury of six others from the ranks of the Yemeni Armed Forces.
The Yemeni SABA news agency in Sanaa says the American-Israeli-British aggression launched multiple airstrikes on the capital Sanaa and the provinces of Hodeidah, Saada, and Dhamar.
A US official told CNN on Friday that the US military has launched strikes against multiple targets in Yemen, adding that “the strikes were from fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles.”
The Yemeni SABA news agency in Sanaa also reported that the American-Israeli-British aggression launched multiple airstrikes on the capital Sanaa and the provinces of Hodeidah, Saada, and Dhamar.
Al Mayadeen Correspondent reported that The US-British aggression targeted the vicinity of Al-Hudaydah Airport and areas in Zabid District in the same coastal governorate on the Red Sea in Western Yemen.
Our correspondent added that the raids targeted Kahlan camp, east of the city of Saada, in northern Yemen.
The Pentagon has announced that the US aggression has targeted 12 sites in Yemen and was conducted by warplanes, cruise missiles, and submarines.
Politico cited an official from the US Department of Defense as saying that the US and the UK, with support from Australia, the Netherlands, Bahrain, and Canada, carried out strikes against targets in Yemen.
The New York Times on the other hand reported that the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain provided logistical, intelligence, and other forms of support to the aggression.
Earlier reports regarding imminent strikes
Earlier, Deputy Head of the Moral Guidance Department in the Yemeni Ministry of Defense in the Sanaa government, Brigadier Abdullah ben Amer, affirmed that there are significant preparations to confront the anticipated US-British aggression on Yemen.
This comes amid media reports that the US and the UK are mulling possible strikes against the Yemeni forces in an attempt to curb their operations in the Red and the Arabian seas against Israeli and Israeli-bound ships, The Financial Times reported, citing informed sources.
The report mentioned that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was expected to authorize strikes on Thursday as part of a US-led coalition and even convened an urgent call of his cabinet at 7:45 p.m. GMT following a meeting of the National Security Council.
On X, Ben Amer stressed that “readiness has been underway for several days” in Sanaa, pointing out that opening the airspace to US and British warplanes for attacking Yemen is “clear participation in the assault and direct involvement in the aggression.”
He also urged Yemenis to take part in protests on Friday and pay no attention to what some hostile sides have started to spread, such as talk of collapses, confusion, and “other foolish and naive lies.”
هناك عدوان متوقع وهناك استعدادات كبيرة للتصدي والمواجهة وهناك جاهزية بدأت منذ عدة أيام وما على أحرار اليمن الا الاستعداد للمشاركة في التظاهرات اليوم الجمعة وعدم الالتفات الى ما بدأت بعض الجهات المعادية في نشره كالحديث عن انهيارات وارتباك وما الى ذلك من الأكاذيب الغبية والساذجة.
Ben Amer revealed that US reconnaissance aircraft are flying at the moment south of the Red Sea.
On his part, Fadel Abu Taleb, a member of the Political Bureau of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, underlined that the Yemeni people are fully prepared and completely ready to engage in any battle or confrontation with the enemies, no matter its intensity, until achieving victory for both the Palestinian and Yemeni peoples.
Abu Taleb said that the United States and the US claim that targeting the Yemeni people is part of supporting the Zionist entity, while the Yemeni people assert that their military operations at sea are in the context of supporting the Palestinian people and backing the Resistance.
معادلة واضحة .. يؤكد الأمريكي والبريطاني أن التوجه لاستهداف الشعب اليمني يأتي في إطار دعم الكيان الصهيوني. وفي المقابل يؤكد الشعب اليمني بأن عملياته العسكرية في البحر تأتي في إطار دعم الشعب الفلسطيني وإسناد المقاومة، وأنه على استعداد تام وجهوزية كاملة لخوض أي معركة أو مواجهة مع…
According to Israeli media reports, in the United States, the Pentagon held urgent security consultations, highlighting that expanding the confrontation in the Middle East into a comprehensive one is one of the important topics being discussed.
Israeli media mentioned that weapon and missile storage facilities and drones will be attacked as part of the planned attack from Washington and London against Sanaa. Western sources were cited as saying that the selected targets would be limited in order to avoid expanding the scope of the confrontation.
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Photo circulated on social media of an airstrike on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa (Friday, January 12, 2024).
The US and the UK launched in the first hours of Friday an aggression on several areas across Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
Yemen’s SABA news agency said the US and the UK staged multiple airstrikes on Sanaa, along with Saada city, Dhamar city, and Hodeidah governate.
US-UK aggression on Saanaa
Yemeni sources reported that the aggression targeted Al-Dailami Air Base north of the capital, Sana’a, the vicinity of Hodeidah Airport and areas in Zabid District, as well as Kahlan Camp, east of the city of Saada. The aggression also targeted the airport of the Abs District in Hajjah Governorate.
In Taiz, the British aggression targeted Taiz Airport and the 22nd Brigade camp in the Taiziyah District.
The aggression on Hodeidah
US, UK Remarks
US President Joe Biden said the attacks targeted “a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” referring to pro-Palestine operations staged by the Yemeni revolutionaries against Israeli ships in the Red Sea in a bid to press the Zionist entity to end its brutal aggression on Gaza.
In a statement shared by the White House, he said they were carried out “together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands”.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” he said.
“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off from RAF Akrotiri to join the US-led coalition in conducting aggression on Yemen (January 12, 2024).
For his part, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the Royal Air Force, alongside US forces, and with “non-operational support” from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain, carried out the attacks on Houthi fighters in Yemen, as quoted by Reuters news agency.
Yemeni Response: US, UK “Will Regret”
Member of the politburo of Ansarullah revolutionary movement in Yemen Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti warned the US and UK that they will “regret” attacking Yemen, stressing that the aggression “the greatest folly in their history”.
The world, he said, was now witnessing a “unique war in which those supporting “right and those who are wrong can be clearly identified.
America and Britain made a mistake in launching the war on Yemen because they did not benefit from their previous experiences.
Had it not been for Bush's foolishness in pushing Ali Saleh to attack us in Saada in 2004, the Yemeni people would not have launched the 2014…
— محمد البخيتي(Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti) (@M_N_Albukhaiti) January 12, 2024
Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Ezzi warned of severe retaliation against the US and UK for bombing targets in Yemen.
“Our country was subjected to a massive aggressive attack by American and British ships, submarines and warplanes, and they will have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression,” he said, as reported by Al-Mayadeen news network.
Fadl AbuTalib, another member of Ansarullah politburo, also wrote on X that the group is “fully prepared to fight any battle or confrontation” with the US and UK.
On his part, Nasreddin Amer, Deputy Information Secretary of Ansarullah, stressed that the group would respond forcefully to the US-UK aggression.
“Any strike against us will be responded to, absolutely, without the slightest doubt, with all force and determination, and the region will be on the verge of escalation, the end of which no one knows,” Amer told Newsweek on Thursday as reports first emerged of the strikes.
“Any strike against us has no justification, as it is only support for Israel to continue killing the oppressed Palestinian people,” he added.
UNSC Motion
The aggression comes 24 hours after UN motion urged the Yemeni revolutionaries, referred to as Houthis, to end attacks in the Red Sea.
Eleven members of the UN Security Council voted yesterday in favor of a measure calling on the Houthis to “immediately cease all attacks” in the Red Sea, “which impede global commerce and navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace”.
Yemen’s Ansarallah resistance movement held a massive military parade on 21 September, marking the anniversary of the 2014 revolution, which saw the group assume control over the capital Sanaa.
The parade comes just days after an Ansarallah delegation visited Saudi Arabia for the latest round of peace talks with the kingdom, which were recently described as being in their final stages.
During the parade, Yemen’s Armed Forces – who are allied to and aligned with the Ansarallah movement – revealed for the first time a number of new weapons, including ballistic missiles, naval vessels, and armored vehicles, including the Sejjil sea missile, a winged cruise missile with a range of 180 kilometers.
Other weapons revealed for the first time included the Bariq 1 and 2 anti-aircraft missiles, with a 50 and 70 kilometer range each; others were the Badr 4, Quds 4, Aqil missile, Toofan missile, and Mutee’ missile. The Toofan and Mutee’ are ballistic missiles.
Yemen’s Ansarallah throws massive military parade on the ninth anniversary of the 2014 revolution, and reveals new weaponry including ballistic missiles, naval vessels and armored vehicles – all Made in Yemen. pic.twitter.com/NpvNIOVYgO
A variety of armored boats and naval mines were also displayed, alongside a fighter jet, which soared through the skies as the parade went on.
Throughout the ceremony, Defense Minister of Sanaa’s Ansarallah-led government, Major General Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi, said via loudspeaker: “There is no peace with a full end to the aggression, a lifting of the siege, and departure of foreign forces. There is no peace without fulfilling the demands of the Yemenis.”
“We will not accept invaders, occupiers’ presence on our lands … They will face Yemen’s anger,” Atifi said, adding that Yemen is ready to “engage in battle … if the Saudi aggression does not adhere to the requirements of an honorable peace and fulfills the legitimate, just, and rightful aspirations of Yemenis.”
Two days ago, the Ansarallah delegation visiting Riyadh met with Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman.
According to Arabic media reports, a recent meeting was also held in Muscat between the delegation and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), during which the crown prince provided “guarantees to Sanaa regarding all points of disagreement, including the American position opposing peace.”
Omani-mediated peace talks, which began in April this year, collapsed not long after over what Ansarallah referred to as US interference. According to the movement, Washington was trying to obstruct the payment of the salaries of public servants in Yemen, one of the Sanaa government’s leading demands for peace.
The main terms include a full lifting of the blockade on Hodeidah Port and Sanaa International Airport.
Tawfiq al-Humairi, information ministry advisor in the Sanaa government, said on 17 September that “Riyadh has accepted the terms that it had refused in the previous period.”
However, US, British, French, and Emirati military forces continue to illegally occupy the country. Ansarallah has repeatedly threatened to confront these forces.
The UAE specifically has maintained an illegal presence over Yemen’s oilfields, ports, islands, and waterways.
During the parade, the defense minister vowed that “our islands, seas, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait will be under Yemen’s decision.”
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The head of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mahdi al-Mashat, pointed out on Wednesday that Sanaa is pleased with what the Yemeni delegation conveyed from the Saudi leadership, adding that these are “positive messages that we ask to put into practice.”
Al-Mashat appreciated the efforts made in the negotiations file, saying, “We appreciate the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman.”
The Yemeni leader confirmed Sanaa’s readiness to address Riyadh’s concerns as much as the latter is ready to address Yemeni concerns.
“We look forward to adjustments in international positions that have prolonged the suffering of the Yemeni people,” he indicated.
In the same context, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud voiced optimism regarding the peace talks with the Sanaa delegation aimed at reaching a resolution to the long-standing war.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the minister said he had a meeting with the Sanaa delegation in Riyadh, during which the two sides tackled efforts to facilitate the “peace process in Yemen.”
Met the Sanaa delegation visiting Riyadh to continue efforts supporting the peace process in Yemen. I emphasized the Kingdom's support for Yemen and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting dialogue among all parties to reach a comprehensive political solution under UN supervision. pic.twitter.com/UNNf1NTZgz
He further stressed that Saudi Arabia stands firmly behind Yemen and reiterated the Kingdom’s dedication to facilitating dialogue among all involved parties, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive political resolution under the supervision of the United Nations.
Earlier, the head of the Sanaa delegation Mohammad Abdul Salam said they “held intensive meetings with the Saudi side, during which it discussed some options and alternatives to overcome the [contended issues] that stopped [negotiations] at the previous round” and confirmed that “the delegation will raise them to [Sanaa’s] leadership for consultation.”
He also praised “the efforts being made by the brothers in the Sultanate of Oman to support peace and end the humanitarian crisis” in Yemen.
Abdul Salam said these negotiations aim to “help speed up the employees’ access to their salary, and address the humanitarian situation that the Yemeni people are suffering from,” in order to reach a just, comprehensive, and sustainable solution.
The Minister of Information in the Sanaa government, Daifallah al-Shami, confirmed last Friday to Al Mayadeen that the Sanaa delegation’s visit to Riyadh was not due to a Saudi invitation, but rather through Omani mediation.
Al-Shami indicated that the visit to Riyadh was a gesture of goodwill by Sanaa.
Al-Shami revealed that the circumstances surrounding Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Muscat indicate that he was the one who asked Oman to take the initiative regarding the Sanaa delegation’s visit to Riyadh.
The Yemeni Minister pointed out that Saudi Arabia is trying to present itself as a mediator in the Yemen war, but this will not succeed, because Riyadh continues to lead the aggression against its neighbor.
He underlined that Sanaa will not allow for humanitarian issues to be sidelined during negotiations, noting that Saudi Arabia holds the key to ending the war on Yemen.
The Ministry of Information in the Sanaa government condemns YouTube over its second mass banning of Yemeni media channels.
The Ministry of Information in the government of Sanaa has strongly condemned YouTube for once again shutting down and deleting Yemeni media channels from the platform.
This decision constitutes a “deliberate targeting of Yemeni media, an attempt to silence the voice of free Yemeni journalism, and an effort to suppress the truth about the violations and crimes committed against the Yemeni people by the Saudi-led, UAE and US-funded coalition of aggression for nearly nine years.”
The Ministry asserted that this act is part of a broader conspiracy orchestrated by the aggressive coalition aimed at stifling independent media outlets that oppose global hegemony and domination.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, the Ministry emphasized that the closure of numerous Yemeni channels on YouTube represents a direct attack on the guaranteed freedom of expression and press.
Demanding swift and decisive action, the Ministry of Information called on the relevant authorities and stakeholders to take necessary measures against YouTube’s persistent targeting of Yemeni media.
Furthermore, the Ministry urged free media outlets to unite in solidarity with Yemeni media channels and adopt unified stances against YouTube’s aggressive policies.
The statement concluded with Sanaa calling on the Yemeni people to take a firm stance in response to the systematic practices carried out by YouTube against the Yemeni press and the attempts to stifle the Yemeni voice.
Earlier today, YouTube shut down 13 channels belonging to the Yemeni Ansar Allah Media Center, in a measure that the center said “reveals the falsity of the slogan of freedom of expression.”
“The YouTube company a few days ago closed 13 channels affiliated with the Ansar Allah Media Center without any violation of the so-called ‘YouTube standards’, and without any justifications,” the Center confirmed in a statement.
The Center pointed out that the measure comes “within the framework of the attempts of the countries of aggression and global arrogance to hide their crimes against the Yemeni people, and their attempts to silence the voice of truth and justice.”
The statement explained that the Ansar Allah Media Center exhausted all options to restore the channels by contacting YouTube, adding that the company refuses to respond to requests and continues to shut down several other national channels “in an indication of an aggressive campaign to silence every Yemeni voice against aggression.”
The statement called on the YouTube administration to immediately retract the recent measures it took against Yemeni media institutions.
It is noteworthy that a couple of weeks ago, YouTube shut down 18 channels of the Yemeni Military Media, the Ansar Allah band, the artistic and documentary production unit, and Rawdat Al-Shuhada, in an “arbitrary step”, according to the Yemeni Military Media statement.
The closed channels had more than 500 thousand subscribers with more than 7 thousand videos and more than 90 million views.
The Yemeni Military Media confirmed that the recent shutdown of its platforms, as well as other national platforms, on YouTube, in addition to Facebook and Twitter recently, is a clear indication of “double standards and a two-faced policy by the management of these companies in support of hostilities led by the US-Saudi-Emirati coalition of aggression.”
YouTube closed 13 channels affiliated with the Ansar Allah Media Center without any violation of the so-called “YouTube standards”.
“The YouTube company a few days ago closed 13 channels affiliated with the Ansar Allah Media Center without any violation of the so-called ‘YouTube standards’, and without any justifications,” the center confirmed in a statement.
YouTube shut down 13 channels belonging to the Yemeni Ansar Allah Media Center, in a measure that the center said “reveals the falsity of the slogan of freedom of expression.”
The center pointed out that the measure comes “within the framework of the attempts of the countries of aggression and global arrogance to hide their crimes against the Yemeni people, and their attempts to silence the voice of truth and justice.”
The statement explained that the Ansar Allah Media Center exhausted all options to restore the channels by contacting YouTube, adding that the company refuses to respond to requests and continues to shut down several other national channels, “in an indication of an aggressive campaign to silence every Yemeni voice against aggression.”
“We call on our free people to boycott YouTube and other platforms that target free Yemeni voices,” the Ansar Allah Media Center expressed.
On his part, the Secretary-General of the Political Bureau of the Ansar Allah movement, Fadl Abu Talib, said that shutting down “national channels reveals the extent of global complicity in targeting the Yemeni people and conspiring against their cause.”
The Yemeni Media Union also strongly condemned “the repressive measures implemented by YouTube against Yemeni content and national Yemeni channels.”
In a statement, the union deemed the measure “a systematic targeting of the Yemeni voice and media, and intellectual terrorism aimed at silencing the Yemeni voice.”
It added that “taking down content documenting the crimes of the aggression coalition against Yemen is considered an open complicity” with the aggressors.
The statement called on the YouTube administration to immediately retract the recent measures it took against Yemeni media institutions.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 26, 2023
It is noteworthy that a couple of weeks ago, YouTube shut down 18 channels of the Yemeni Military Media, the Ansar Allah band, the artistic and documentary production unit, and Rawdat Al-Shuhada, in an “arbitrary step”, according to the Yemeni Military Media statement.
The closed channels had more than 500 thousand subscribers with more than 7 thousand videos and more than 90 million views.
The Yemeni Military Media confirmed that the recent shutdown of its platforms, as well as other national platforms, on YouTube, in addition to Facebook and Twitter recently, is a clear indication of “double standards and a two-faced policy by the management of these companies in support of hostilities led by the US-Saudi-Emirati coalition of aggression.”
The Yemeni Military Media slammed the hostile move as an act of “intellectual terrorism”, adding that YouTube is “seeking to harness the media assets of the countries of aggression to serve their colonial project.”
National pages, accounts, and channels pertaining to Yemen have been previously subjected to constant closure, ban, and restrictions without any justification.
Sanaa received an offer from Saudi Arabia in January by which Riyadh would cover the salary of workers for an entire year in exchange for the renewal of the armistice and the resumption of the export of Yemeni oil, informed sources told Al Mayadeen on Saturday.
Sanaa “demanded that Saudi Arabia stop imposing controls on the export of Yemeni oil and enable the Yemeni people to utilize their rights to their wealth,” Al Mayadeen‘s sources said.
“The revenues from Yemeni oil exports are sufficient to cover the salaries of all employees,” Yemeni officials underlined.
Yemeni Supreme Political Council President Mahdi Al-Mashat had last year sent official letters to all companies and entities concerned with the looting of Yemeni sovereign wealth to completely stop its plunder.
In turn, the Supreme Economic Committee of the Sanaa government sent a notice to all companies and entities demanding that they permanently stop looting the Yemeni sovereign wealth.
Moreover, Al-Mashat has been promising workers to pay their salaries from Saudi Arabia since 2016, when the Aden government at the time, in cooperation with the Saudi-led coalition, transferred the Central Bank of Yemen from Sanaa to Aden, and stopped paying the dues of Yemeni workers.
Regarding the latest developments in negotiations between the Sanaa government and Saudi Arabia, Al-Mashat revealed that the negotiations reached the talks about handing over the salaries from the oil and gas wealth to Yemen.
“Saudi Arabia expressed its willingness to pay the employees’ salaries as a charity gesture, not from Yemen’s oil and gas revenues,” he stressed.
During a speech at the inauguration of the new academic year, Al-Mashat said, “The negotiations focused on the point of handing over the salaries from our oil and gas wealth. The Saudis were ready to pay them from their funds, not from our wealth. What the Saudis want is to steal our oil and gas wealth and transfer it to the Saudi National Bank, then pretend to donate it to our people’s employees, and this is what we refused.”
Al-Mashat also mentioned that “the United States insisted on Saudi Arabia not to pay the dues.” Sanaa advised the Americans “not to build an enemy in every Yemeni household because by preventing the payment of employees’ salaries, they would have over 10 million Yemenis who resent them,” he added.
He had stressed that the Yemeni people and Sanaa government would continue down the path they are heading with resilience to achieve freedom and independence, warning that “all the enemy’s measures aim to multiply the suffering, and it wants to incite the society.”
He cautioned the Saudi-led coalition that if they persist in their obstinacy, they would lose opportunities, knowing how much they have already lost and how much more they will lose.
The head of the Sanaa government, Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor, says the West and “Israel” are pushing for a project to divide Yemen as people in Yemen celebrate the 33rd anniversary of Yemen’s Unity.
A view of the old building is seen in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019 (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
The head of the Sanaa government, Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor discussed a “Zionist, American, and Western” project that is conspiring against Yemeni unity, as he spoke to Al-Mayadeen.
Bin Habtoor said that this project has garnered the backing of the majority of the Gulf Cooperation Council which has led an 8-year war on Yemen.
During the celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the national day for Yemeni unity, the Yemeni official affirmed that “The Western project wants to fragment the Yemeni cohesion,” and partition the country as was the case previously. Bin Habtoor added that the project could be traced back to 1994 and is a renewal of old plots.
“Sanaa rejected the American project from its inception, but rather fought this project for eight years and will continue to do so,” the head of government underlined.
Bin Habtoor expressed his faith in the Yemeni people who have previously resisted Western plans to divide the country.
He also expressed concerns that the Hadramout governorate which is rich in raw materials, could fall prey to Saudi Arabia.
“Hadramout governorate is one of the important regions in Yemen, first because of its wide geography and historical heritage, as well as its location and economic position,” the official added.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mahdi Al-Mashat, echoed Bin Habtoors statements by saying, “Yemeni unity should not be a matter of disagreement or conflict, but rather it should remain greater than all persons and parties, and greater than all differences and conflicts.”
Al-Mashat added, “Our country is exposed to plots and suspicious projects that seek to undermine it, through further dismantling and fragmentation.”
Al-Mashat highlighted the importance of Unity Day which resembles the only safe path for a solution to the situation in Yemen. He also stressed that unity is embedded within the destinies of people and “a voice that does not leave the conscience of the nation,” regardless of the nature of the ongoing conflict.
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Sources reveal to Al Mayadeen details about the Yemeni Armed Forces’ Promise of the Hereafter military parade.
A screengrab from a video published by the Yemeni Military Media center depicting an Al-Mandeb 1 anti-ship cruise missile during the Yemeni armed forces parade that took place today, September 1, 2022 (MMY.YE)
The Yemeni Armed Forces’ The Promise of the Hereafter military parade held in Al-Hudaydah saw the participation of various units of the Yemeni army, such as the coast guard, the navy, the air force, the air defense force, and several elite forces, sources told Al Mayadeen on Thursday.
Some 25,000 soldiers participated in the Promise of the Hereafter military parade, spanning all of the aforementioned forces, the sources added, noting that the parade kicked off with the troop companies before large forces of armored vehicles, tanks, and ground and naval weapons exhibited their capabilities.
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The Yemeni armed forces showcased their ground and air defenses, as well as homemade UAVs, the sources added.
She pointed out that the military parade “The Promise of the Hereafter”, in which the armed forces revealed “Yemeni-made marine missiles that have never been unveiled before, the Mandeb 2 and Mandeb 1 and Russian-made missiles [rebranded as Rubij].”
The commander of the victory brigades also made an address to the armed forces, stressing that all of the armed forces in Yemen will continue fighting until the country’s liberation of its occupation.
The Yemeni armed forces celebrated today the graduation of new soldiers in Al-Hudaydah, and the fifth military district held a large-scale, unprecedented military parade.
Leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement Sayyed Abdul Malik Badreddine al-Houthi said nothing takes priority over resisting the Saudi-led aggression against his country, stressing that Riyadh and its allies had been mulling over the bombardment of the capital Sanaa.
In a speech broadcast live from the Yemeni capital on Wednesday evening, Sayyed al-Houthi said the capital city was “much stronger than before.”
“The Saudi-led coalition of aggression sought to subject the Yemeni capital to heavy aerial bombardment and perpetrated the most heinous crimes to wrest control over it. The alliance made use of internationally banned weapons, and tried to occupy it through launching large-scale offensives,” he said.
“Enemies had devised vicious military attacks aimed at Sanaa occupation and had earmarked billions of dollars to achieve their ambitious plans. They did everything they could to occupy Sanaa, but eventually came to realize it is out of the question.”
The Ansarullah leader further said that enemies sought to illegally seize power in Sanaa last December, but their seditious plot was thwarted.
Sayyed al-Houthi said enemies had also planned to stoke chaos and internal strife in Yemen through economic pressure and impoverishment, but the level of public awareness and steadfastness, especially in Sanaa, shocked them.
“Enemies even tried to undermine the Yemeni nation’s ethics and spiritual values through the promotion of organized crimes,” the Ansarullah leader said, emphasizing that Yemenis have exercised great patience in the face of hardships imposed by the Riyadh regime and its allies.
He affirmed that the Yemeni nation will “never give in to pressures” and will “never be enslaved by enemies,” as their resistance is rooted in faith.
“Enemies try to use social media platforms to undermine the Yemeni nation’s morale and ethics. Enemies promote various crimes in their occupied Yemeni territories,” he declared.
The Ansarullah leader said the West and its Arab allies have failed to subdue the Yemeni people through years of blockade and sanctions.
Sayyed al-Houthi also stressed the need for unity and alertness to counter acts of hostility from the enemies.
Under the truce deal, Sanaa airport should open for limited commercial flights and Hodeidah seaport for fuel ships.
‘If you return to fight, we shall return to our punishment’: Yemenis react to UN-brokered truce
Mohammed Saleh Al-Sawdi was sitting under a tree inside the garden of Al-Thawarah Hospital in Sanaa at 2:37 pm on April 3rd, 19 hours after the UN-brokered two-month truce went into force at 7 pm (16:00 GMT) on April 2nd.
“I suffer from an ‘articular surface’ and a disability”, the 27-year-old Al-Sawdi told Al Mayadeen English with his crutches beside him. “I made two surgeries, but they did not succeed. Doctors advised me to travel abroad to get better treatment”.
“I don’t have a budget that allows me to travel abroad and pay for flights and treatment”, he said. “I was injured by the Saudi airstrikes at the Haradh District of Hajjah province, bordering Saudi territory”.
Al-Sawdi said he has become alone since the missile targeted his residential neighborhood in Haradh in 2015, pointing out that he has been receiving treatment in Sanaa since then.
He is one of 32,000 critically ill and stranded Yemeni patients that the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE said in 2021 need life-saving treatment abroad, but the closure of Sanaa airport for the fifth consecutive year prevented them from doing so.
The UN announced on April 1st a two-month truce in Yemen that went into effect at 7 PM on April 2nd, the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. The Ansar Allah-led National Salvation Government, the Hadi exiled Government, and the Saudi coalition welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire.
“The parties accepted to halt all offensive military air, ground, and maritime operations inside Yemen and across its borders; they also agreed for fuel ships to enter Hodeidah ports and commercial flights to operate in and out of Sanaa airport to predetermined destinations in the region”, read a press statement by the UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg.
“They further agreed to meet under my auspices to open roads in Taiz and other governorates in Yemen. The truce can be renewed beyond the two months with the consent of the parties”, Grundberg said in the statement.
The UN special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg held on Wednesday a press conference via Zoom, where Al Mayadeen English asked him a question: Who are the warring parties that signed the two-month truce? Is it between Ansar Allah and Hadi Government or between Ansar Allah and the Saudi-led coalition?
Grundberg told Al Mayadeen English that the deal is not signed but agreed upon between Ansar Allah and the Hadi Government which is backed by the Saudi-led coalition.
On Saturday, Iran and Iraq welcomed the ceasefire in Yemen. Iran also called for a negotiated solution to the seven-year conflict, whereas Iraq said that a political solution is the only way to end the war in the country.
If the truce is implemented, it would be a breakthrough, as the first truce between Yemen’s Ansar Allah and the Saudi-led coalition was in 2016.
According to UN estimates, 377,000 Yemenis have been killed directly or indirectly by the end of 2021 since the war broke out in March 2015.
Saudi Arabia launched its western-backed aggression in March 2015 after the success of the 21st of September popular revolution that toppled the corrupt Government of Hadi and forced him to flee the country.
Opening Sanaa Airport
Opening Sanaa International Airport is going to secure a humanitarian corridor for Yemeni patients who could not travel via Saudi-backed Government held airports in south Yemen for fears of being arrested, or because their health situation cannot endure traveling by land for 16 hours.
On April 4, the General Director of Sanaa International Airport, Khaled Al-Shayef, said that “We expect the first flights between Sanaa and Cairo airports to start within the next two days”.
The Supreme Medical Committee at the Ministry of Health in Sanaa has invited in a statement “patients with severe cases, those who are registered and not registered with the committee, and who could not travel by land to Aden and Seiyun Airports, to travel through Sanaa airport”.
“Critical cases can travel via the airport if opened, but I don’t have the money for medication and flights”, Al-Sawdi said, due to his “difficult life circumstances”.
“Of course, I’m thrilled about this truce because it will open Sanaa airport for sick people to travel abroad for treatment”, he added.
“Reports of violating the truce are going to cause problems for normal citizens; I urge the Saudi coalition to fulfill its commitment under the truce and let Yemenis live because seven years of war and blockade are quite enough”, Al-Sawdi stressed.
Sanaa airport has been closed by the Saudi coalition since August 2016 and was strictly used for UN operational tasks flights and personnel.
Fuel ships
According to AFP, 18 fuel ships are to be allowed into Hodeida port, a lifeline for Yemen, and two commercial flights a week can resume in and out of Sanaa International Airport.
Ali Al-Mokhtar hopes that the war will completely end soon and that this truce will not be temporary.
“We hope this truce will be the beginning of an end to the war, and that the Saudi coalition will not use it to rearrange its ranks and return to the war and shelling again”, Al-Mokhtar told Al Mayadeen English as he fills his motorcycle with fuel from the black market in Sanaa because of the fuel blockade imposed by the Saudi aggression since January.
“I hope the dealers will reduce the price of gasoline. What they have earned in the last three months is enough”, Al-Mokhtar explained.
Yemen Petroleum Company announced on Sunday and Monday the entry of two fuel ships into Hodeidah port, according to the company spokesperson.
“The UN envoy should pressure the Saudi coalition to release the rest of the ships quickly, and this is a natural right for the Yemenis, and not a free concession” Al-Mokhtar added.
‘Saudis are our enemies’
“Hopefully this truce will hold, but if there are violations by the Saudi aggression, we will respond; ‘but if you return (to fight), we shall return (to Punishment)’,” said 63-year-old citizen Abdullah Saleh Al-Qatani, citing a holy Quran verse.
“If Saudi Arabia wants peace, Yemenis are peacemakers, and if they want war, we are fierce fighters and Riyadh should remember the state of Aramco after the latest Jeddah attack”, said Al-Qatani
“Saudi Arabia accepted peace now following the third operation to break the siege”, Al-Qatani told Al Mayadeen English. “If Mr. Abdul-Malek Al-Houthi launches three or four similar attacks, the kingdom will not only accept the truce, but will end the war”.
“The Saudis are our enemies since the last century, since the rule of Imam Yahya, King of Yemen”, Al-Qatani explained.
“It was clear, the Saudis will order its Yemeni mercenaries to violate the truce, and this has already happened”, said Al-Qatani.
Hours after the truce went into effect; the Saudi mercenaries violated the truce by launching rocket attacks and shelling building constructions on several front lines.
In the northern province of Al-Jawf, Saudi-backed mercenaries launched three Katyusha rockets against positions of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees in the Al-Ajasher desert.
A military source in the Sanaa government said on April 3rd: “86 violations have been committed by the Saudi coalition forces in the southern front of the coastal province of Hodeidah, including building military fortifications, hovering of eight spy aircraft, rocket and artillery bombardments, and various gunshots.”
“They have no principle because the US and Israel back them”, Al-Qatani told Al Mayadeen English while standing near a newsstand on Al-Zubairi Street in Sanaa.
The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
Every time the Saudis bomb Sanaa, the Yemeni resistance retaliates against Riyadh’s strategic vulnerabilities. With nonstop strikes on Yemen’s capital city today, brace yourself for a big Saudi explosion.
“Tell him Sanaa is far, Riyadh is getting closer” is what Yemenis call out whenever their capital city is targeted by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.
The ‘him’ in this battle cry refers to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS), who launched the six-year aggression against the Arab world’s poorest nation.
After every Saudi hit on Sanaa, this phrase floods social media, imploring the Yemeni resistance to retaliate directly against Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city.
As the Saudis and their dwindling allies pound Sanaa relentlessly in the last days of their failed war, one wonders why they don’t yet comprehend the retaliatory firepower they are inviting in response.
It started like this …
In March 2015, one year after Yemen’s resistance movement Ansarallah took control of the capital, a 10-nation coalition was formed led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and backed logistically and politically by both the US and UK. Shortly thereafter, fighter jets and ground forces began conducting operations across provinces surrounding the capital.
More than ten thousand airstrikes were reported by the close of 2016, with Sanaa taking the lion’s share – 2,600 raids – equivalent to one airstrike every 3.5 hours, every day for two consecutive years.
In parallel with the non-stop air operations, coalition-led land forces – mainly Yemeni mercenaries and Sudanese soldiers – wrested thousands of square kilometers from Ansarallah’s control.
Ansarallah, which found itself governing populations for the first time in its short history, had only secured their authority in Sanaa one year before the aggression. The movement had not yet had the time or resources to build their infrastructure, economy, military power, and foreign policies/connections.
Photo Credit: The Cradle
A game-changing 2018
By 2018, the war that was ‘supposed to take weeks to months at most’ – and according to MbS himself, just “a few days” – had become long, directionless, and costly, especially after Saudi/UAE hostilities against Qatar surfaced and blew up Gulf cohesion.
The 10-nation military alliance against Yemeni independence, once consisting of Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Senegal and the Gulf states (except Oman) shrank overnight to two: the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
By 2018, Saudi-backed militias were entrenched in Sanaa’s west (Hodeidah) and east (Marib), and on Saudi Arabia’s southern borders, adjacent to Ansarallah’s stronghold in northern Yemen’s Saada Province. The UAE had its own undisclosed interests, and moved its militias primarily to the south, both for protection and to control Yemen’s strategic ports and waterways.
Ansarallah had already absorbed the shock of three years of foreign aggression, and gained valuable experience in both combat and military tactics. Its weapons manufacturing (mainly ballistic missiles and drones) capabilities and technological advances had steadily grown within the landlocked environs of Sanaa – under siege by the coalition and its western allies since the onset of war.
So, by 2018, Ansarallah was primed and ready to change the direction of the war from a purely defensive one to launching proactive hit-and-run battles.
The game changer in the Yemen war came in 2019, fast and hard. After four years of defense, Ansarallah began launching a series of operations named ‘Balance of Deterrence.’ The first of these, on 17 August, was the first operation where Yemen’s resistance launched homemade and modified ballistic missiles alongside tens of suicide drones at targets 1200km distance away, equivalent to the distance between London to Madrid or New York to Miami.
The targets were Saudi Arabia’s ARAMCO Sheba oil fields and refineries on the Saudi–UAE borders.
The second operation, which took place on 14 September, hit ARAMCO facilities in Saudi Arabia’s eastern-most territories, in Dammam. This time the strikes were on a spectacular scale and caught the world’s attention in a big way; photos and videos flew across social media before the Saudis had time to bury the details.
It took another five similar operations to discipline the Saudis to understand that targeting Sanaa would trigger a retaliation into the strategic depth of Saudi Arabia. In the aftermath of Ansarallah’s retaliatory strikes, air raids on Sanaa dropped from around one strike every three hours to three strikes per year.
Credit: almasirah.net
The war’s final chapter looms
After rapid advances in 2018 and targeted retaliatory strikes in 2019-20, Ansarallah regained most of the territories they had lost, leaving only Marib, the last stronghold of the Saudis in Yemen’s east, which is expected to be liberated imminently.
Last month, Saudi and Emirati-backed militias and mercenaries fled Hodeidah – the last Saudi stronghold in Yemen’s west – after Ansarallah announced plans to liberate the city and target the territory of the UAE.
With that stroke, the Saudis lost their footing in Yemen. Militarily speaking, foreign land forces have already lost the war and now pose zero threats to the Ansarallah-led government.
Worse yet, in 2021, for the first time in the six-year war, Yemenis in coalition-controlled provinces launched multiple public protests, complaining that the quality of life in Ansarallah-ruled areas was superior than theirs, with lower crime rates, a stable currency and cheaper raw materials available to those citizens.
Rather than scurrying to carve out a face-saving exit from this certain defeat, Riyadh has instead begun to escalate air raids on Sanaa and Marib in a ‘throw the kitchen sink at the problem’ attempt to weaken Ansarallah, consequences be damned.
This brings us to 19 November 2021 when Ansarallah made its 8th Balance of Deterrence statement (mentioned above) and launched strategic retaliatory strikes against military targets in Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, Jizan, and Najran to remind the Saudis of its red lines.
The Saudis, irrationally, continue to pound populations in Sanaa with little regard for the retaliatory consequences or the global perception of this brutality. On 23 November, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki even tried to justify bombing densely-populated areas by alleging that Ansarallah’s “military sites have taken hospitals, organizations, and civilians as human shields.”
The war is as good as over, so why these unnecessary air raids on Sanaa? Why would Saudi Arabia deliberately provoke and invite military strikes against Riyadh and ARAMCO? Why not instead exit Yemen overnight, in much the same way the US did in Afghanistan? Embarrassing as it may be, a quick, unpublicized retreat would at least keep Saudi cities protected.
This last-ditch escalation has nothing to do with war strategy, leverage-building or domestic politics.
A country of 2.1 million square kilometers boasting a population of 20 million nationals and 10 million foreigners with large oil and mineral reserves, Saudi Arabia has no parliament, no elections, and no democratic processes whatsoever.
All internal and external policies are made by one man, Mohammad bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, deputy prime minister, minister of defense, chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, and chairman of the Council of Political and Security Affairs.
MbS is a punisher. He ordered the murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He kidnapped and beat up Lebanon’s former prime minister Saad Hariri before forcing him to broadcast his resignation from Riyadh. He besieged Qatar, destabilized Iraq, and boycotted all of Lebanon because of a single comment on the Yemen war. The list goes on.
A few years back, Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor of former US president Barack Obama, recounted a chilling story during his boss’s farewell visit to Riyadh. As Obama protested the recent execution of 47 dissidents in the kingdom to King Salman, the then-deputy crown prince MbS stood up from his spectator’s seat and lectured the US president thus:
“You don’t understand the Saudi justice system, he said. He argued that the Saudi public demanded vengeance against criminals, and those who had been beheaded had to be killed for the sake of stability in the kingdom.”
MbS may simply have reverted to ‘punisher’ mode in these last weeks and months of his very personal war in Yemen. ‘Vengeance’ for his defeat is merited; and killing is “for the sake of stability in the kingdom.”
But bombing Sanaa will also justify ‘Balance of Deterrence 9,’ a new set of advanced retaliatory strikes yet to be announced by Ansarallah.
Undoubtedly, ARAMCO and major Saudi cities will be targeted in the period ahead. Every ballistic missile reaching the kingdom of sand will result in a weaker Saudi Arabia and stronger Yemen, giving Ansarallah a reason to discipline the Saudis at present, and perhaps, to invade them in the future. Thus, the quote “Sanaa is far, Riyadh is getting closer” was born.
Credit: Cartoonist Kamal Sharaf; @kamalsharaf on Twitter
Under the command of MbS, the Saudis are unlikely to leave Yemen alone even if the war concludes – it will try to do what it has always done in Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Qatar, and Syria, dividing populations with money and weapons.
But Yemen is different. Ansarallah will implement their own institutions, unlike those other nations where the US and its regional allies remain to engineer laws and policies to ensure a country’s dependence and stagnation once they depart. Yemen, after the war, will be more like Iran in its hostility towards and determination to break with externally-imposed agendas.
Buckle your seatbelt. Retaliation and revolution is about to be unharnessed in the Arabian Peninsula.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Yemen’s foreign minister says Saudi Arabia’s intensified attacks on the war-wracked country show the inability of the Saudi Arabia in the face of the Sana’a government, whose forces have continued to liberate areas under the control of Saudi-backed mercenaries.
“The bombardment [of Yemen] and the repetition of what has happened since the beginning of the aggression is a manifestation of [Saudi Arabia’s] helplessness,” Hesham Sharaf told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network on Sunday.
“The current escalation on several fronts comes as the Saudi coalition reached the conviction that it has failed to put pressure on Sanaa,” he added.
The Yemeni minister then emphasized that the Yemeni forces are ready to respond to any escalation.
At the same time, Sharaf expressed his country’s readiness for dialogue and reaching “a just peace,” but stressed that the Saudi-led coalition must first stop its attacks on Yemen and open the Sana’a Airport and Yemen’s ports as a gesture of goodwill.
“We extend our hand for peace, but for a just peace,” he remarked. “Open the Sana’a Airport and [Yemen’s] ports and those would be gestures of peace, but moving towards peace [talks] while bombing us and showing us [your] muscle would not help.”
The Yemeni minister explained that the Sana’a International Airport is a civilian airport and “has nothing to do” with the nearby al-Dailmi airbase.
“Bombing the Sanaa Airport means that they don’t want to normalize the situation in Yemen or move towards peace.”
Sharaf also stressed, “We do not accept guardianship, neither from Saudi Arabia, nor from the UAE, nor any other country, and therefore, we will continue our efforts despite all obstacles,” in an apparent reference to the Yemeni counter-attacks.
The Yemeni foreign minister’s remarks come as Saudi fighter jets have continued to target the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, to make up for their defeats in other areas.
According to Yemen’s al-Masirah television network, Saudi warplanes conducted three airstrikes on the Sana’a International Airport on Sunday evening.
Two Saudi airstrikes also hit the neighborhood of Dhahaban in Sanaa at dawn on Saturday.
A Yemeni security official said on Monday that at least one citizen was killed and eleven others wounded, including African migrants, when the Saudi-led coalition bombarded several border districts in Saada province, northern Yemen.
The official explained that the Saudi army attacked the highway in the border directorate of Shada with artillery shells, killing one citizen and wounding two others.
Three Yemeni citizens and five African migrants were also injured by Saudi army fire in the al-Raqaw area in the border directorate of Monabbih, Yemen Press Agency reported.
Saada’s border districts are subjected to the Saudi-led coalition’s daily air raids, which cause casualties and large damage to citizens’ homes and property.
Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and regional allies, including the UAE, launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the aims of bringing the government of Yemen’s former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.
The war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases there.
Despite heavily-armed Saudi Arabia’s continuous bombardment of the impoverished country, Yemeni armed forces and the Popular Committees have grown steadily in strength against the Saudi-led invaders and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.
Beirut – It seems that the field map is becoming clear in the governorates of northern Yemen. With the approaching fall of the strategic city of Marib in the hands of the Yemeni army and the popular committees, the other fronts in Hudaydah and Mokha began to fall apart, as if the Marib front has shaken the other fronts and decided the whole battle.
In a sudden turn in the course of the field, the Emirati-backed forces withdrew from the southern areas of Hudaydah that is led unilaterally by Haitham Taher in an unreasonable way with respect to the forces in Mokha city led by Tarek Saleh and backed by the United Arab Emirates [UAE] as well, which left the latter shocked, confused, and doubtful about the existence of an agreement and a prior coordination between Taher and close confidents of the fugitive president Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is supported by Saudi Arabia.
Sources reported unannounced heated disagreements among the factions of the UAE-backed forces in the western coast of Yemen, in the aftermath of the sudden and wide withdrawals in Hudaydah areas, which represented a stab in the back of Saleh’s forces, leaving the armed factions affiliated with the southern transitional council shocked and confused. The sources added that the so-called “legitimacy of Hadi” is coming to an end.
The withdrawing forces, however, claimed that they have evacuated the fighting areas in Hudaydah in accordance with the Stockholm Agreement reached late 2018, which is supposed to take place in coordination and understanding with the United Nations mission; but it was not kept informed with the updates.
But other sources asserted that the Emirati forces had previously started a large-scale evacuation of its forces after receiving a series of military strikes from the Yemeni Ansarullah movement. Such strikes were based on accurate intelligence by the movement.
In addition, the Yemeni army and popular committees rushed to take control over these areas, and opened the main road that connects them with the capital Sanaa. Among these areas are the eastern and northeastern coastal city of Hudaydah, and areas to the south of the city on the outskirts of the Hudaydah International Airport, in addition to the Ad Durayhimi District, the coastal line of the “Beit Al-Fakih” District, At Tuhayta District, Al-Haima port to the south of Al-Khawkha District, areas in the Hays District and areas to the south of these two directorates of the Taizz Governorate.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia evacuated most of its compounds in the last few weeks, especially in Al-Mahrah governorate, but a number of its troops is still at its center in Al-Ghaydah, along with a group of officers who still roam about 27 compounds where mercenaries forces of the southern separatists are present, and it has become rare to find any Emirati forces in many southern areas.
Regarding the Marib front, the Yemeni army and the popular committees have eased their attack on the city and headed to the south, achieving a progress that surpassed what it was like before, and succeeded, for the first time since years, to return to southern areas, even though a settlement with the local tribes there. But this operation allowed them to lay siege to all the southern and eastern crossings- the southern crossings that lead to Marib, and that made the Saudis and all the southern mercenaries in need for a long trip that takes them from Hadramout to the sieged city.
Accordingly, there is only one passage left, and if the Yemeni army and popular committees decide to go for an all-out confrontation to capture the city, this passage will be closed. The problem of Saudi Arabia here is that the support it received from the US did not help. Therefore, Marib has fallen and the greater is yet to come. Was the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash right when he said that “the liberation of Hudaydah is the beginning of the end of the war”?
Yemeni journalist Ali al-Darwani confirmed to Al-Ahed News that nothing is being done confidentially regarding the Emirati withdrawal from the western coast that is at least more than 50 km long, but rather a relocation in case Marib fell, which will impose new fields on Ansarullah, first of which will be this coast where Taher’s forces consider themselves to be trapped between the jaws of the pincers, for this coast’s width reaches 5 km in some areas. He added that these forces opted to withdraw to the southern areas to strengthen their influence in order to defend Bab al-Mandeb strait which is a US-“Israeli” quest, fearing its fall in the special committees hands and thus taking control over the maritime navigation.
Al-Darwani also said that in case Marib fell, 50,000 to 100,000 fighters of the Islah party backed by the UAE and its allies like al-Qaeda and Salafists will flee to the southern regions, where they have authority. This large number will enhance their resilience in defending Bab al-Mandeb which might be a priority for the Yemeni army and the committees, and even for the Saudi-backed forces in Aden and the south, which fought the Islah Party in many areas.
The Yemeni journalist concluded that the Emirati withdrawal is a purely tactic withdrawal so that Abu Dhabi maintains its interests in the south, fearing Ansarullah first, and Saudi Arabia second.
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Yemen has warned Saudi Arabia of “serious consequences” following major escalation of deadly onslaught against Yemeni provinces, saying Riyadh and its allies conducted 65 airstrikes in the past 24 hours.
“In a major escalation, the forces of the Saudi-American aggression have launched more than 65 air raids over the past 24 hours across a number of governorates of the Republic,” spokesman of the Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree wrote in a tweet on Thursday night.
“This escalation will have serious consequences for the forces of aggression, they must bear the consequences,” he added.
The remarks came after the Saudi state TV reported that the Riyadh-led military campaign against Yemen had launched airstrikes on four provinces in Yemen.
Early on Thursday, Saudi Arabia conducted a massive operation against Sanaa, Dhamar, Saada, and al-Jawf provinces in response to what it called threats of drone and ballistic missile raids, according to the report.
The kingdom earlier said that it had destroyed an explosive-laden drone targeting the kingdom’s Abha international airport on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Yemeni media reported that at least three civilians were injured by Saudi raids in Saada province, north of Yemen.
The Saudi army fire targeted the border district of Munabeh, which seriously wounded three citizens, a security source told Yemen Press Agency [YPA].
The attack came a day after the Saudi army’s raids left five civilians wounded, including an African immigrant, in the border districts of Munabeh and Baqim in Saada province.
Saudi warplanes also attacked the capital Sanaa, Taizz, Marib, and Hudaydah provinces on Thursday.
In Dhamar province, it launched a raid targeting a livestock farm in Mayfa’a Ans district, killing more than 200 sheep.
Enjoying the backing of key Western powers, Saudi Arabia has been leading the war on Yemen since March 2015 to reinstall the former Riyadh-backed regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
However, Riyadh has failed to achieve any of its goals six years after launching the war and blockade against Yemen, leaving hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and spreading famine and infectious diseases there.
In recent months, Saudi Arabia has ramped up its attacks against densely-populated areas across Yemen.
Observers say the rise in attacks comes due to major advances made by the Yemeni forces in Marib province and other key areas that are being liberated from the control of Saudi mercenaries.
The kingdom is also being targeted by the Yemeni army and its allied popular forces continuously, with the Sanaa government saying that it will keep hitting targets deep inside Saudi Arabia as long as the war and siege continue.
Throughout the course of the war, the United States has supported and armed Saudi Arabia.
Despite his February promise to end “all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales,” US President Joe Biden has recently approved $650 million worth of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 