Yemen Watch - News, Updates & Discussions.
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Half of Yemen is under AL-QAEDA control. And no one (specialty KSA) bothered to bomb them?
That's ridiculous.
That's ridiculous.
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ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Yemen Houthi rebels advance despite Saudi-led air strikes
(Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi rebels made broad gains in the country's south and east on Friday despite a second day of Saudi-led air strikes meant to check the Iranian-backed militia's efforts to overthrow President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Shi'ite Muslim Houthi fighters and allied army units gained their first foothold on Yemen's Arabian Sea coast by seizing the port of Shaqra 100km (60 miles) east of Aden, residents told Reuters.
Explosions and crackles of small gunfire rang out across Aden late on Friday as Houthis made a push on the southern port city's airport, a witness said.
The advances threaten Hadi's last refuge in Yemen and potentially undermine the air campaign to support him.
The spokesman for the Saudi-led operation, Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, told a press conference in Riyadh that defending the Aden government was the campaign's "main objective".
"The operation will continue as long as there is a need for it to continue," Asseri said.
Warplanes targeted Houthi forces controlling Yemen's capital Sanaa and their northern heartland on Friday. Asseri said that planes from the United Arab Emirates had carried out their first strikes in the past 24 hours.
In a boost for Saudi Arabia, Morocco said it would join the rapidly assembled Sunni Muslim coalition against the Houthis. Pakistan, named by Saudi Arabia as a partner, said it had made no decision on whether to contribute.
RELATED COVERAGE
› U.S., British officials call for political solution in Yemen: White House
› Elite Iranian guards training Yemen's Houthis: U.S. officials
› Yemen's port of Aden under threat with enemy at the gates
› Yemeni president arrives in Egypt for Arab League summit
REGIONAL CONTEST
Riyadh’s military intervention is the latest front in a growing regional contest for power with Iran that is also playing out in Syria, where Tehran backs Assad’s government against mainly Sunni rebels, and Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias are playing a major role in fighting.
Sunni monarchies in the Gulf are backing Hadi and his fellow Sunnis in the country's south against the Shi'ite advance.
Yemen's powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose military units fight alongside the Houthis, called on Friday for a cessation of hostilities by both sides, according to a statement carried by his party's website.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen said the air campaign could end within days.
He said the door was still open for dialogue with the Houthis, while in a Facebook posting, Hadi urged Yemenis to be patient and predicted the Houthis would soon be gone.
But the Houthis and allied army units seized the southern town of Shaqra in Abyan province on Friday, gaining access to the Arabian Sea, residents said.
Their entry into the city means they control most land routes to Aden and can block tribal fighters trying to come in to reinforce Hadi's troops.
Residents said dozens of pickup trucks loaded with tribal fighters have reached the town of Mudyah and were expected to clash with the Houthi forces based in Shaqra and the town of Lodar.
During a week of intense fighting, the Houthis have taken the Red Sea port of al-Mukha to Aden's northwest, and the city's northern outskirts, suggesting Aden is danger, despite the air strikes against the Houthis.
Eyewitnesses in Sanaa said Houthi fighters and allied military units were re-positioning some anti-aircraft units at police stations in some neighborhoods, causing panic among residents, who fear they will become targets for air strikes. Residents said aircraft targeted bases around Sanaa of Republican Guards allied to the Houthis, and also struck near a military installation that houses missiles. The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency put the death toll in Sanaa at 24 and said 43 were wounded and 14 houses were destroyed.
Houthi-run al-Masirah television also said 15 people were killed in an air strike on a market in the northern city of Saada.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/27/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0ML0YC20150327
(Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi rebels made broad gains in the country's south and east on Friday despite a second day of Saudi-led air strikes meant to check the Iranian-backed militia's efforts to overthrow President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Shi'ite Muslim Houthi fighters and allied army units gained their first foothold on Yemen's Arabian Sea coast by seizing the port of Shaqra 100km (60 miles) east of Aden, residents told Reuters.
Explosions and crackles of small gunfire rang out across Aden late on Friday as Houthis made a push on the southern port city's airport, a witness said.
The advances threaten Hadi's last refuge in Yemen and potentially undermine the air campaign to support him.
The spokesman for the Saudi-led operation, Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, told a press conference in Riyadh that defending the Aden government was the campaign's "main objective".
"The operation will continue as long as there is a need for it to continue," Asseri said.
Warplanes targeted Houthi forces controlling Yemen's capital Sanaa and their northern heartland on Friday. Asseri said that planes from the United Arab Emirates had carried out their first strikes in the past 24 hours.
In a boost for Saudi Arabia, Morocco said it would join the rapidly assembled Sunni Muslim coalition against the Houthis. Pakistan, named by Saudi Arabia as a partner, said it had made no decision on whether to contribute.
RELATED COVERAGE
› U.S., British officials call for political solution in Yemen: White House
› Elite Iranian guards training Yemen's Houthis: U.S. officials
› Yemen's port of Aden under threat with enemy at the gates
› Yemeni president arrives in Egypt for Arab League summit
REGIONAL CONTEST
Riyadh’s military intervention is the latest front in a growing regional contest for power with Iran that is also playing out in Syria, where Tehran backs Assad’s government against mainly Sunni rebels, and Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias are playing a major role in fighting.
Sunni monarchies in the Gulf are backing Hadi and his fellow Sunnis in the country's south against the Shi'ite advance.
Yemen's powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose military units fight alongside the Houthis, called on Friday for a cessation of hostilities by both sides, according to a statement carried by his party's website.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen said the air campaign could end within days.
He said the door was still open for dialogue with the Houthis, while in a Facebook posting, Hadi urged Yemenis to be patient and predicted the Houthis would soon be gone.
But the Houthis and allied army units seized the southern town of Shaqra in Abyan province on Friday, gaining access to the Arabian Sea, residents said.
Their entry into the city means they control most land routes to Aden and can block tribal fighters trying to come in to reinforce Hadi's troops.
Residents said dozens of pickup trucks loaded with tribal fighters have reached the town of Mudyah and were expected to clash with the Houthi forces based in Shaqra and the town of Lodar.
During a week of intense fighting, the Houthis have taken the Red Sea port of al-Mukha to Aden's northwest, and the city's northern outskirts, suggesting Aden is danger, despite the air strikes against the Houthis.
Eyewitnesses in Sanaa said Houthi fighters and allied military units were re-positioning some anti-aircraft units at police stations in some neighborhoods, causing panic among residents, who fear they will become targets for air strikes. Residents said aircraft targeted bases around Sanaa of Republican Guards allied to the Houthis, and also struck near a military installation that houses missiles. The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency put the death toll in Sanaa at 24 and said 43 were wounded and 14 houses were destroyed.
Houthi-run al-Masirah television also said 15 people were killed in an air strike on a market in the northern city of Saada.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/27/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0ML0YC20150327
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Today the Houthis managed to continue their advance and gain ground in the Shabwa province, gaining control of the 19th brigade and all areas around it in Bayhan, which was previously controlled by Al Qaeda.
All credits goes to PDF
All credits goes to PDF
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Saudi-Led Coalition Jet Shot Down in Yemen's Sanaa – Source
A local source told Sputnik that a warplane of the Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen’s Houthi rebels was downed in area near country's capital Sanaa.
SANAA (Sputnik) – A warplane of the Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen’s Houthi rebels was downed in Al Hatarish area near country's capital Sanaa, local source told Sputnik Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Yemeni media reported that country’s air defense forces had hit a coalition jet.
According to the source, the pilot of the jet is “alive and was placed under arrest.”
On Wednesday night, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Pakistan and Egypt launched a military campaign against Houthi positions in Sanaa. The operation followed a request by the country's ousted President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
The airstrikes have caused dozens of deaths and casualties.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150328/1020124267.html
------------------------------------------------
Can anyone confirm that?
A local source told Sputnik that a warplane of the Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen’s Houthi rebels was downed in area near country's capital Sanaa.
SANAA (Sputnik) – A warplane of the Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen’s Houthi rebels was downed in Al Hatarish area near country's capital Sanaa, local source told Sputnik Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Yemeni media reported that country’s air defense forces had hit a coalition jet.
According to the source, the pilot of the jet is “alive and was placed under arrest.”
On Wednesday night, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Pakistan and Egypt launched a military campaign against Houthi positions in Sanaa. The operation followed a request by the country's ousted President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
The airstrikes have caused dozens of deaths and casualties.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150328/1020124267.html
------------------------------------------------
Can anyone confirm that?
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Arab operation hit Yemen base holding long-range missiles: Yemeni official
(Reuters) - A Saudi-led military operation has targeted a base where Iranian-backed Houthi fighters had set up long-range missiles and pointed them towards the southern Yemeni city of Aden and neighboring countries, a Yemeni official said on Saturday.
The official told Reuters that Yemeni authorities had received information that Iranian experts had brought in parts for the missiles at the base, located south of Sanaa.
Iran denies allegations made by some Yemeni and Western officials that it is providing money and training to the Shi'ite Muslim Houthis, whose rapid territorial advances triggered an Arab military campaign against them.
The official, a member of the Yemeni delegation at an Arab League summit in Egypt, showed Reuters mobile phone pictures of a huge orange mushroom cloud, saying it was the force of the rockets exploding at the base after it was targeted.
He did not specify which countries the rockets were directed at.
Houthi fighters seeking to overthrow the Western- and Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have continued to make gains since the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against them on Thursday.
"It's not in our interest to directly confront them army-to-army because they (Houthis) have heavy weapons," said the official.
"It is in our interest for them to enter and becoming a constant, sitting target and then we can pick them off."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/28/us-yemen-security-missiles-idUSKBN0MO0MC20150328
(Reuters) - A Saudi-led military operation has targeted a base where Iranian-backed Houthi fighters had set up long-range missiles and pointed them towards the southern Yemeni city of Aden and neighboring countries, a Yemeni official said on Saturday.
The official told Reuters that Yemeni authorities had received information that Iranian experts had brought in parts for the missiles at the base, located south of Sanaa.
Iran denies allegations made by some Yemeni and Western officials that it is providing money and training to the Shi'ite Muslim Houthis, whose rapid territorial advances triggered an Arab military campaign against them.
The official, a member of the Yemeni delegation at an Arab League summit in Egypt, showed Reuters mobile phone pictures of a huge orange mushroom cloud, saying it was the force of the rockets exploding at the base after it was targeted.
He did not specify which countries the rockets were directed at.
Houthi fighters seeking to overthrow the Western- and Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have continued to make gains since the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against them on Thursday.
"It's not in our interest to directly confront them army-to-army because they (Houthis) have heavy weapons," said the official.
"It is in our interest for them to enter and becoming a constant, sitting target and then we can pick them off."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/28/us-yemen-security-missiles-idUSKBN0MO0MC20150328
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Most severe battles until now are raging in Aden.
Aden Airport is switching sides every couple of hours.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gECbE9d44E"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gECbE9d44E[/ame]
Aden Airport is switching sides every couple of hours.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gECbE9d44E"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gECbE9d44E[/ame]
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ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Red : Al-Qaeda + Ex-president Hadi suporters +Southern separatist
Green : Houthi + Yemeni Army + Ex-president Saleh suporters
Black : ISIS
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ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Yemeni Army to Win Control over Aden in Hours
Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:54
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Yemeni forces, backed by Ansarullah fighters, are on the verge of milestone victory by seizing control of the city of Aden in the South in the next few hours.
Fierce clashes are currently underway in Aden and the Army and revolutionary forces have managed to take control of many districts in the city, Al-Massa Press reported.
The Ansarullah forces have just regained control of the city of Taez, Yemen's third largest city in the North of Aden a few hours ago.
Aden is seen as the main stronghold of forces loyal to the ousted president, Mansour Hadi, as well as terrorist troops.
On Sunday Ansarullah fighters regained control over Aden International Airport after heavy clashes with the forces loyal to fugitive Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The forces loyal to Mansour Hadi had seized control of the airport only on Thursday, and German news agencies reported that Ansarullah could defeat them and took it back today.
The Ansarullah fighters also made major advances in the surrounding areas of the airport.
Medical sources, meantime, confirmed that a sum of 113 forces loyal to Mansour Hadi were killed in Sunday clashes in Aden.
Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for five days now, killing, at least, 70 civilians and injuring hundreds more.
Five Persian Gulf States -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait -- and Egypt that are also assisted by Israel and backed by the US have declared war on Yemen in a joint statement issued earlier Thursday.
US President Barack Obama authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to the military operations, National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said late Wednesday night.
She added that while US forces were not taking direct military action in Yemen, Washington was establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support.
Riyadh claimed that it has bombed the positions of the Ansarullah fighters and launched attacks against the Sana'a airport and the Dulaimi airbase.
Despite Riyadh's claims that it is attacking Ansarullah positions, Saudi warplanes have flattened a number of homes near Sana’a international airport.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940110000591
Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:54
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Yemeni forces, backed by Ansarullah fighters, are on the verge of milestone victory by seizing control of the city of Aden in the South in the next few hours.
Fierce clashes are currently underway in Aden and the Army and revolutionary forces have managed to take control of many districts in the city, Al-Massa Press reported.
The Ansarullah forces have just regained control of the city of Taez, Yemen's third largest city in the North of Aden a few hours ago.
Aden is seen as the main stronghold of forces loyal to the ousted president, Mansour Hadi, as well as terrorist troops.
On Sunday Ansarullah fighters regained control over Aden International Airport after heavy clashes with the forces loyal to fugitive Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The forces loyal to Mansour Hadi had seized control of the airport only on Thursday, and German news agencies reported that Ansarullah could defeat them and took it back today.
The Ansarullah fighters also made major advances in the surrounding areas of the airport.
Medical sources, meantime, confirmed that a sum of 113 forces loyal to Mansour Hadi were killed in Sunday clashes in Aden.
Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for five days now, killing, at least, 70 civilians and injuring hundreds more.
Five Persian Gulf States -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait -- and Egypt that are also assisted by Israel and backed by the US have declared war on Yemen in a joint statement issued earlier Thursday.
US President Barack Obama authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to the military operations, National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said late Wednesday night.
She added that while US forces were not taking direct military action in Yemen, Washington was establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support.
Riyadh claimed that it has bombed the positions of the Ansarullah fighters and launched attacks against the Sana'a airport and the Dulaimi airbase.
Despite Riyadh's claims that it is attacking Ansarullah positions, Saudi warplanes have flattened a number of homes near Sana’a international airport.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940110000591
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Warships shell Houthis outside Yemeni city of Aden - witnesses
Reuters
1. Yemen militia sends forces south as UN warns of civil war AFP
2. Yemen president's southern stronghold attacked by rivals Associated Press
3. Houthis seize strategic Yemeni city, escalating power struggle Reuters
4. Yemeni president accuses former regime of attempted coup Reuters
5. Yemeni Troops Expel Special Forces From Aden Airport The Wall Street Journal
ADEN (Reuters) - Warships shelled a column of Houthi fighters and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as they tried to advance on the southern port city of Aden on Monday, residents said, the first known report of naval forces taking part in the conflict.
They said the vessels were believed to be Egyptian warships that sailed last week through the Suez Canal towards the Gulf of Aden. Egypt is a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been targeting Houthi positions to stem their advance on Aden, a last foothold of fighters loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
No comment was immediately available from Egyptian officials.
(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf, writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
http://news.yahoo.com/warships-shell-houthis-outside-yemeni-city-aden-witnesses-141337243.html
Reuters
1. Yemen militia sends forces south as UN warns of civil war AFP
2. Yemen president's southern stronghold attacked by rivals Associated Press
3. Houthis seize strategic Yemeni city, escalating power struggle Reuters
4. Yemeni president accuses former regime of attempted coup Reuters
5. Yemeni Troops Expel Special Forces From Aden Airport The Wall Street Journal
ADEN (Reuters) - Warships shelled a column of Houthi fighters and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as they tried to advance on the southern port city of Aden on Monday, residents said, the first known report of naval forces taking part in the conflict.
They said the vessels were believed to be Egyptian warships that sailed last week through the Suez Canal towards the Gulf of Aden. Egypt is a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been targeting Houthi positions to stem their advance on Aden, a last foothold of fighters loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
No comment was immediately available from Egyptian officials.
(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf, writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
http://news.yahoo.com/warships-shell-houthis-outside-yemeni-city-aden-witnesses-141337243.html
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Iran dispatches planeload of humanitarian aid to Yemen
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has dispatched a planeload of humanitarian aid to Yemen where Shia mosques were recently targeted by terrorist attacks.
The IRCS sent its 13-ton consignment of humanitarian aid and medical supply on Monday.
Meanwhile, 52 people injured in the recent deadly bomb attacks in Yemen were flown to Iran on Monday and taken to hospital for treatment.
An Iranian medical official said the patients have sustained such injuries as fractures, burns and amputation.
Soleiman Heidari added that six of the victims are in critical condition.
He noted that Iran sent a six-member medical team to Yemen following the terrorist attacks to treat the victims.
Three bomb attacks were carried out at two mosques in Sana’a on Friday. At least 142 people were killed and 351 suffered injuries in the blasts targeting Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques.
A branch of the ISIL terrorist group in Yemen claimed responsibility for the bombings in an online statement, warning that the attacks were “just the tip of the iceberg.”
The blasts came against the backdrop of intense gun battles between supporters and opponents of fugitive President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the southern port city of Aden. More than a dozen people died in the fighting, which also forced closure of the Aden International Airport.
Hadi, along with members of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah’s cabinet, stepped down in late January, but the parliament did not approve the president's resignation. The president fled his home in Sana’a on February 21, after weeks under effective house arrest and went to Aden, Yemen’s second largest city, where he officially withdrew his resignation and highlighted his intention to resume duties. This came after the Houthi fighters took control of Sana’a in September 2014.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/23/403062/Iran-sends-humanitarian-aid-to-Yemen
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has dispatched a planeload of humanitarian aid to Yemen where Shia mosques were recently targeted by terrorist attacks.
The IRCS sent its 13-ton consignment of humanitarian aid and medical supply on Monday.
Meanwhile, 52 people injured in the recent deadly bomb attacks in Yemen were flown to Iran on Monday and taken to hospital for treatment.
An Iranian medical official said the patients have sustained such injuries as fractures, burns and amputation.
Soleiman Heidari added that six of the victims are in critical condition.
He noted that Iran sent a six-member medical team to Yemen following the terrorist attacks to treat the victims.
Three bomb attacks were carried out at two mosques in Sana’a on Friday. At least 142 people were killed and 351 suffered injuries in the blasts targeting Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques.
A branch of the ISIL terrorist group in Yemen claimed responsibility for the bombings in an online statement, warning that the attacks were “just the tip of the iceberg.”
The blasts came against the backdrop of intense gun battles between supporters and opponents of fugitive President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the southern port city of Aden. More than a dozen people died in the fighting, which also forced closure of the Aden International Airport.
Hadi, along with members of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah’s cabinet, stepped down in late January, but the parliament did not approve the president's resignation. The president fled his home in Sana’a on February 21, after weeks under effective house arrest and went to Aden, Yemen’s second largest city, where he officially withdrew his resignation and highlighted his intention to resume duties. This came after the Houthi fighters took control of Sana’a in September 2014.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/23/403062/Iran-sends-humanitarian-aid-to-Yemen
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Houthi forces took full control over city of Zinjibar after driving ISIL and pro Hadi man out.Reportedly Houthis are accompanied by 115th Brigade of Yemeni army who is under their command.This forces are now heading east towards Al Mukalla
http://barakish.net/news02.aspx?cat=12&sub=23&id=311427
http://barakish.net/news02.aspx?cat=12&sub=23&id=311427
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Houthi forces have taken control on Bab El Mandeb.Military base that overlooks the strait is captured as well as entire 17th Armoured Division.From here the whole strait can be controlled.
http://af.reuters.com/article/djiboutiNews/idAFL6N0WX5HZ20150331
http://af.reuters.com/article/djiboutiNews/idAFL6N0WX5HZ20150331
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Fighting along border begins
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0MR0HE20150331?utm_source=twitter
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0MR0HE20150331?utm_source=twitter
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Bab-al-Mandab falls to Houthis: Yemen Rebels Seize Base Near Shipping Lane as Saudis Target Aden - Bloomberg Business
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...base-near-shipping-lane-as-saudis-target-aden
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...base-near-shipping-lane-as-saudis-target-aden
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ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Saudi air campaign fails to halt rebel advance in Yemen
WASHINGTON – A Saudi-led air campaign has failed to halt the advance of Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, where growing violence is plunging the country deeper into chaos and further undermining the U.S.-backed government.
Houthi rebels continued to advance toward the port city of Aden, where forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi are attempting to make a stand. Friday, the Arab coalition dropped weapons and supplies for the first time to forces battling Houthis around Aden.
Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the Saudis have hit fixed military installations and weapons caches, but they lack the sophisticated intelligence and other capabilities that would allow them to react quickly to fast-moving and widely dispersed forces.
"A lot of what they're doing is of cosmetic effect," Knights said. "It's hard to imagine the coalition becoming effective enough unless the United States becomes much more involved."
U.S. help is limited largely to surveillance and planning support. American drones provide the general location of the Houthis and other forces but not specific targeting information.
The Pentagon has offered to provide aerial refueling capabilities to the coalition, which would allow pilots to remain in the air longer to track targets. U.S. tanker aircraft would not enter Yemen airspace.
Analysts say Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations improved pilot training over the past decade to match the billions of dollars they have spent on sophisticated American warplanes. Analysts credit the countries for being able to mobilize a complex coalition quickly and begin airstrikes.
"Arab countries are stepping up to take care of their own issues," said Charles Wald, a retired Air Force general. "This is something we ought to be applauding."
Initially, several hundred airstrikes a day disrupted the Houthis' advance. More recently, the rebels appear to have regrouped and continued their advances.
Knights said the air campaign is reminiscent of the 1990s-era NATO airstrikes in the Balkans. He said the Saudi coalition lacks precision strikes based on immediate intelligence.
The fighting is growing increasingly complex. The airstrikes on Houthi forces help a powerful al-Qaeda terror affiliate, a rival in Yemen. Al-Qaeda is a Sunni organization, and the Houthis are Shiites.
Thursday, al-Qaeda militants overran Mukalla, a major port city in southern Yemen, the Associated Press reported.
The Houthis are allied with military forces who remained loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president ousted from power after protests in 2011. As a result, the airstrikes have targeted military installations and army units that would be needed to help stabilize the country should fighting cease.
"At the end of the day, were going to have a force that might not be able to reunite," said Katherine Zimmerman, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. "Most units have been rendered combat-ineffective."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/03/houthis-yemen-saudis-bombing/25258415/
WASHINGTON – A Saudi-led air campaign has failed to halt the advance of Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, where growing violence is plunging the country deeper into chaos and further undermining the U.S.-backed government.
Houthi rebels continued to advance toward the port city of Aden, where forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi are attempting to make a stand. Friday, the Arab coalition dropped weapons and supplies for the first time to forces battling Houthis around Aden.
Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the Saudis have hit fixed military installations and weapons caches, but they lack the sophisticated intelligence and other capabilities that would allow them to react quickly to fast-moving and widely dispersed forces.
"A lot of what they're doing is of cosmetic effect," Knights said. "It's hard to imagine the coalition becoming effective enough unless the United States becomes much more involved."
U.S. help is limited largely to surveillance and planning support. American drones provide the general location of the Houthis and other forces but not specific targeting information.
The Pentagon has offered to provide aerial refueling capabilities to the coalition, which would allow pilots to remain in the air longer to track targets. U.S. tanker aircraft would not enter Yemen airspace.
Analysts say Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations improved pilot training over the past decade to match the billions of dollars they have spent on sophisticated American warplanes. Analysts credit the countries for being able to mobilize a complex coalition quickly and begin airstrikes.
"Arab countries are stepping up to take care of their own issues," said Charles Wald, a retired Air Force general. "This is something we ought to be applauding."
Initially, several hundred airstrikes a day disrupted the Houthis' advance. More recently, the rebels appear to have regrouped and continued their advances.
Knights said the air campaign is reminiscent of the 1990s-era NATO airstrikes in the Balkans. He said the Saudi coalition lacks precision strikes based on immediate intelligence.
The fighting is growing increasingly complex. The airstrikes on Houthi forces help a powerful al-Qaeda terror affiliate, a rival in Yemen. Al-Qaeda is a Sunni organization, and the Houthis are Shiites.
Thursday, al-Qaeda militants overran Mukalla, a major port city in southern Yemen, the Associated Press reported.
The Houthis are allied with military forces who remained loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president ousted from power after protests in 2011. As a result, the airstrikes have targeted military installations and army units that would be needed to help stabilize the country should fighting cease.
"At the end of the day, were going to have a force that might not be able to reunite," said Katherine Zimmerman, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. "Most units have been rendered combat-ineffective."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/03/houthis-yemen-saudis-bombing/25258415/
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Houthis Say Control 90% of Territory in Port of Aden
"Right now we control up to 90 percent of the Aden territory. Fights are taking place near one of the city's churches," Mutag told RIA Novosti.
He also said that Russian nationals in Yemen had nothing to fear despite the hostilities across the country.
Yemen is currently in a confrontation as Houthi forces continue to overtake areas controlled by diminishing troops loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who fled the country amid escalating fighting.
Hadi left the country in late March as Houthis made advances in Aden after he had removed there following an escape from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
On March 25, Hadi asked Arab League countries for military aid. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of states quickly launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in the Yemeni capital.
Houthi forces have warned they could expand attacks to Saudi Arabia if the airstrikes continue.
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150402/1020379272.html#ixzz3WKTyZMKA
"Right now we control up to 90 percent of the Aden territory. Fights are taking place near one of the city's churches," Mutag told RIA Novosti.
He also said that Russian nationals in Yemen had nothing to fear despite the hostilities across the country.
Yemen is currently in a confrontation as Houthi forces continue to overtake areas controlled by diminishing troops loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who fled the country amid escalating fighting.
Hadi left the country in late March as Houthis made advances in Aden after he had removed there following an escape from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
On March 25, Hadi asked Arab League countries for military aid. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of states quickly launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in the Yemeni capital.
Houthi forces have warned they could expand attacks to Saudi Arabia if the airstrikes continue.
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150402/1020379272.html#ixzz3WKTyZMKA
ShahryarHedayatiSHBA
Active member
Iran, Turkey agree need to stop Yemen war: Rouhani
Tehran (AFP) - Turkey and Iran agree on the need for a political solution to end Yemen's war, which has raised tensions between them, Iran's president said Tuesday after talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart.
"We talked about Iraq, Syria, Palestine... We had a long discussion about Yemen. We both think war and bloodshed must stop in this area immediately and a complete ceasefire must be established and the strikes must stop" in Yemen, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said during a joint press conference broadcast by state television.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no remarks about Yemen, but he talked at length about bilateral relations with Iran.
Iran, which supports the Huthi rebels in Yemen, has condemned air strikes by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and supported by Turkey.
Rouhani said he hoped the two countries, "with the help of other countries in the region" would contribute to "peace, stability, a broader government and dialogue" between Yemenis.
"We agree on the fact that instability, insecurity and war must cease throughout the region," he said.
Erdogan, a conservative Islamist, denounced at the end of March what he called Iran's will for "domination" in Yemen, calling on Tehran to "withdraw all its forces from Yemen, Syria and Iraq."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif reacted by accusing Ankara of fuelling instability in the Middle East.
Iranian newspapers and conservatives for their part denounced Erdogan's "insult" and called for his visit to be cancelled.
State news agency IRNA said Zarif is to travel to Oman on Wednesday and then Pakistan for talks on the Yemen conflict.
Turkey and Iran are also opposed on Syria, with Tehran the main regional ally of President Bashar al-Assad and Ankara supporting the rebellion.
Several ministers accompanied Erdogan, who also met Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his one-day visit.
Despite the tensions, the neighbouring countries want to strengthen trade to 30 billion dollars (28 billion euros) in 2015.
Erdogan pointed out that the balance of trade was unfavourable to Turkey, since "Iran exports $10 billion and imports only $4 billion in Turkish products."
And he asked for a reduction in the price of gas purchased from Iran.
"The gas we buy from Iran is the most expensive. If the price drops we can buy more," Erdogan said. "That's what a friendly country is."
He also called for expanding air links to medium-sized cities in Iran, and for an increase in electricity imports, as is already the case for several Turkish provinces.
During the visit, eight documents, particularly in the areas of transport, customs, industry and health were signed.
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-turkey-agree-stop-yemen-war-rouhani-183628299.html
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:drunkb:
Tehran (AFP) - Turkey and Iran agree on the need for a political solution to end Yemen's war, which has raised tensions between them, Iran's president said Tuesday after talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart.
"We talked about Iraq, Syria, Palestine... We had a long discussion about Yemen. We both think war and bloodshed must stop in this area immediately and a complete ceasefire must be established and the strikes must stop" in Yemen, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said during a joint press conference broadcast by state television.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no remarks about Yemen, but he talked at length about bilateral relations with Iran.
Iran, which supports the Huthi rebels in Yemen, has condemned air strikes by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and supported by Turkey.
Rouhani said he hoped the two countries, "with the help of other countries in the region" would contribute to "peace, stability, a broader government and dialogue" between Yemenis.
"We agree on the fact that instability, insecurity and war must cease throughout the region," he said.
Erdogan, a conservative Islamist, denounced at the end of March what he called Iran's will for "domination" in Yemen, calling on Tehran to "withdraw all its forces from Yemen, Syria and Iraq."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif reacted by accusing Ankara of fuelling instability in the Middle East.
Iranian newspapers and conservatives for their part denounced Erdogan's "insult" and called for his visit to be cancelled.
State news agency IRNA said Zarif is to travel to Oman on Wednesday and then Pakistan for talks on the Yemen conflict.
Turkey and Iran are also opposed on Syria, with Tehran the main regional ally of President Bashar al-Assad and Ankara supporting the rebellion.
Several ministers accompanied Erdogan, who also met Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his one-day visit.
Despite the tensions, the neighbouring countries want to strengthen trade to 30 billion dollars (28 billion euros) in 2015.
Erdogan pointed out that the balance of trade was unfavourable to Turkey, since "Iran exports $10 billion and imports only $4 billion in Turkish products."
And he asked for a reduction in the price of gas purchased from Iran.
"The gas we buy from Iran is the most expensive. If the price drops we can buy more," Erdogan said. "That's what a friendly country is."
He also called for expanding air links to medium-sized cities in Iran, and for an increase in electricity imports, as is already the case for several Turkish provinces.
During the visit, eight documents, particularly in the areas of transport, customs, industry and health were signed.
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-turkey-agree-stop-yemen-war-rouhani-183628299.html
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:drunkb: