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Humanitarian Catastrophe Looming on Yemen, Fighting Between Saleh and Houthi Forces, Scores Killed in Saudi-Led Air Strikes

December 4, 2017 

Pro-Saudi militiamen fighting against Houthis in Al-Jawf, Yemen, December 1, 2017	Houthi fighters in Sanaa, Yemen, duing clashes with Saleh forces, December 2, 2017

 

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

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UN: Humanitarian supplies insufficient to prevent humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen

ALMASDARONLINE, 2017-12-01T23:22:36

UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that despite the resumption of relief flights to Yemen, humanitarian supplies still insufficient to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the country. 
 
Oil derivatives prices have seen a significantly increase in the country, where fuel is essential to operate generators for hospitals and water pumps, Dujarric said at a press conference. 
 
Three vessels carrying humanitarian aids are awaiting permission from the Saudi-led Coalition to enter Hodaidah port western Yemen, which is controlled by the Houthis militias, he noted.

15 Houthis, 3 government soldiers killed in battles in al Jouf

ALMASDARONLINE, 2017-12-01T21:23:01

About 15 gunmen of the Houthis-Saleh forces and three government soldiers were killed on Thursday in fierce fighting between them in al Musloub district western al Jouf province, northeastern Yemen, a field source said.
 
The source stated to Almasderonline that the fighting lasted for more than 8 hours, and it broke out after the Houthis large-scale attack on the government forces sites in Musloub district where it has been repulsed successfully.

Coalition aircrafts kill 24 Houthis, wound dozens in Taiz and Marib provinces

ALMASDARONLINE, 2017-11-27T21:06:26

24 Houthis-Saleh forces were killed and dozens wounded on Monday in battles against government forces and raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Taiz and Marib provinces.
 
A military source told Almasdaronline that the coalition aircrafts launched seven air raids on Houthi sites in Hamli area northern Mozza district and other sites eastern of the Directorate, western Taiz province southwestern Yemen.
 
The raids led to the killing of 5 Houthis and wounding 9 others.
 
On the same time, four Houthis were killed and 15 others were wounded, and a number of vehicles were destroyed by air raids launched by Apache fighters on their sites and reinforcements in Yakhtel and Zahari districts.
 
Meanwhile, the battles between the government forces and the Houthis continued in Wahboub district, without any advance on the ground.
 
In the context, the government forces took control of new sites western Helan mountain western Marib city, a field source said.
 
"The National Army launched an attack on the militia sites western Helan mountain and managed to liberate the sites of the three black pods and al Hamrah hill," a spokesman for the resistance in Marib told the Saba news agency.
 
About 15 Houthi were killed and dozens injured. The source added.
 
Almasdaronline was unable to obtain a comment from the Houthis about the sources information's. 

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

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Yemeni missile force struck the nuclear reactor in Abu Dhabi with a new missile

Dec 3, 2017, YemenExtra

The Yemeni missile force declared on Sunday that it struck UAE territory with a new missile.

The Yemeni missile force , in addition, declared that it waged a winged missile type “crois” on the nuclear reactor in Abu Dhabi.

The source confirmed that the missile struck its target accurately ,causing heavy material damage.

Al-Brakha nuclear reactor is being built by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Foundation, west of Abu Dhabi, about 53 km from Ruwais, it is a compressed water reactor and it should have been operated in 2017.

Ansarullah: UAE Behind Current Rift Aiming to Weaken Yemen Internally

Dec 2, 2017, YemenExtra, M.A.

Hamza Al-Houthi, a member of the political council of AnsarAllah, said that the UAE is behind the militias affiliated with Tariq Afash, Saleh’s nephew, who is carrying out the hostile attempts to flood the capital Sana’a with security chaos. 

In an interview with Yemeni Al-Masirah satellite channel, he revealed that the UAE provided the “Tariq” militias with more than one shipment of weapons, which was smuggled and transported from within the southern governorates through Dhala and Ibb to the capital Sana’a.

Hamza al-Houthi pointed out that the UAE financed and opened several training camps for 830 members of the Tariq militias in areas controlled by Saudi-paid militias in Shabwa governorate and another camp in the Oud region of Ibb governorate.

Threat of famine looms in war-torn Yemen: UN

Dec 3, 2017, YemenExtra, SH.A.

Top officials from across the United Nations system called on Saturday for the coalition to fully lift its blockade of Yemen’s Red Sea ports, warning that unless commercial imports are resumed, the threat of widespread famine in a matter of months is very real.

The officials also announced that the United Nations is sending a team to Riyadh to discuss any concerns the coalition and Saudi Arabia may have in relation to these ports. But we need the coalition to urgently grant unimpeded access for imports that are a lifeline for millions of people.

More than 200 members of Tareq Afash militias surrendered itself to the security forces

Dec 3, 2017, YemenExtra, SH.A.

A security source confirmed today that about 200 members of Tareq Afash militias , which was stationed south of the capital surrendered itself to the security forces,a security source told YemenExtra on Sunday. 

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Yemen rebel alliance falls apart amid fighting in capital - as ex-president Saleh offers talks to Saudi coalition

Ali Abdullah Saleh vows to turn 'new page' with Riyadh as forces loyal to him clash with Houthi fighters
Ahmed al-Haj Sanaa

The Independent, December 3, 2017

Houthi fighters man an anti-aircraft gun in the Yemeni capital Sanaa amid clashes with supporters of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh Getty
Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he is ready for a “new page” in ties with the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen if it stopped attacks on his country, in a move that could offer a pathway to end nearly three years of war.

The apparent shift in position came as forces loyal to Mr Saleh battled Houthi fighters for a fourth day in the capital Sanaa – with both sides claiming control of areas of the city. Violent clashes between rival factions in Yemen’s rebel-held capital signal the disintegration of the rebel alliance at war with a Saudi-led coalition for nearly three years. 

The coalition has been fighting to defeat the Iran-backed Houthis along with Mr Saleh’s forces in Yemen since March 2015. The coalition had also imposed a blockade on the country, allowing occasional humanitarian access, with the aim of reinstating the internationally recognised government of Mr Saleh’s successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. 

“I call upon the brothers in neighbouring states and the alliance to stop their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food aid and the saving of the wounded and we will turn a new page by virtue of our neighbourliness,” Mr Saleh announced in a televised interview with the TV station Yemen al-Youm.
“We will deal with them in a positive way and what happened to Yemen is enough,” he added.

The clashes between Mr Saleh’s supporters and the Houthis underscore the complex situation in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, where a proxy war between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed Mr Hadi has caused one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in recent times.
Local residents who said that loud explosions were heard overnight across the city and into Saturday morning. Mediation efforts by tribal elders and officials over the past few days have come to nothing. 

A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack

US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack

“It’s been like a street war,” they said, adding that ambulances have been ferrying the wounded to hospitals. They spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. There has been no official word on casualties but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that dozens were killed and hundreds were wounded in the fighting. 

The UN urged the coalition in a statement Saturday to “fully lift” the blockade on Yemen’s red sea ports saying that partial lifting only “slows the collapse toward a massive humanitarian tragedy costing millions of lives”. 

Mr Saleh, who led Yemen for more than 30 years, was deposed in a 2011 uprising. The country has since fallen into chaos and Mr Saleh later joined the Houthis to drive Mr Hadi out of the capital in 2014. 

In his address, he also blamed Houthis for laying siege to the homes of several officials in the General People’s Congress, which he leads, and “storming” a mosque named after him. Broadcasting of Yemen al-Youm was stopped shortly after. 
Officials working at the TV station say Houthis raided its headquarters. They spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. 

Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year.

The Saudi-led coalition welcomed Mr Saleh’s change of stance.
In a statement carried by the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath channel, the coalition said it was “confident of the will of the leaders and sons” of Saleh’s GPC party to return to Arab fold.

Mr Hadi, in a statement after a meeting with his advisors, also said he was ready to work with Mr Saleh against the Houthis.
“The meeting calls for turning a new page with all the political sides ... And to form a broad national coalition that will lay the foundations for a new era and unify everyone against the coup militia,” the statement said.

The coalition accuses Iran of trying to expand its influence into Arab countries, including Yemen by aligning themselves with the Houthis and Mr Saleh.

The Houthis accused Mr Saleh of betrayal, and vowed to keep up the fight against the Saudi-led coalition.

“It is not strange or surprising that Saleh turns his back on a partnership he never believed in,” the group’s political bureau said in a statement. “The priority has been and still is to confront the forces of aggression.”

The Houthi group leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, had earlier appealed to Mr Saleh to avoid any escalation, saying that the crisis would only serve Yemen’s enemies.

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and the ICRC urged the parties to avoid targeting civilians.

Mr Saleh’s GPC party accused the Houthis of failing to honour a truce and said in a statement on its website that the Houthis bear responsibility for dragging the country into a civil war. It also called on supporters, including tribal fighters, to “defend themselves, their country, their revolution and their republic.”
The GPC appealed to the army and security forces to remain neutral in the conflict.

Yemen’s war has killed more than 10,000 people since 2015, displaced more than two million people, caused a cholera outbreak infecting nearly one million people and led the country on the brink of famine. 

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