From Battle of Marib to Arab Springs: Why Yemen is at war?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the airstrikes allegedly conducted by the Saudi-led coalition forces on Yemen in which at least 70 people were killed.

The airstrikes were conducted on a prison in Houthi&nbsp;territory in Saada including a telecommunications facility in which at least three children were reportedly killed. Reports said over 100 people were injured in the strikes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-and-uk-condemn-yemeni-drone-attack-on-abu-dhabi-that-killed-3-including-indians-445573">Also Read:&nbsp;US and UK condemn Yemeni drone attack on Abu Dhabi that killed 3, including Indians</a>

The Saudi-led coalition denied it carried out the airstrike in the prison area in northern Yemen calling it "baseless and unfounded".&nbsp;

The attack also hit the internet services. Guterres said the "escalation needs to stop" even as he condemned the attack by &nbsp;Houthi&nbsp;rebels on Abu Dhabi.

Rescue work&nbsp;is underway in the prison area as reports said bodies were being pulled out of the rubble. The Saudi-led coalition has intensified attacks on the&nbsp;Houthi&nbsp;military targets in the past year amid drone attacks on Saudi cities including its oil facilities.

The Iran-backed rebels had conducted an attack on the United Arab Emirates on Monday. The conflict in Yemen arose after the Houthis overthrew the government in Sanaa in 2015 as the Saudi backed coalition intervened.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/usd-39-billion-needed-for-war-torn-yemen-says-un-444263">Also Read:&nbsp;$3.9 billion needed for war-torn Yemen, says UN</a>

The UAE ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said the coalition is committed to "proportionate response in all its military operations" in its fight against the Houthi&nbsp;rebels.

Meanwhile, the US urged all sides to de-escalate and abide by "obligations under international humanitarian law" and to participate in the UN peace process.

(With inputs from Agencies)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the airstrikes allegedly conducted by the Saudi-led coalition forces on Yemen in which at least 70 people were killed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the airstrikes allegedly conducted by the Saudi-led coalition forces on Yemen in which at least 70 people were killed. The airstrikes were conducted on a prison in Houthi territory in Saada including a telecommunications facility in which at least three children were reportedly killed. Reports said over 100 people were injured in the strikes. Also Read: US and UK condemn Yemeni drone attack on Abu Dhabi that killed 3, including Indians The Saudi-led coalition denied it carried out the airstrike in the prison area in northern Yemen calling it "baseless and unfounded". The attack also hit the internet services. Guterres said the "escalation needs to stop" even as he condemned the attack by Houthi rebels on Abu Dhabi. Rescue work is underway in the prison area as reports said bodies were being pulled out of the rubble. The Saudi-led coalition has intensified attacks on the Houthi military targets in the past year amid drone attacks on Saudi cities including its oil facilities. The Iran-backed rebels had conducted an attack on the United Arab Emirates on Monday. The conflict in Yemen arose after the Houthis overthrew the government in Sanaa in 2015 as the Saudi backed coalition intervened. Also Read: $3.9 billion needed for war-torn Yemen, says UN The UAE ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said the coalition is committed to "proportionate response in all its military operations" in its fight against the Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, the US urged all sides to de-escalate and abide by "obligations under international humanitarian law" and to participate in the UN peace process. (With inputs from Agencies)

Saudi-led coalition denies it carried out airstrikes in Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition is launching airstrikes on legitimate military targets in Yemen's capital. Sana'a has warned civilians not to gather around or approach the targeted areas.

Yemen: Saudi-led coalition launches airstrikes, Yemen locked in downward spiral

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement accused the Saudi-led coalition of carrying out retaliatory airstrikes on Saturday that killed at least 30 people including civilians, in the latest flare-up of a five-year war.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement accused the Saudi-led coalition of carrying out retaliatory airstrikes on Saturday that killed at least 30 people including civilians, in the latest flare-up of a five-year war. The United Nations office in Yemen said preliminary field reports indicated that "as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al-Hajah area" in Al-Jawf province. The health ministry in Houthi-controlled Al-Jawf province said women and children were among those killed, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported. It followed a Houthi claim to have downed a coalition Tornado warplane in the area on Friday. [ Civilians gathering around the wreckage for inspection in Yemen (Courtesy: Reuters) ] Also Read: Drone shot down in Yemen, Houthi group responsible: US officials But the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said only that a Tornado jet had crashed in Al-Jawf, Saudi state news agency (SPA) reported on Saturday. Maliki later said that rescue operations had been launched and that the possibility of "collateral damages" has been reported, without providing more details. Maliki said the crew of two officers ejected from the plane before it crashed but the Houthis opened fire at them. | [ Civilians gather at crash site to inspect the wreckage (Courtesy: Reuters) ] The office of the UN resident coordinator in Yemen said in a statement that humanitarian partners have deployed rapid response teams for the victims, many of whom were being transferred to hospitals in Al-Jawf governorate and Sanaa for treatment. The Saudi-led Sunni Muslim coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and its regional foe, Shi’ite Muslim Iran. There was no independent verification of the airstrikes or Tornado downing.

'31 civilians' killed in Yemen's air strikes after Saudi jet crash

The Saudi-led coalition carried out a deadly &quot;double-tap&quot; air strike on a funeral ceremony in Yemen this month in violation of its obligations under international humanitarian law, a UN panel of experts concluded.

The experts told the UN Security Council in a report obtained by AFP on Thursday that it continues to investigate whether the second air strike directly harmed medical personnel in what could amount to war crimes.

More than 140 people were killed and 525 injured in the air strike on October 8 on a community hall packed with 750 mourners attending the funeral of the rebel Huthi interior minister&#39;s father.

&quot;The panel has not seen any demonstrable evidence to suggest that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition took effective and adequate precautionary measures to minimize civilian casualties in respect of the two air strikes so far confirmed,&quot; said the report sent to the council on Monday.

&quot;In contrast, there is evidence to suggest that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition violated its obligations relating to the protection of the wounded and persons hors de combat in its second air strike.&quot;

Those killed in the bombing included the head of the Huthi Republican Guard, the mayor of Sanaa, a prominent member of the Huthi military council, two commanders and a former governor.

Yemen&#39;s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son attended the funeral, but left before the attack, the report said.

The experts found that the timing between the two strikes indicated the &quot;deliberate use of the &#39;double tap&#39; tactic, the consequences of which are that individuals responding to the first explosion are caught by the second.&quot;

The attack resulted in &quot;disproportionately higher numbers of civilian casualties, when compared to military casualties, and that this could have been anticipated prior to the attack,&quot; the report added.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced a ceasefire after the attack on the funeral ceremony triggered global outrage and prompted the United States to review its support of the air war in Yemen.

The coalition intervened in March 2015 to support the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Huthi rebels overran much of the impoverished country.

Nearly 6,900 people have been killed -- more than half of them civilians -- in the conflict, while another three million are displaced and some 70 percent of the population needs food aid.

The panel said it was waiting for a response from the coalition&#39;s head of investigation concerning its findings.

(AFP)

A UN panel of experts concluded that the timing between the two strikes indicates the deliberate use of the 'double tap tactic'

The Saudi-led coalition carried out a deadly "double-tap" air strike on a funeral ceremony in Yemen this month in violation of its obligations under international humanitarian law, a UN panel of experts concluded. The experts told the UN Security Council in a report obtained by AFP on Thursday that it continues to investigate whether the second air strike directly harmed medical personnel in what could amount to war crimes. More than 140 people were killed and 525 injured in the air strike on October 8 on a community hall packed with 750 mourners attending the funeral of the rebel Huthi interior minister's father. "The panel has not seen any demonstrable evidence to suggest that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition took effective and adequate precautionary measures to minimize civilian casualties in respect of the two air strikes so far confirmed," said the report sent to the council on Monday. "In contrast, there is evidence to suggest that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition violated its obligations relating to the protection of the wounded and persons hors de combat in its second air strike." Those killed in the bombing included the head of the Huthi Republican Guard, the mayor of Sanaa, a prominent member of the Huthi military council, two commanders and a former governor. Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son attended the funeral, but left before the attack, the report said. The experts found that the timing between the two strikes indicated the "deliberate use of the 'double tap' tactic, the consequences of which are that individuals responding to the first explosion are caught by the second." The attack resulted in "disproportionately higher numbers of civilian casualties, when compared to military casualties, and that this could have been anticipated prior to the attack," the report added. The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced a ceasefire after the attack on the funeral ceremony triggered global outrage and prompted the United States to review its support of the air war in Yemen. The coalition intervened in March 2015 to support the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Huthi rebels overran much of the impoverished country. Nearly 6,900 people have been killed -- more than half of them civilians -- in the conflict, while another three million are displaced and some 70 percent of the population needs food aid. The panel said it was waiting for a response from the coalition's head of investigation concerning its findings. (AFP)

Saudi-led coalition deliberately planned strike on Yemen funeral: UN

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of Yemen&#39;s government has killed a senior military officer of Yemen&#39;s Houthi movement on the border with Saudi Arabia, &nbsp;a source in the Saudi-led coalition was quoted as saying in the media reports on Saturday. &nbsp; 
 
Head of Houthi special forces, Major-General Hassan Almalsi, was killed on Thursday while attempting to infiltrate a squad of Houthi fighters into the kingdom&#39;s southern province of Najran, the source said, according to a Reuters report.&nbsp; 
 
It&#39;s pertinent to mention that the coalition has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015 to restore internationally-backed government to power, international news agency AFP reports. The air strikes being carried out by the coalition aim to gain ground support for forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who fled to Riyadh last year.&nbsp; 
 
While Riyadh views Iran as a threat to Middle East&#39;s stability and blames it for supporting &quot;Shi&#39;ite militias that have inflamed sectarian violence&quot;, according to Reuters, Tehran views the Houthis as the legitimate authority in Yemen.&nbsp; 
 
Allied with soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis seized Yemen`s capital Sanaa in late 2014 before moving into other parts of the country.&nbsp; 
 
Iran, however, denies accusations that it supplies the rebel group, who say they are fighting against the corrupt government, with arms.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, Riyadh has been facing mounting pressure from the&nbsp;international community over casualties in the Yemen conflict.&nbsp; 
 
Last month, Houthi movement and allied Yemeni forces resumed shelling into neighbouring Saudi Arabi after UN-sponsored talks to end the fighting that has killed more than 10,000 people collapsed in failure &nbsp;according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)&nbsp;

Head of Houthi rebel 'special forces', Hassan Almalsi, was killed 'during an infiltration attempt along with his squad at Najran'

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of Yemen's government has killed a senior military officer of Yemen's Houthi movement on the border with Saudi Arabia, a source in the Saudi-led coalition was quoted as saying in the media reports on Saturday. Head of Houthi special forces, Major-General Hassan Almalsi, was killed on Thursday while attempting to infiltrate a squad of Houthi fighters into the kingdom's southern province of Najran, the source said, according to a Reuters report. It's pertinent to mention that the coalition has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015 to restore internationally-backed government to power, international news agency AFP reports. The air strikes being carried out by the coalition aim to gain ground support for forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who fled to Riyadh last year. While Riyadh views Iran as a threat to Middle East's stability and blames it for supporting "Shi'ite militias that have inflamed sectarian violence", according to Reuters, Tehran views the Houthis as the legitimate authority in Yemen. Allied with soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis seized Yemen`s capital Sanaa in late 2014 before moving into other parts of the country. Iran, however, denies accusations that it supplies the rebel group, who say they are fighting against the corrupt government, with arms. Meanwhile, Riyadh has been facing mounting pressure from the international community over casualties in the Yemen conflict. Last month, Houthi movement and allied Yemeni forces resumed shelling into neighbouring Saudi Arabi after UN-sponsored talks to end the fighting that has killed more than 10,000 people collapsed in failure according to Reuters. (WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)

Saudi-led coalition strike kills senior Houthi rebel leader in Yemen, say sources

The US military has withdrawn from Saudi Arabia its personnel who were coordinating with the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen, and sharply reduced the number of staff elsewhere who were assisting in that planning, US officials told Reuters. 
 
Fewer than five US service people have now been assigned full-time to the Joint Combined Planning Cell (JCPC) which was established last year to coordinate US support including air-to-air refuelling of coalition jets and limited intelligence-sharing, Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey, a US Navy spokesman in Bahrain, told Reuters. 
 
That is down from a peak of about 45 staff members who were dedicated to the effort full-time in Riyadh and elsewhere, he said. 
 
The June staff withdrawal, which US officials say followed a lull in air strikes in Yemen earlier this year, reduces Washington&#39;s day-to-day involvement in advising a campaign that has come under increasing scrutiny for causing civilian casualties. A Pentagon statement issued after Reuters disclosed the withdrawal acknowledged that the JCPC, as originally conceived, had been &quot;largely shelved&quot; and that ongoing support was limited, despite renewed fighting this summer. 
 
&quot;The cooperation that we&#39;ve extended to Saudi Arabia since the conflict escalated again is modest and it is not a blank cheque,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said in a statement. 
 
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<h5>&quot;The cooperation that we&#39;ve extended to Saudi Arabia since the conflict escalated again is modest and it is not a blank cheque,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said in a statement.</h5>
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US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reduced staffing was not due to the growing international outcry over civilian casualties in the 16-month civil war that has killed more than 6,500 people in Yemen, about half of them civilians. 
 
But the Pentagon, in some of its strongest language yet, also acknowledged concerns about the conflict, which has brought Yemen close to famine and cost more than $14 billion in damage to infrastructure and economic losses.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Even as we assist the Saudis regarding their territorial integrity, it does not mean that we will refrain from expressing our concern about the war in Yemen and how it has been waged,&quot; Stump said, adding, &quot;In our discussions with the Saudi-led coalition, we have pressed the need to minimise civilian casualties&quot;. 
 
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, refused to confirm details about the positioning of US military personnel, but played down such moves. 
 
&quot;The relationship between the kingdom and the US is a strategic one. If true, this move reflects something at a tactical level,&quot; he told Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The US may move its assets, but that doesn`t have any impact on the bilateral relationship between the countries.&quot; 
 
Hospital Strike 
 
Since the campaign began, the US military has conducted an average of two refuelling sorties every day and provided limited intelligence support to the coalition. That assistance continues, officials clarified. 
 
Still, the Pentagon has long distanced itself from the Saudi-led coalition&#39;s decisions on targeting.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;At no point did US military personnel provide direct or implicit approval of target selection or prosecution,&quot; Stump said.&nbsp; 
 
The JCPC had also largely wrapped up an earlier effort to advise the Saudi-led coalition on steps to prevent civilian casualties, the Pentagon said.&nbsp;

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<h5>An annual UN report on children and armed conflict said the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 per cent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year. Saudi Arabia has said the report is based on inaccurate information.</h5>
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An annual UN report on children and armed conflict said the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 per cent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year. Saudi Arabia has said the report is based on inaccurate information. 
 
On Tuesday, a coalition air strike hit a hospital operated by medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres in Yemen, killing 19 people and prompting the group to evacuate staff from six hospitals. MSF cited a &quot;loss of confidence in the Saudi-led coalition to prevent fatal attacks.&quot; 
 
US Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California and a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, said he believed such strikes could help galvanise votes for limiting arms transfers to Saudi Arabia.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;When its repeated air strikes that have now killed children, doctors, newlyweds, patients, at some point you just have to say: Either Saudi Arabia is not listening to the United States or they just don&#39;t care,&quot; Lieu said.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The move reduces its day-to-day involvement in advising a campaign that has come under increasing scrutiny for causing civilian casualties

The US military has withdrawn from Saudi Arabia its personnel who were coordinating with the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen, and sharply reduced the number of staff elsewhere who were assisting in that planning, US officials told Reuters. Fewer than five US service people have now been assigned full-time to the Joint Combined Planning Cell (JCPC) which was established last year to coordinate US support including air-to-air refuelling of coalition jets and limited intelligence-sharing, Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey, a US Navy spokesman in Bahrain, told Reuters. That is down from a peak of about 45 staff members who were dedicated to the effort full-time in Riyadh and elsewhere, he said. The June staff withdrawal, which US officials say followed a lull in air strikes in Yemen earlier this year, reduces Washington's day-to-day involvement in advising a campaign that has come under increasing scrutiny for causing civilian casualties. A Pentagon statement issued after Reuters disclosed the withdrawal acknowledged that the JCPC, as originally conceived, had been "largely shelved" and that ongoing support was limited, despite renewed fighting this summer. "The cooperation that we've extended to Saudi Arabia since the conflict escalated again is modest and it is not a blank cheque," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said in a statement. "The cooperation that we've extended to Saudi Arabia since the conflict escalated again is modest and it is not a blank cheque," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said in a statement. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reduced staffing was not due to the growing international outcry over civilian casualties in the 16-month civil war that has killed more than 6,500 people in Yemen, about half of them civilians. But the Pentagon, in some of its strongest language yet, also acknowledged concerns about the conflict, which has brought Yemen close to famine and cost more than $14 billion in damage to infrastructure and economic losses. "Even as we assist the Saudis regarding their territorial integrity, it does not mean that we will refrain from expressing our concern about the war in Yemen and how it has been waged," Stump said, adding, "In our discussions with the Saudi-led coalition, we have pressed the need to minimise civilian casualties". A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, refused to confirm details about the positioning of US military personnel, but played down such moves. "The relationship between the kingdom and the US is a strategic one. If true, this move reflects something at a tactical level," he told Reuters. "The US may move its assets, but that doesn`t have any impact on the bilateral relationship between the countries." Hospital Strike Since the campaign began, the US military has conducted an average of two refuelling sorties every day and provided limited intelligence support to the coalition. That assistance continues, officials clarified. Still, the Pentagon has long distanced itself from the Saudi-led coalition's decisions on targeting. "At no point did US military personnel provide direct or implicit approval of target selection or prosecution," Stump said. The JCPC had also largely wrapped up an earlier effort to advise the Saudi-led coalition on steps to prevent civilian casualties, the Pentagon said. An annual UN report on children and armed conflict said the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 per cent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year. Saudi Arabia has said the report is based on inaccurate information. An annual UN report on children and armed conflict said the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 per cent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year. Saudi Arabia has said the report is based on inaccurate information. On Tuesday, a coalition air strike hit a hospital operated by medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres in Yemen, killing 19 people and prompting the group to evacuate staff from six hospitals. MSF cited a "loss of confidence in the Saudi-led coalition to prevent fatal attacks." US Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California and a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, said he believed such strikes could help galvanise votes for limiting arms transfers to Saudi Arabia. "When its repeated air strikes that have now killed children, doctors, newlyweds, patients, at some point you just have to say: Either Saudi Arabia is not listening to the United States or they just don't care," Lieu said. (Reuters)

US on staff withdrawal from Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen: Cooperation Not a Blank Cheque