Yemen Map of War – Dec. 18, 2015

Amnesty International condemned the targeting of schools in the provinces of Sana’a, Hajjah, and Hudaydah by the Saudi coalition, saying the schools were struck more than once, suggesting deliberate targeting. No evidence was found that any of the schools was used for military purposes and the damage had disrupted the education of more than 6,500 children. They said that it is “appalling that the US and other allies” (of Riyadh) “have continued to authorize arms transfers” to Saudi Arabia for bombing Yemen.

HRW said Washington had to stop selling bombs to Saudi Arabia while Riyadh was engaged in war on neighboring Yemen as they are well aware of the “indiscriminate air attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians in Yemen since March” and “providing the Saudis with more bombs under these circumstances is a recipe for greater civilian deaths, for which the US will be partially responsible.”

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) said that the UK must stop trading arms and revoke all licenses for arms that are being used in Yemen to prevent further incidents occurred where civilians are killed. By continuing to arm and support the Saudi bombardment the UK is complicit in the destruction there.

The US Defense Department announced that it had approved the sale of smart bombs worth USD 1.29 billion to Saudi Arabia, and that it was committed to supporting the Royal Saudi Air Force in the bombardment of Yemen. The sale included 22,000 smart and general purpose bombs, including 1,000 GBU-10 Paveway II Laser Guided Bombs, and more than 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits to turn older bombs into precision-guided weapons using GPS signals. The bombs are in part intended to replenish Saudi inventories that have been depleted by its air operations against the Yemeni civilians.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs said that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly expressed its disapproval of military action since the outset of crisis in Yemen and will continue its efforts for encouraging genuine and effective Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue.

The UN envoy for Yemen hailed Iran’s role in helping the political settlement of the Yemeni crisis, calling on all sides involved in the conflict to contribute further to finding a solution to deadly conflict in the country.

The Beirut-based al-Akhbar newspaper said that UAE forces are being gradually replaced by recruits from the US-based private military contractor, which now goes by the name, Academi (previously Blackwater). This move has raised objections among some members of the Saudi-led coalition.

A well-known source in the Saudi royal family, disclosed that the government’s large-scale corruption at the highest military ranks has lowered the morale of the kingdom’s officers and soldiers in the war against the revolutionary forces. The invasion of Yemen cost the kingdom over $60 billion and the lives of over 2,000 Saudi soldiers killed in combat.

The Saudi-owned “Arabsat” broadcast network and satellite service provider banned Al-Mayadeen News and Al-Manar News for covering war developments in Yemen and made it clear that they will not tolerate any news coverage of the War if it contrasts their own political agenda.

A Houthi alliance spokesman said that they are advancing deep inside Saudi Arabia and capturing more military bases in the Southern parts of the kingdom and reiterated that their morale is high to fight the enemy and to capture new military bases of Saudi Arabia.

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Written by Akram Abu Abs exclusively for SouthFront

1. December 9, the commander-in-chief of Blackwater/Academi mercenaries in Yemen was killed in al-Omari, Ta’izz province. Some Australian, British and French advisers and commanders, plus half a dozen Colombians, were also killed and several wounded and the death toll has increased to 15.
2. December 10, the Saudi coalition suffered an embarrassing defeat in a powerful attack on Mount Hayd Al-Baqr, overlooking Dabeen and Juraybah, located between Ta’izz and Al-Lahj, resulting in losing control of this site and the Al-‘Arous Camp and the nearby village of Al-Shaqab, to the Houthi alliance. Hence, the Houthi alliance have cutoff the last supply line to Ta’izz.
3. December 11, 8th Saudi warship was reportedly destroyed in a rocket and missile attack.
4. December 11, the naval forces of the Saudi coalition captured the Red Sea island of Jazirat al-Hanish al-Kabir near the Bab al-Mandab Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. After it was captured earlier this year by the Houthi alliance, it was converted into an armed base and arms depot.
5. December 11, the Saudi coalition launched airstrikes on its mercenaries in Al Marwan area, killing and wounded many and destroying several military vehicles.
6. December 12, missile and artillery fire from the Houthi alliance destroyed Saudi military sites in Najran, Jizan and Asir provinces. A large number of Saudi troops were reportedly killed and many more wounded.
7. December 12, the Houthi alliance destroyed a battle tank and killed two soldiers on a Saudi military camp in Lahij. A Saudi airbase in the Asir region also came under a missile attack.
8. December 12, an F-16 fighter jet of the Saudi coalition forces crash-landed as it tried to land at the al-Anad airbase, and the aircraft was completely destroyed when a missile it was carrying, exploded.
9. December 12, Saudi coalition fighter jets mistakenly targeted a military camp in al-Marwan area, mistaking it for their enemy. Dozens were killed or injured and experts believe that their pilots lack military experience.
10. December 13, the Houthi alliance launched a Qaher-I surface-to-surface missile onto the Saudi King Khaled military base in Khamis Msheit and a Saudi military camp in Jizan.
11. December 13, the Houthi alliance killed over 80 Saudi-coalition troops, including 42 Academi (Blackwater) mercenaries, in a ballistic missile attack on a Saudi military headquarters in the western Bab-el-Mandeb area of Ta’izz. Another reports said the attack left nearly 150 casualties. Two Patriot missile systems, three Apache helicopters, more than 50 military vehicles, all belonging to the US Academi/Blackwater mercenaries were also destroyed.
12. December 14, the Houthi alliance reportedly targeted and destroyed two more Saudi warships in the Al-Mukha coastal waters in the province of Ta’izz near Bab al-Mandab Strait.
13. December 14, the Hothi alliance forces hit Jizan airport in Southern Saudi Arabia with their new Qaher-I surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.
14. December 15, at least ten civilians were killed and 20 others injured in the Saudi coalition airstrike in Harad, Hajjah province. They also pounded several areas in al-Sharija, Ta’izz province, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.
15. December 15, the Houthi alliance targeted a military camp in the al-Karsh district, Sa’ada, destroying two military vehicles. They also fired dozens of rockets at two Saudi military bases in the Zabnah district, Najran, with no casualties reported. At least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured in airstrikes in Bani al-Haddad village in Harad, Hajjah province.

The Houthi alliance said that they have witnessed escalation as the Saudi coalition are violating the UN-backed ceasefire, warning that the Yemenis will not simply stand and watch. Dangerous escalation is taking place through land, sea and air and there are attempts by the Saudi-coalition mercenaries to attack several areas in Ma’rib, while there are also attempts to get into Harad city. Saudi coalition warships are striking al-Hadidah city and mercenaries, backed by warplanes, are also trying advance towards al-Juhmaliyyah. In turn, Saudi Arabia acused the Houthi alliens in violation the UN ceasefire. Indeed, it’s more likely that the both sides just violated it.