Yemen Exiled President Returns to Aden

Yemen’s exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi today returned to Aden. Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassin said President Hadi’s return is permanent. Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia in late March when the Houthis advanced on Aden. Since then, the UAE/Saudi-led pro-government forces have retaken major cities of Aden and Mareb and are closing in on Taez, where coalition warplanes hit Houthi positions in the city several times on Tuesday.

Photo credit: Yemen exiled President hadi arriving at Aden International Airport; Tuesday 17 November 2015 (Twitter/@yemen_updates)

Houthis Accept UNSC Resolution 2216

Calling for Withdrawal of Houthi Forces from Areas Seized

The Houthis have accepted the UN Security Council Resolution 2216, passed on 14 April, which calls on the Houthis to unconditionally withdraw their forces from areas they have seized, including capital Sanaa. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that the Houthis accepted the UNSC resolution in letter to the United Nations.

Houthis’ decision to accept the UNSC resolution was confirmed by former president Saleh’s General People’s Congress. Saleh has been a Houthi ally during the civil war in Yemen, which began when the Houthis took control of Sanaa in September 2014.  

The Houthi/Saleh representatives pledged to commit to the seven-point peace plan brokered by the UN in Oman, including ceasefire and the return of President Hadi’s government to Sanaa.

File photo: Al Jazeera

Yemen: PM Bahah Visits Bab al-Mandab Strait

Yemen’s Prime Minister Khaled Bahah visited the coast at Bab al-Mandab Strait, the strategic entrance to the Red Sea and the gateway to the Suez Canal, after the Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces pushed the Houthi/Saleh fighters out of the immediate area. (AP, 3 October)

The coalition officials say their fighters with air and naval support advanced against the insurgent forces on Saturday to retake control of access to Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi and Egyptian warships have been deployed off the coast of Yemen to secure the strategically vital strait.

Map credit: eoearth.org

Arab Coalition Seize Iranian Boat Carrying Weapons

14 Sailors Arrested

The Saudi/UAE-led coalition announced today the capture of an Iranian dhow carrying weapons last Saturday near Oman’s southeastern coast of Salalah, seizing a number of rockets and missiles, anti-tank missiles, armor-piercing shells, and weapon guidance systems. 14 sailors aboard the ship were also arrested. The boat was registered under an Iranian citizen’s name for fishing purposes. (Al Arabiya, 30 September)

“The type of weapons that were recovered on Saturday confirms Iran’s desire and intention to interfere in the war in Yemen,” said Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, the coalition’s spokesman. (Al Hadath, 30 September)

There were no immediate comments from the Iranians. Iran has in the past tried to ship weapons directly to the Houthis in Yemen, but was prevented by coalition forces from entering Yemeni ports. If the details of today’s report are accurate, it shows Iran is shipping arms to Oman for possible land transfer to Yemen.

Photo credit: An Iranian shipping dhow seized near Omani coast of Salalah (Al Arabiyah) 
  

Yemen: Mareb Update

Saudi/UAE-led Popular Resistance forces claimed to have made strategic gains in eastern Mareb on Friday after fierce battles in Nakhla area in the oil-rich province with Houthi and pro-Saleh forces, Asharq Al-Awasat reported today.

“Fighting continued for more than three hours and different types of heavy weapons were employed in addition to aerial bombardment,” a source told the Pan-Arab newspaper.

AFP today also quoted a coalition official as saying that the offensive in Mareb province is making “slow but steady” progress.

Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition intensified air raids on Sanaa on Friday, hitting a Republican Guard base and a military depot in south and west of capital.   

Photo credit: A UAE/Saudi-led coalition military vehicle drives through rocky terrain during an offensive against Houthi positions in Mareb province; 15 September 2015 (EPA/Asraq Al-Awsat)

Yemeni Government Returns to Aden after Months in Exile

Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah returned to Aden on Wednesday to restore his government on home soil after six months of exile in Saudi Arabia. He was accompanied by seven ministers when he arrived in Aden. Several other ministers had already relocated to Aden. President Hadi for now remains in exile in Riyadh.

Saudi/Emirati-led pro-government forces recaptured Aden in July and since have pushed northwards, driving back the Houthi/Saleh forces. The coalition is now waging an offensive in Mareb province, a gateway to the capital Sanaa. With the return of the exiled government, Yemen for now has two competing power centers in Aden and Sanaa.

File photo: Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah (Getty Images)

UAE-led Anti-Houthi Forces Take Control of Mareb City

In a major victory for anti-Houthi forces, the UAE-led fighters today took control of Mareb City in the center of Yemen, breaking the Houthi siege of the strategic town and pushing the Houthi/Saleh forces into the surrounding mountains, AP reported. Mareb City is 200 km (125 miles) from Sanaa, the country’s capital that was captured by the Houthis last September. Now the advance of the offensive forces toward Sanaa, if they choose to launch it, could be slowed down due to the mountainous terrain between them and the capital.

Map: Yementourism.com

Yemen’s Exiled Government: No Talks Until Houthis Withdraw

Arab-led Coalition Launch Major Offensive in Mareb

President Hadi’s exiled government said today it will not participate in UN-brokered peace talks later this week unless the Houthis, Ansar Allah, accept the UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls on the Houthis to withdraw from territories they’ve captured since last September, including the capital Sanaa.

The Houthis and their allies, former president Saleh, who ruled over Yemen for 33 years before being forced from power in 2012, and army units still loyal to him, have so far not accepted the UN resolution and continue their hold on some of the territories they had captured, including Sanaa. Since then, a Saudi/UAE-led anti-Houthi coalition has pushed them out of southern provinces, including the post city of Aden. Hadi’s government, however, had said on Friday it would attend the UN meeting in Muscat, Oman, but are now the start of the talks is contingent on Houthi acceptance of UNSC resolution.   

Meanwhile, the news agencies are reporting that Saudi/UAE-led collation forces launched a major offensive with 12,000 fighters against the Houthi/Saleh forces in Mareb province to break the Houthi siege of Mareb city and push them out of the province. Mareb lies 200 km (125 miles) east of Sanaa, on a major highway linking the city to the capital. The control of Mareb by coalition forces will be one of the biggest defeats for the Houthis in the yearlong civil war.

Photo credit: Taez during clashes between Yemeni exiled government and Houthi forces; 9 September 2015 (@Ahmad al-Bash/AFP/France24)

Egypt Deploys Ground Forces to Yemen

As many as 800 Egyptian soldiers arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday, Reuters reported today. This is the first reported deployment of ground forces by Egypt in the Yemeni conflict. Four Egyptian Army companies, each with 150-200 troops, along with tanks and armored vehicles were deployed, Egyptian security sources told the news agency.

On Monday, Qatar also announced the deployment of 1,000 troops along with 200 armored vehicles and 30 Apache combat helicopters to Yemen. The Qataris and Egyptians will join forces in a coalition with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain to fight the Houthi-Saleh alliance to retake the territories captured by the insurgents.

Yemeni officials had put the number of troops from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain to more than 2,000 (Reuters, 9 September). With the deployment of the Egyptian troops that number has now increased to around 3,000. A few thousands of Yemeni militia fighters trained by the Saudis had also been deployed to Yemen. These forces join local militia and tribal fighters in a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the war against Houthi/Saleh alliance, which is backed by Iran.

UPDATE: An unnamed Egyptian official told a local TV channel that Reuters report on Egypt deploying up to 800 troops to Yemen is incorrect. 

File photo: Egyptian troops; Cairo, November 2014 (Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

Qatar Deploys 1,000 Troops to Support Saudi/UAE-led Offensive in Yemen

Qatar has deployed 1,000 ground forces backed by 200 armored vehicles and 30 Apache combat helicopters in Yemen to support Saudi/UAE-led offensive against the Houthi and Saleh forces, Al Jazeera reported today.

The Qatari forces are now heading to Yemen’s Mareb province to join the Saudi/UAE-led coalition to break the siege of Mareb city by Houthi and Saleh forces. This is the first time that Qatar is deploying troops in Yemen to support the anti-Houthi offensive.

Al Jazeera reports that more Qatari troops will be deployed in Yemen. The new force is expected to secure the Jawf governorate.

Meanwhile, UAE conducted bombardment of Houthi/Saleh military bases in Nahdain and Fajj Attan hills in Sanaa in the heaviest of the six-month-old air campaign on Sunday. Also targeted were Houthi positions in northern areas of Sufan and al-Nahda. UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain lost 61 soldiers on Friday when their camp’s weapons depot was exploded after being hit by a missile fired by the Houthis.

File Photo: Qatari troops marching (Getty Images/Al Jazeera)

UAE Launches Airstrike on Houthi Camp in Sanaa

Airstrikes from a UAE-Saudi coalition destroyed a key Houthi and Saleh encampment in the Yemeni capital, the headquarters of the Special Security Forces, on Sunday, with columns of grey smoke rising from downtown Sanaa. The warplanes also targeted weapons caches in the mountains of Noqum and Ayban, east and west of Sanaa. (AP, 6 September)

UAE’s Ministry of Interior posted videos on its Instagram account of Emirati fighter jets targeting the Houthi targets on Sunday. The airstrikes began after an official mourning period following the death of 46 UAE servicemen killed in their camp in Mareb hit by Houthi rocket. 10 Saudi and five Bahraini soldiers were also killed in the attack.

UPDATE: Coalition warplanes conducted three airstrikes against the Presidential Palace in Sanaa on Sunday.

Photo credit: Reuters/The National

U.S. Warns Russia Over Military Support for Assad

Secretary of State John Kerry today called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss U.S. concerns about reports suggesting an imminent enhanced Russian military buildup in Syria. (The New York Times, 5 September)

“The secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict… and risk confrontation with anti-ISIL coalition operating in Syria,” the State Department said in a statement.

Russia has deployed military advance team and transported prefabricated housing units that could accommodate as many as 1,000 Russian military advisers and other personnel to an airfield near Latakia. It has also delivered air traffic station to the airfield and has filed military overflight requests with the Syrian government, the New York Times reported. There were also reports in Twitter today that Russian MIG-31s has been observed in the area.

Russia is apparently converting an airfield near Latakia into a major Russian airbase in Syria.

Map: Daily Mail

UAE Mourns Fallen Soldiers

Bodies of the 45 UAE soldiers arrive at Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi. The Emirati soldiers were killed at dawn on Friday in their camp near Mareb, Yemen, when a rocket hit the camp’s ammunition depot. UAE has declared three days of mourning to honor its fallen soldiers.

UPDATE: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain reported on Saturday that they have also lost 10 and five soldiers respectively in the Mareb explosion; bringing the death toll to 60. The report by Bahrain confirms that the country's servicemen are part of the Arab coalition-led offensive to break the the siege of Mareb by Houthi/Saleh forces.

UPDATE: UAE announced today that it has launched airstrikes on several targets across Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The airstrikes came a day after the country lost 45 soldiers in a Houthi rocket attack on its camp near Mareb. 15 other soldiers from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were also killed in the explosion.

Photo credit: The bodies of 45 Emirati soldiers killed in Yemen arrive at the Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi; 5 September 2015 (AFP)