Anti-Houthi Forces Advance after Retaking Majority of Aden

Saudi-UAE-backed Southern Resistance Forces, loyal to exiled Yemeni President Hadi, today seized Al-Anad military base, Yemen’s largest air base, in Lahj province, 60 km (35 miles) north of Aden, Al Arabiya reported.

The advance comes after pro-Hadi forces captured most of Aden on Friday and began clearing operation in the northern and eastern entrances to the city where pockets of fighting were reported between resistance forces and the Houthis. On Saturday, Hadi government-in-exile announced the liberation of Aden, with some ministers arriving in the city to prepare the return of the entire government to resume its work in Aden.

A Saudi advisor told the BBC on Sunday that the “liberation of Aden” is completed and the next military objective would be retaking the city of Taiz. The Saudi advisor added that the capture of Aden was the culmination of a 10-week long plan involving air, sea and land forces, using Arab coalition-led Yemeni fighters trained in Saudi Arabia.

On Saturday, the UAE confirmed the presence of its troops in Aden. UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Rashid offered condolences to the family of Lieutenant Abdul Aziz Sarhan Saleh who was killed in action during the military operation in Yemen, Emirates 24/7 reported.

Reports in social media had previously pointed to UAE’s active participation in the military operation in Aden. The official coverage given to the death of Lt. Saleh is a confirmation of UAE’s key role in recapturing of Aden.

UPDATE: Houthi insurgents shelled positions in Aden on Sunday, killing and wounding scores of people, news agencies including UPI and BBC reported. A majority of the city is under control of Saudi/Emirati-backed fighters. Meanwhile, a pro-Hadi Yemeni military official said the shells were fired from a Huthi stronghold six miles outside the city.

UPDATE: Overnight, pro-government forces faild to capture the last remaining Houthi stronghold in Aden – the Tawahi peninsula in the south, BBC reported on Sunday.

Photo credit: Southern Resistance fighters loyal to Yemeni President Hadi seen on the streets of Aden, 18 July 2015 (Reuters/BBC) 

Exiled Yemen Ministers Return to Aden – Houthis Retreat

Yemeni exiled ministers today started returning to Aden after southern resiatance forces loyal to exiled president Hadi and backed by the Saudi-UAE-led coalition pushed Houthis and their allied forces out from most parts of Aden. The returnees included ministers of interior, health, transport, and the intelligence chief.

“Abd Rabuuh Mansur Hadi (the exiled president) delegated this group to return to Aden to work to prepare the security situation and ensure stability ahead of a revival of the institutions of state in Aden,” a Yemeni official said tonight. (Reuters, 16 July)

The statement seems to indicate the Hadi and his government could soon relocate to Aden. Such move would be a major development in the conflict that began when the Huthis stormed Sanaa last September. The ministers who returned today arrived by helicopter at a military base in Aden.

“Most parts of the city are secure,” added the Yemeni official.

General Fadhl al-Hasan, commander of pro-government forces loyal to Hadi in western Aden, told AFP that his troops have captured the coastal road overlooking the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. He added, “the majority of the security leadership are in Aden and they are leading the battles… others will soon arrive.” (AFP/middleeast eye.net, 16 July)

Major neighborhoods of Crater and Mualla were among the parts captured by pro-Hadi forces today. On Tuesday, they captured the strategic Aden International Airport and much of the surrounding Khormaksar diplomatic district. Fighting in some parts of the city still continued, but major Houthi forces retreated from Aden.

“After the recapture of Khormaksar, there was a collapse in the ranks of the Huthis and their allies,” troops loyal to president Hadi told AFP.

Photo credit: Southern resistance fighters loyal to Yemeni President Hadi stand at the entrance to Aden International Airport; 14 July 2015 (Reuters) 

Anti-Huthi Forces Capture Major Neighborhoods in Aden

After Capturing Aden International Airport on Tuesday

Saudi and UAE-backed Yemeni troops and fighters loyal to exiled president Hadi today regained control of Crater, the commercial hub of Aden, and the neighboring Mualla after defeating Huthi and allied forces in fierce fighting, AP reported.

The anti-Huthi forces, backed by Saudi-UAE-led coalition, on Tuesday captured the strategic Aden International Airport, which could now be used as a major hub for reinforcement and resupply of those forces. Footage aired on TV showed workers clearing the runway as pro-Hadi government troops secured it.

The loss of Aden airport and the two major neighborhoods are serious blow to the Huthis, and their first major defeat in the conflict that started in September when the Huthi insurgents stormed the capital Sanaa and began their march south.

In a statement to Huthi-controlled Saba news agency, a spokesman said the rebels will be fighting back. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Asiri, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, praised the “heroic efforts” of Yemeni fighters. Gen. Asiri said that the operation against the Huthis has been successful so far because of “the element of surprise” and added, “We need to have patience and perseverance now.” (AP, 16 July)

Photo credit: Saudi-UAE Coalition-backed Yemeni troops in control of Aden International Airport; 14 July 2015 (Arabweekly)

Car Bombs Hit Sanaa after UN Peace Talks End in Failure

Deadly car bomb hit the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Saturday after peace talks in Geneva ended without agreement. Today’s explosion went off outside the Kobbat al-Mahdi Shia Mosques after the midday prayers. The Islamic State (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in its Twitter account that the bomb targeted Huthi militia, whose fighters attend the mosque. On Wednesday, ISIL had claimed responsibility for four car bombs the detonated near Shia mosques and outside Ansar Allah headquarters in Sanaa.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair told the Russian broadcaster RT that the Saudi-led coalition would go ahead with its military operations against the Huthis. He made the comments after UN-brokered peace talks failed.

“The Kingdom and its allies are committed to defending legitimacy in Yemen and stopping the militia allied with Iran and the [Lebanese] Hezbollah from controlling Yemen,” al-Jubair said. (RT, 20 June)

File photo: Ansar Allah (Huthi) supporters protest Saudi-led offensive in Yemen (Yahya Arhab/EPA)  

UN Peace Talks on Yemen to Begin Monday in Geneva

Huthis Capture Provincial Capital Near Saudi Border

UN-sponsored Yemen peace talks will start in Geneva on Monday. The Huthi delegation to the talks left Sanaa International Airport on board a UN aircraft on Sunday. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani arrived at Geneva’s Palais des Nations for consultations before the start of peace talks.

In Yemen, the Huthi insurgents, aka AnsarAllah, supported by elements of Yemeni army loyal to former president Saleh, captured the town of al-Hazm, the capital of al-Jawf province on the border of Saudi Arabia. The town fell after heavy fighting with tribal militia loyal to exiled president Hadi (Reuters, 14 June). The capture of al-Hazm a day before Geneva peace talks is an important victory for the Huthis.

File photo: Houthi fighters outside Sanaa airport; 28 March 2015 (Reuters)

UAE: Political Solution in Yemen Possible without Iran

‘Issue in Arab-Iran Relations is Iran’s Desire for Expansion’

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash said today a political solution in Yemen “is possible without Iran.” Gargash made the comments during an interview on Sunday with Sky News Arabia.

Gargash added that presence of Hezbollah-like militias in Southern Arabian Peninsula is not acceptable, and that the Huthis could be part of the political process based on their real size and not on their arms.

On the upcoming summit at Camp David, Gargash said, “The GCC leaders will demand a political commitment from the United States that guarantees that the results of its (nuclear) agreement with Iran will ensure that Iran’s policy will be less expansionist and will respect its Arab neighbors.”

“The major issue in Arab-Iran relations is Iran’s desire for expansion,” Minister Gargash said. (mofa.gov.ae)

“The nuclear agreement between the West and Iran created a new dynamic… Indications say it is not in the interests of moderate Iranians,” he said, adding that the nuclear agreement will help Iran’s expansion at the expense of Arabs.

Photo credit: UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash during an interview with Sky News Arabia; 10 May 2015 (mofa.gov.ae)

Huthis, Saleh Agree to Saudi Truce Offer

Anasarullah, the Huthi insurgents, and allied army forces loyal to former president Saleh said today they have accepted a temporary humanitarian truce proposed by Saudi Arabia. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior leader in the movement, said they agreed to the five-day truce due to “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the country. (DPA, 10 May)

Saudi Arania said on Friday that the ceasefire would start in Yemen on Tuesday at 11 pm (2000 GMT) if the Houthis, who control most of the country, accepted it.

File photo: Yemenis suffer massive shortages in basic goods (Yahya Arhab/EPA)

Saudi Arabia Offers Five-Day Truce in Yemen

Saudi Arabia today announced plans to implement a halt to airstrikes in Yemen for a five-day period, starting at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The move is intended to allow humanitarian aid reaching the country best by intense fighting and airstrikes for weeks.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the halt in Saudi airstrikes will take place only if there is a commitment by the Huthi (Ansar Allah) insurgents to abide by the ceasefire. Al-Jubeir added the ceasefire could be extended beyond five days if necessary. He said during the five-day period, the insurgents should uphold the ceasefire and refrain from any movement of heavy artillery and troops.

“The ceasefire will end should the Houthis or their allies not live up to agreement,” al-Jubair said. (The Wall Street Journal, 8 May)

Al-Jubair made the announcement at a joint press conference in Paris wit U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who has been pushing for a halt to military action to relieve the humanitarian disaster taking place in the country.

Huthi reaction to Saudi initiative was not known yet.

Photo credit: A Huthi fighter during a demonstration against Saudi airstrikes in Sanaa; 8 May 2015 (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)

Houthi Insurgents Take Control of Key District in Aden

Houthi insurgents today took control of Aden’s al-Tawahi district, one of the last strongholds of supporters of President Hadi. The district houses state institutions including a presidential palace, state security offices and the main port. The control of al-Tawahi district, despite the Saudi-led airstrikes and the involvement of the coalition-sponsored Yemeni special forces, would effectively mean that Aden has come under the insurgents’ control.  

File photo: Houthi insurgents (Mohammed Howais/AFP/Getty Images)

Fighting in Yemen Intensifies

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes over Yemen intensified on Sunday, signaling that ceasefire talks between the warring factions have stalled. The coalition bombed a military base and the presidential palace in Sanaa and targeted several other provinces. Saudi Arabia and Hadi’s government-in-exile insist there would be no deal with the Houthis unless they abide by UN Security Council resolution and withdraw their forces from areas they have occupied in recent months.

“There would be no deal with the Houthis until they withdraw from areas under their control,” said Riyadh Yeseen, the foreign minister of Hadi’s exiled government. (The New York Times, 26 April)

Meanwhile, heavy fighting between in Taiz continued. The city has in recent days emerged as the latest flash point in Yemen’s civil war. The strategic port city of Aden has also been devastated by factional street fighting for more than a month. In both Aden and Taiz, local militias are fighting the Huthis and the security forces loyal to former president Saleh.

Taiz was a focal point of the nationwide uprising against Saleh in 2011 that led to a deal brokered by Gulf Cooperation Council that removed Saleh from power. Now the local militias opposing the Houthi and Saleh forces include many young people who participated in the protests four years ago, The New York Times reported. A prominent, longtime opponent of the former president, Sheik Hamoud Saeed al-Mikhlafi, was said to be leading the forces opposing the Huthis and Saleh in Taiz.

Video: RT/YouTube

Saleh, Yemen’s Former President, Calls on Huthis to Withdraw

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the influential former president of Yemen, today called on the Huthis to accept the UN Security Council resolution on Yemen and withdraw from territories seized in months of fighting, so the Saudi-led airstrikes can end and reconciliation begin. Saleh has been a key ally of the Huthis during their insurgency.

Saleh still holds sway over army units that are now working with the Huthis. If those units halt their operations and retreat to their bases, the Huthis will be hard pressed to hold any terrain in Aden and surrounding areas, which are key to their plans to rule over the entire country.

“I call on (the Huthis) to accept all UN Security Council decisions and to implement them in return for a halt in the coalition forces’ aggression,” Saleh said in statement read on his Yemen Today television channel. “I urge them and everyone – militias and al-Qaeda as well as militias loyal to Hadi – to withdraw from all provinces, especially Aden.” (AFP, 24 April)

Saleh also called for UN-brokered Saudi-Yemeni talks to be held in Geneva.

File photo: Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (The Telegraph)

Yemen Could Engulf Region in War – Abadi

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said today in Washington that the conflict in Yemen could consume the whole region. He added that after talks in Washington he believes that U.S. leaders shared his concerns and want to stop this conflict as soon as possible. Abadi met with President Obama on Tuesday at the White House.

“This (Yemen war) can engulf the whole region in another conflict,” Abadi said. “We don’t need another sectarian war in the region.” (Reuters, 15 April)

Abadi said convincing Saudi Arabia to halt its offensive in Yemen could be difficult. The Saudi-led alliance of ten Sunni countries is engaged in a three-week-old air campaign against the Shia Huthi (AnsarAllah) insurgents who are allied with Iran. They have taken over the capital Sanaa and have advanced to other parts of the country, including Aden, the capital of southern Yemen.

“From what I understand from the (Obama) administration, the Saudis are not helpful. They don’t want a ceasefire now,” Abadi said.

The White House, however, denied Obama had criticized Saudi Arabia in his talks with Abadi and renewed U.S. support for the anti-Huthi military campaign by the Saudi-led coalition.

“We firmly support current GCC-led operations… which is why we have been providing support for coalition operations,” said National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey. (Reuters, 15 April)

File photo: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a news conference in Baghdad, 31 March 2015 (Ahmed Saad/Reuters)

UN Imposes Arms Embargo against Huthis in Yemen

The UN Security Council today imposed an arms embargo on the Huthi insurgents, who are effectively in control of Yemen. The resolution also froze the assets of the insurgents' leader, Abdulmalik al-Huthi. The resolution, backed by Saudi-led Arab coalition, was passed with 14 votes in favor, with Russia abstaining. Any Iranian arms shipment to Yemen is now banned.

IRGC Officers Reportedly Captured in Yemen - UPDATE

Reuters reported today that a local militia spokesman in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden says that their fighters have captured two IRGC officers, one a full colonel and another a captain. Local anti-Huthi militiamen say the officers were captured during heavy fighting on Friday evening in two different districts in Aden. They say the officers belong to IRGC’s Quds Force and were working as military advisers to the Huthi fighters.

“(The Iranian officers) have been put in a safe place and we will turn them over to Decisive Storm (Saudi-led coalition) to deal with them,” said the militia spokesman. (Reuters, 11 April)

The militiamen did not provide any evidence, like the photos of the captured officers, to back up their claim.

Heavy Saudi-led airstrikes and ground combat between opposing armed militias continued in Aden on Saturday. The war, which started when the Huthis (AnsarAllah) insurgents captured the capital Sanaa and began their march toward Aden, with Saudi-led coalition launching the Operation Decisive Storm to stop their advance, threatens to turn Yemen into a failed state and spread sectarian conflict in the region.

If the news of the capture of the Quds Force by anti-Huthi militia were conformed, it would deepen tensions between Tehran and Riyadh. Iran has denied the presence of its officers and military advisers in Yemen, but the Saudis accuse the Iranians of supporting the Huthi in their military takeover of the country.

The Huthis, or AnsarAllah, insurgents are predominantly followers of Zaydi Shia, a religious sect that emerged in the eighth century out of Shia Islam, and today constitute about 40 percent of Yemen’s population, where the Sunnis are in majority.

UPDATE: Iranian foreign ministry “strongly rejected” the Reuters report that two IRGC officers have been captured in Aden. The foreign ministry added that Iran has “no boots on the ground” in Yemen, Fars News Agency reported on Saturday. The foreign ministry did not say if the Iranians have any military advisers on the ground. The anti-Huthi fighters claimed they have captured two Quds Force advisers in Aden, but have not yet provided any evidence for their claim.

UPDATE: An image circulated in social media on Saturday night is reported as one of the two Iranians captured in Aden.

File photo: AnsraAllah (Huthi) insurgents in Sanaa, Yemen. 26 March 2015 (Reuters)

Iran Deploys Warships off Yemen’s Coast

The Iranian Navy said it has deployed warships to the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday on a mission to protect shipping from piracy. The move puts Iranian warships off the Yemeni coast during the escalation of conflict in the country. The Huthis insurgents have taking control of Yemen’s major cities by force, prompting Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and fears of expansion of the conflict.

Iran is the main supporter of the Huthis. Today, Secretary of State John Kerry said during a PBS interview that Iran supplies arms to the Huthis, including through regular flights to Yemen. (PBS NewsHour, 8 April)

Iran’s 34th Naval Group deployed to the Gulf of Aden comprises of two ships: IRINS Alborz (72), Alvand (Vosper MK5)- class frigate, and Bandar Abbas (421), a Bandar Abbas-class auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessel.

File photo: IRINS Alborz (72), Alvand (Vosper MK5)-class frigate (Rooholla Vahdati/ISNA)

Chaos in Yemen: Update

On Thursday, the Huthi (AnsarAllah) forces seized the Presidential Palace in Aden, after capturing the city’s central Crater district. On Friday, forces loyal to President Hadi, backed by intense Saudi airstrikes, forced the Huthis to withdraw from the palace, and the Crater district, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, Khaled Batarfi, a leader of al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was seen in Aden today in photos circulating in social media. Batarif had been freed from prison by AQAP militants on Thursday when they took advantage of the chaotic situation in the country and captured the Yemeni port city of Mukallah on the Gulf of Aden and freed 270 prisoners from the city’s central prison, including Batarfi.

The fighting among factions in the city of Aden has killed 58 people and injured 200 more in the past two days. The factions are loyal to President Hadi, now in exile in Riyadh, the Huthi insurgents, who are the de-facto rulers of the country, former president Saleh, back from exile in Riyadh and for now an ally of the Huthis, and AQAP militants.

Adding in the midst are the Saudi Special Forces on the ground in Yemen assisting fighters targeting Houthis and Saleh troops, CNN reported today. The Saudi force are “coordinating and guiding” in non-combat roles, a Saudi source told the network. They also have helped “parachute in weapons and communications equipment.” And the Iranians have been supporting and arming the Huthis, although they have not directly taken part in the fighting as in Iraq or Syria.

The Saudi-led coalition of nine Middle Eastern countries has been conducting airstrikes against the Huthis since 25 March, hitting their major military facilities and armaments. But the Huthis have continued their advance in the country. Now the Saudi ground forces have taken up positions across the Yemeni border for possible ground invasion, CNN reported. But the Huthis are battle-hardened guerilla fighters and could match their opponents and could also cross into Saudi Arabia.

Photo credit: Huthi fighters in Aden on Thursday after capturing the city’s Crater neighborhood and the Presidential Palace. They were pushed back from the city on Friday under intense Saudi airstrikes and engagement with pro-Hadi forces.

Saudi-led Forces Blockade Yemeni Ports

Saudi-led coalition navies on Monday imposed a blockade on all Yemen’s ports to stop flow of weapons to the Houthis. The coalition has also bombed rebel-held airports to slow or stop the flow of weapons and fighters into Yemen. The land border with Oman now becomes the insurgents’ main access to the outside world. Coalition military spokesman, Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, told reporters in Riyadh on Monday that the naval blockade would “prevent weapons and fighters from entering or leaving Yemen.” (Christian Science Monitor, 30 March)

Meanwhile, the airstrikes over Yemen continued. Gen. Asiri said the airstrikes focused on slowing Houthi advance on Aden. The Huthis and security forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh had launched a fresh offensive against Yemen, shelling it and battling local militias loyal to President Hadi, known as Popular Committees, but were pushed back by airstrikes. They are now positioned 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Aden. (CSM, 30 March)

A series of airstrikes also targeted fighter jets, air defense systems and SCUD missile launch pads in Sanaa. Later the strikes hit weapons depot on the Faj Attan mountain overlooking Sanaa, causing the explosions of SCUD missiles and sending balls of fire into the sky.

The Houthi-run TV network said the coalition bombed a displaced persons camp in the northern rebel stronghold of Saada, killing 40 people, including women and children. The Associated Press quoted witnesses, however, who said the camp was from an earlier conflict in the country that ended five years ago and was now being occupied by Houthi forces. It was not yet possible to resolve the conflicting account.

Photo credit: Saudi-led coalition airstrikes destroyed SCUD missile depot on the Faj Attan mountain overlooking Sanaa, sending balls of fire into the sky; 30 March 2015 (Reuters)

Threat of Ground Incursion Looms Over Yemen - CNN

On a video distributed by Reuters, Saudi military transporters are seen hauling main battle tanks late Saturday in the Saudi town of Jazan, 20 miles away from the Yemeni border. There are increasing sign of an impending ground incursion by the Saudi-led coalition into Yemen. The Saudis have said that if troops go in, they won’t leave until “they have degraded the Huthis’ ability to do battle,” CNN reported. But the Huthis are apt guerrilla fighters and any ground war could prove to be bloody and lengthy.

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have hit Yemeni air defenses, which are under AnsarAllah (Huthi) control, attempting to establish near total air superiority over Yemeni airspace. But on Saturday the Huthis said they had shot down a Sudanese fighter jet and captured the pilot. The strikes have also crumbled key infrastructure that links major towns with the capital, Sanaa, a Saudi official said today. Army weapon caches, military facilities and commercial and military airports have been hit. Saudi naval special forces have also rescued dozens of diplomats trapped in Sanaa, the Saudi official said. (CNN, 29 March)

Saudi Brig. Gen. Hasan Asiri, the military spokesman for the coalition, said in a statement on Saturday evening that the airstrikes have destroyed Yemen's entire fleet of fighter jets. Rebels are "no longer in possession of a jet fighter," Asiri said. (Washington Post, 29 March)

Saudi-led coalition includes militaries of the Kingdom as well as the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.

File photo: Saudi tanks during a military drill; April 2014 (Al Nasser/Reuters)

Huthis Advance on Aden

The City Surrounded

The Huthi insurgents, the AnsarAllah, are rapidly advancing on Aden and have surrounded the city, BBC reported. Gunfire could be heard around the city center. President Hadi has fled the palace, but he is believed to be still in Aden trying to rally anti-Huthi forces. The insurgents are also captured the city’s airport.

In a scene reminiscent of a revolution, the residents of Aden are storming army barracks to obtain weapons, but have so far been repulsed by the soldiers, BBC reported.

The Yemeni foreign minister has called for urgent military intervention by the GCC. 

Photo credit: People storming an army barracks in Aden; 25 march 2015 (AFP/Getty Images/BBC)