At least forty-three people were killed and sixty-one wounded in strikes in northwest Yemen, one of which hit a bus carrying children. Houthi rebels and local officials blamed the air strikes on the Saudi-led coalition; the coalition said the strikes targeted Houthi missile launchers used to attack Saudi Arabia (Reuters)
U.S.-Backed Coalition Cut Secret Deals with al-Qaeda in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen struck deals with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to withdraw from areas the militants controlled in southern Yemen, according to an Associated Press investigation. The deals gave al-Qaeda militants safe passage to retreat with weapons and cash and integrated hundreds of fighters into coalition forces (Associated Press)
Saudi Forces Escalate Strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah
At least thirty civilians were killed after missiles reportedly launched by a Saudi-led coalition struck public areas in the Yemeni port city yesterday, including a hospital and a fish market (New York Times)
Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Halt Attacks in Red Sea for Two Weeks
Houthi rebels said yesterday they will unilaterally halt attacks in the Red Sea for two weeks in support of efforts to find a political solution to the conflict (Reuters)
Saudi-led Coalition Strikes Water Facilities in Yemen’s Hodeida
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted facilities providing the majority of the water to Hodeida, the main entry point for humanitarian supplies in Yemen (Deutsche Welle)
Houthi Rebels Attack Saudi Ship off Yemen Coast
Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, causing slight damage, according to the U.S.-backed Arab coalition (Reuters)
UN Hopes to Reach Deal Over Hodeidah in Yemen
UN special envoy Martin Griffiths said all sides of the conflict have offered “concrete ideas for achieving peace” after he met with Houthi rebel leaders in Sanaa this week. Griffiths said he hopes to avoid a total siege of the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah by the Saudi-led coalition seeking to restore Yemen’s exiled government (Reuters)
Coalition Seizes Yemen’s Hodeidah Airport
Pro-government and Saudi-led coalition forces seized the airport in Hodeidah from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, as fears of a humanitarian crisis grow (Reuters)
Separately, hundreds of detainees in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates in Yemen endured sexual abuse by their captors, in addition to torture, according to a new report (Associated Press)
Coalition Continues Assault on Yemen’s Hodeidah
Aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition bombed Houthi rebels at the airport in Hodeidah, Yemen’s main distribution hub for commercial and humanitarian aid (Reuters)
Negotiations are reportedly at an advanced stage for the United Nations to take over administrative control of Hodeidah (Guardian)
Coalition in Yemen Continues Assault on Hodeidah
Yemeni government and Arab forces from the Saudi-led coalition advanced in to the neighborhood surrounding Hodeidah’s airport today, as air strikes on Houthi positions continued across the city (Reuters)
Fighting yesterday killed nearly forty people, and the UN Security Council called for the port to remain open following closed-door talks (Agence France-Press)
Coalition Attacks Yemeni Port City
A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched an assault today to oust Houthi rebels from Hodeidah, the gateway for most of Yemen’s aid and home to some six hundred thousand people, raising fears of an exacerbated humanitarian crisis (Associated Press)
Ahead of the assault, fighting over last weekend killed more than six hundred people (Washington Post)
Yemeni Forces Advance on Port City
Yemeni forces, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, continued their advance on the strategic port of Hodeidah, currently held by Houthi rebels. Most humanitarian aid to Yemen comes through the port, and thousands of people have fled ahead of a potential assault (Washington Post)
Houthi Missile Kills Five in Yemen
Houthi rebels fired a missile at the city of Marib today, killing five and wounding more than twenty others (Reuters)
Separately, Saudi officials said they intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired at the southern city of Jazan (Reuters)
Seventeen U.S. Airstrikes Hit AQAP in Yemen Since February
U.S. forces have conducted seventeen airstrikes in Yemen targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) over the past three months, hitting training camps, checkpoints, and other targets in four separate governorates (U.S. Central Command)
Yemeni Civilians Killed in Saudi-Led Air Strike
More than twenty people died and dozens were injured when the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition hit a wedding party in a village in northwestern Yemen, according to the head of the regional health office, who said some of the victims were children. One official from the coalition said it is taking the report of civilian deaths “very seriously” (New York Times)
Two Al-Qaeda Fighters Killed in Yemen, Official Say
Two al-Qaeda operatives were killed in a raid of their hideout in the district of al-Wadiah in southern Yemen, local tribal leaders said (Associated Press)
U.S. Lawmakers Grill Pentagon, State Department Over Yemen
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioned top Defense and State Department officials over the implications of U.S. weapons sales and intelligence-sharing with Saudi Arabia during its campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Lawmakers have introduced a bill to add conditions to U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia, including the reduction of civilian casualties in Yemen (Washington Post)
Saudi-led Strikes Kill Seventeen in Yemen
Saudi-led coalition air strikes killed at least seventeen people in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz and northern Saada, Yemeni tribal officials report (Associated Press)
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Seven Missiles Fired From Yemen
Saudi military officials claim to have intercepted seven ballistic missiles fired from Yemen at four different cities, including the capital city of Riyadh, where missile debris killed one Egyptian national. The official Saudi statement blamed Houthi rebels for the attack (CNN)
Defense Secretary Mattis Asks Congress to Support Saudi Airstrikes
In a letter sent to congressional leaders, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made a personal appeal not to restrict U.S. support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen, which he says are legitimate self-defense operations. Restricting U.S. support could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, jeopardize cooperation on counterterrorism and reduce U.S. influence on the Saudis, he writes (Washington Post)
Attack in Yemen Kills Fourteen
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack, involving suicide car bombers and gunmen, on a Yemeni counterterrorism unit in Aden yesterday that killed at least fourteen people and wounded more than forty others (Guardian)
Saudi Attack on Police Building Kills Eight in Sana’a
Yemeni rebels said an air raid by Saudi Arabia’s coalition struck a police building in the rebel-controlled capital of Sana’a, killing eight people and wounded nearly sixty people (Associated Press)
Separatists Capture Large Swaths of Yemen’s Aden
Yemeni separatists appear to have captured yesterday most of the southern city of Aden, currently home to the internationally recognized government. Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid bin Daghr and his cabinet, who separatists have demanded be dismissed by Yemen’s president, reportedly remained trapped in the presidential palace (Washington Post)
Yemeni Leader Calls for Saudi Action Against Separatists
President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels to intervene in Aden following deadly attacks by separatists allied with the United Arab Emirates that at least killed ten (Al Jazeera)
Saudi Arabia Pledges $1.5 Billion in Aid to Yemen
Saudi Arabia, which has led a bombing campaign in Yemen to restore power to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi, has pledged $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid to the country (Financial Times)