Yemen Crisis/Conflict & the "Decisive Storm" Coalition

Yemeni army claims snipers shot dead six Saudi soldiers
More than 6,800 people have been killed and 35,000 injured in Yemen since March 2015, when a Saudi-led multinational coalition began to attack Houthi rebels who had seized control of the country

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• 5 hours ago

According to the Al Masirah television channel, which is owned by Yemen's rebel

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government, the troops were killed in cross border fire at military bases inside Saudi Arabia, in Sharjah and Tal'a.

The official Saudi press agency released a report on Sunday that appeared to contradict the claims, saying just one soldier had been killed by Yemeni sniper fire.

More than 6,800 people have been killed and 35,000 injured in Yemen since March 2015, when a Saudi-led multinational coalition began to attack Houthi insurgents who had seized control of the country.

Alarmed by the rise of a group they believed to be backed militarily by regional Shia power Iran, Saudi Arabia and eight other mostly Sunni Arab states began an air campaign aimed at restoring the former government.

The conflict and a blockade imposed by the coalition — which has received logistical and intelligence support, as well as

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, US, and France — has triggered a humanitarian disaster in the country, leaving 80 per cent of the population in need of aid.

Yemeni armed forces said on Saturday they also launched rocket attacks at positions of Saudi-backed mercenaries near the Khadra border crossing in Najran, killing and wounding a number of them.

Army troops and allied forces also claim to have attacked the Saudi bases of Samnah and Afra in the kingdom’s southwestern province of Jizan on Saturday night, leaving an unspecified number of military personnel there dead and injured.

According to the report, Yemeni explosives also hit the Saudi army’s weapons warehouses to the west of Qais Mountain in Jizan.

The military described the attacks as retaliation for Riyadh’s nonstop military campaign against its impoverished neighbour.

It recently emerged the Saudi army had used British-made cluster bombs, which are banned by 120 countries including the UK because of the risk they pose to civilians, in Yemen. Even prior to this, the Gulf state had come under repeated criticism for its excessive use of force and neglect for the well-being of civilians in the country.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch censured Saudi-led forces for the use of cluster bombs during the “unlawful” campaign against Yemen.

The New York-based rights body said “cluster munitions are prohibited weapons that should never be used under any circumstances due to the harm inflicted on civilians.”

Yemen said it wanted the UN to intervene to end the conflict.

In a statement on Sunday, the Yemeni Human Rights Ministry condemned the Saudi regime for "war crimes", particularly its use of internationally-banned weapons against civilians.

The statement further called on the United Nations to adopt measures aimed at putting an end to Saudi brutalities, saying the world body should launch an “unbiased” investigation into the deadly Saudi-led offensive.

The ministry also urged the removal of Riyadh’s blockade against Yemen as well as swift aid delivery to the violence-stricken civilians.

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YEMEN6 HOURS AGO
Yemen army claims control of port city of Mokha
Army forces enter southwestern port city of Mokha, as dozens of families flee ongoing clashes and bombardments.

The Yemeni army said it has taken full control of Mokha, a port city southwest of the capital Sanaa which had been taken by Houthi rebels in November 2014.

Brigade General Ahmed Seif al-Yafai said in press remarks on Monday that his forces entered Mokha, where dozens of families were seen fleeing days of clashes and bombardment.

Government forces were combing the port, an AFP news agency journalist accompanying the troops said.

A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen's civil war nearly two years ago to back President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was overthrown from the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces.

The latest development came almost three weeks after the Hadi loyalists launched an offensive against the rebels and their allies on Yemen's southwestern coast.

Warplanes and Apache attack helicopters from a Saudi-led Arab coalition have been pounding the rebels in support of pro-Hadi forces, military sources told AFP.

'Weapons smuggling'

Government forces said the rebels were using the port in Mokha to smuggle weapons into Yemen.

At least 10,000 people have died in the mostly stalemated Yemeni conflict, which has unleashed a humanitarian crisis in the already poor Arabian Peninsula country.

Millions living with hunger in war-torn Yemen
While government forces in the south and east nominally hold most of Yemen's territory, Hadi has struggled to enforce state authority among various armed groups and tribes.

The Houthi rebels control most of Yemen's population centres in the northwest, including Sanaa.

Gulf Arab countries say the Houthi rebels are a proxy for their archrival Iran - a charge Tehran denies.

They and Hadi's government say their campaign aims to protect the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the strategic waterway at the foot of the Red Sea through which nearly four million barrels of oil are shipped daily to Europe, the US and Asia.

Source: News agencies

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One U.S. service member was killed and three others were injured in Yemen during a raid Saturday by Navy SEALs targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's senior leadership, officials said today.

The operation, which officials said was launched by the elite counterterrorism unit SEAL Team Six, was the first carried out with the direct approval of President Trump and resulted in 14 al-Qaeda operatives killed, officials said.

Trump in a statement Sunday afternoon only referred to American "service members" in hailing the operation against "radical Islamic" terrorists, which he said was vital to preventing future attacks.

"Americans are saddened this morning with news that a life of a heroic service member has been taken in our fight against the evil of radical Islamic terrorism. The sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces, and the families they leave behind, are the backbone of the liberty we hold so dear as Americans, united in our pursuit of a safer nation and a freer world. My deepest thoughts and humblest prayers are with the family of this fallen service member. I also pray for a quick and complete recovery for the brave service members who sustained injuries," Trump said.

AQAP in a statement claimed 30 civilians were killed in the American raid and showed photos of purported victims -- including the bloodied remains of a girl the terrorist group said was the 8-year-old daughter of firebrand imam Anwar al-Awlaki, AQAP's American former leader in charge of plots against the country of his birth.

Awlaki was killed by CIA drone-fired missiles in 2011. His U.S.-born and raised son Abdulrahman, 16, was killed two weeks later in a controversial U.S. drone strike.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, appearing on ABC's "This Week," without commenting on the claim of killing civilians or Awlaki's daughter, said the operation was a blow to AQAP's efforts to attack the United States.

"They got 14 individuals. They killed 14 individuals and captured a whole host of information about future plots that's going to benefit this country and keep us safe," he said.

"We mourn for the loss of life of the service member who so bravely fought for this country and was killed," Spicer said, adding that, "the President was informed throughout the evening of the situation. He extends his condolences. But more importantly, he understands the fight that our servicemen and women conduct on a daily basis to keep this country safe."

"This is one in a series of aggressive moves against

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planners in Yemen and worldwide," the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement.

A counterterrorism official told ABC News that the Navy's SEAL Team Six, formally known as Naval Special Warfare Development Group, engaged in a gunfight at the site of the rare ground force raid in the al-Bayda region of Yemen, and that special operations targeting top AQAP leaders including top "emir" Qassim al-Raymi are continuing.

One operator was killed in action and three others were injured critically, officials said. The name of the service member killed in action is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, CENTCOM said.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our elite service members,” Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel said in a statement. “The sacrifices are very profound in our fight against terrorists who threaten innocent peoples across the globe.”

In addition, the U.S. lost an MV-22

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after it suffered a hard landing that rendered it incapable of taking off again, Spicer confirmed on "this Week." The aircraft was destroyed by U.S. forces on the spot.

AQAP posted a photo of a young girl on blankets prepared for burial, with a clenched bloody hand, who they claimed was Awlaki's 8-year-old daughter killed in the American raid Saturday. They also denied losing any armed operatives.

"No Al-Qaedah members were killed in the US raid in Yakla’. Only women and children were killed in the raid together with some tribal leaders who have no connections to Al-Qaedah," the group said in a message distributed through the encrypted phone app Telegram, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. "Only civilians were killed, mainly children, including the daughter of Shaykh Anwar Al-Awlaki. May Allah accept them, and may Allah hasten his revenge."

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Saudi Al Madinah-Class Frigate Was Destroyed By Houthis In Western Yemen (Video) – UPDATED
Fighters of the Houthi-Saleh alliance have targeted and allegedly destroyed an Al Madinah-class missile frigate belonging to the Royal Saudi Navy off the coast of the Yemeni western province of Hudaydah.

According the pro-Houthi al-Masirah television network, anti-Saudi forces targeted a warship with a guided missile in waters near the port city of Hudaydah, 150 km southwest of the capital of Sana’a. 176 soldiers and officers, and a combat helicopter were onboard at the moment of the attack, the television network said in a report, citing an anonymous military source.

Pro-Houthi sources add that the warship was destroyed. However, this still has to be confirmed.

UPD: Saudi sources say:

• It was a suicide boat;
• 2 sailors wer killed;
• The warship was damaged (NOT destroyed

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Jura said:

now spent coupla minutes with the claim
Published on Jan 30, 2017
1-30-17
Houthis target a Saudi Navy Al-Madinah Class Frigate with anti-ship missile of the coast of Western Yemen.

and ...​

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Jura said:

Yesterday at 8:58 PM

... and what's officially happened is described inside
Saudi frigate comes under terrorist attack west of Hodeida by three Houthi suicide boats

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The White House has officially put Iran “on notice” following an attack on a Saudi frigate that may have been carried out by Iranian-backed Houhti militants, said National Security Adviser Mike Flynn.

Flynn issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the Jan. 31 attack on the Saudi vessel and a “provocative ballistic missile launch,” which he said are part of a pattern of Iranian behavior.

The Obama administration “failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions;” while President Trump has called previous agreements made with the U.S. and United Nations “weak and ineffective,” Flynn said.

“Instead of being thankful to the United States for these agreements, Iran is now feeling emboldened,” he said. “As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.”

The threat of attacks on warships or commercial shipping has defense officials thinking about stepping up U.S. military presence near war-torn Yemen, according to two defense officials briefed on developments.

On Tuesday,

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were actually targeting what they thought was a U.S. warship. In the video, voices can be heard saying “death to America; death to Israel. But one of the defense officials told Navy Times that any report that the rebels were targeting the U.S. is speculation.
The deadly attack, which was caught on film and posted to social media, took place near the strategically critical Bab-a-Mandab strait, an 18-mile-wide choke point for millions of barrels of oil that move every day from the Middle East to Europe. It is also the quickest route for the U.S. Navy to travel from Europe to the Central Command area of operations.

The threat of attacks on warships or commercial shipping has defense officials thinking about stepping up U.S. military presence near war-torn Yemen, according to two Defense officials briefed on developments.

Still, the security of the sea lane has been an increasing concern for the Navy since the destroyer Mason came under attack in October, defense officials say. That attack led to U.S. strikes on rebel radar sites in Yemen just days later.

Experts say the new threats in the Bab-al-Mandab is putting the Navy in a situation familiar to the Army and Marine Corps in recent years: operating under the constant threat of attack.

"It makes the Navy very concerned, and it reminds them that ships are vulnerable," said Bryan Clark a retired commander and analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "They are easy to identify and they operate in close proximity to threats. "It puts a premium on being able to defend yourself on very short notice.

The Navy has invested money in self-defense for years, however, and regularly trains to meet both small boats and missiles. The rising threat of attack in the Bab-al-Mandab is going to test whether those investments are going to pay off, Clark said.

For the crews of ships in the area, the threat means the rules of engagement are going to change, said Capt. Rick Hoffman, a retired cruiser skipper.

"Generally it means we will have a heightened alert posture, we will adjust the rules of engagements to where our trip-wires are further out," Hoffman said. "Our trip wires of maneuver, evasion, warning shots, and use of deadly force will be pushed out.

"Now we have to be careful because there is a lot of innocent shipping in that area so we need to makes sure we discover intent. ... Once we determine the intent is to harm us, we kill them as expeditiously as possible," Hoffman said.

For the Navy, the increasing threat is a reminder that if ships are not in the area regularly, things can get messy in a hurry.

"If you are not there, if you’re not stopping the weapons moving from Iran to the Houthis, this is what happens," said one Navy official who spoke on background. "There are real global and economic consequences to this.”

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