The Saudi-led military coalition launched an operation on Sunday (March 7th) against the rebels in Yemen with strikes in particular on the capital Sanaa, the first in months, after the interception of Houthi drones, according to Riyadh, on the territory Saudi.
These drone attacks have not been claimed, but the official Saudi agency SPA blamed the Houthi rebels, who have stepped up fire against the kingdom in recent weeks and threatened new attacks. At the same time, the rebels resumed their offensive against the oil town of Marib, the last stronghold in northern Yemen still in loyalist hands.
“The military operation targets the military capabilities of the Houthis in Sanaa and other provinces” from Yemen, the coalition said on Sunday, quoted by SPA. The air raids caused huge explosions in Sana’a, sending columns of smoke into the sky. The Houthis have reported seven airstrikes on the capital.
These bombings come after the announcement by the coalition of the interception in Saudi Arabia of twelve drones, according to a latest report, launched on Sunday against the kingdom, in what constitutes an escalation of attacks against Saudi territory.
” Red line “
According to the coalition, which has militarily supported the Yemeni government since 2015 in its war against the rebels, the drones were directed against civilian targets. Targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia is “A red line”, the coalition said after the airstrikes on Sana’a.
The upsurge in violence comes as Joe Biden’s US administration urged the Houthis to de-escalate after removing them from the list of “Terrorist organizations” so as not to hinder, according to her, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen.
But “The removal of the Houthis from the list of terrorist groups has been interpreted in a hostile manner by the militia” Houthis, says the coalition cited by SPA. The “Victories” pro-government forces facing the Houthis in Marib pushed the rebels to step up their attacks on the kingdom, she added.
On Saturday, government military sources reported at least 90 fighters killed on both sides in twenty-four hours of heavy clashes in Marib. The Houthis have been trying for a month to wrest this strategic city from loyalist forces supported by the Saudi air force. The rebels are supported by Iran, Riyadh’s great regional rival. But Tehran denies providing weapons to the Houthis.
Having left their stronghold in northern Yemen in 2014, the rebels took control of vast regions, including the capital Sana’a and the port city of Hodeidah (west). Coming from the large Zaidite minority, they considered themselves marginalized by the central government.
Years of bombing have failed to shake the Houthi hold on Sana’a. The capture of Marib by the rebels would be a stinging setback for the Yemeni power and its Saudi ally.
The war in Yemen has claimed tens of thousands of lives, according to various international NGOs, and led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis today, according to the United Nations (UN).
Shortly after arriving at the White House, Joe Biden announced the end of US support for the Saudi military campaign in Yemen, claiming that it had “Created a humanitarian and strategic disaster”. But he also reaffirmed Washington’s support for Saudi Arabia in the defense of its territory.
