I/II. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/coalition-jets-continue-hit-houthi-targets-yemen-150327022702372.html
Coalition jets continue to hit Houthi targets in Yemen Saudi Arabia leads attack of rebel military bases in second night of raids as embattled President Hadi flees to Riyadh. 27 Mar 2015 05:27 GMT | War & Conflict, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Houthis, Middle East Warplanes from a coalition led by Saudi Arabia have continued bombing Houthi targets in Yemen for a second day, including the Shia rebel group's stronghold of Saada, as embattled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh. A spokesman of the coalition said on Thursday that the military operation against the Shia Houthi rebels would continue "as long as necessary". Brigadier Ahmed al-Asiri also said that "at the moment" there are no plans for the deployment of ground forces, but troops are "ready for all the circumstances". President Hadi arrived in Riyadh on Thursday, with officials saying he would continue his journey to Egypt to take part in a two-day Arab League summit at the weekend. That was the first confirmation of Hadi's whereabouts since the rebels began advancing this week on the main southern city of Aden, where the president has been holed up since fleeing the rebel-controlled capital last month. Saudi Arabia began the air campaign on Thursday night, saying it had assembled a coalition of more than 10 countries, five of them members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. The Saudi ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir, said the coalition stood ready to do "whatever it takes" to protect Hadi's government. Explosions have been heard in the capital, Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control since September. The Shia rebels seized power in a coup last month. Thousands protest Al Jazeera received reports that air strikes targeted a reception camp of new recruits joining militias loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh - who backs the Houthis - west of Sanaa. Eyewitnesses also reported air strikes and loud blasts in Saada near the Saudi border, where a military unit was the target. Al Jazeera also learned that the air strikes hit al-Anad Air Base in Aden in the south and the Tariq Air Base in the country's third city of Taiz. Rights group Amnesty International said at least six children were among 25 people killed in the air strikes in the capital on Thursday. Earlier, Houthi sources said at least 18 people had been killed in the bombardment. Thousands of protesters gathered in Sanaa against the air raids. In a statement following the strikes, the White House said that the US was coordinating military and intelligence support with the Saudis but not taking part directly in the raids. Jeff Rathke, a US State Department spokesman, said on Thursday that the US government "understands the concerns" of the Saudis and is "supportive of their effort". Iranian condemnation Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, in a televised speech, described the Saudi-led operation as a "despicable aggression". "What do they expect us to do, surrender, announce our defeat and act like cowards? Absolutely not. This is not how the honorable Yemeni people think. We will fight back. All 24 million Yemenis will stand united and face that despicable aggression," al-Houthi said. Ousted president Saleh also called on the Houthis to stop attacking Aden, even as he denounced the Saudi air strikes inside his country. Iran, which is accused of backing the Houthis but denies the charge, has condemned the intervention as "a dangerous step" that violated "international responsibilities and national sovereignty". President Hassan Rouhani said it amounted to "military aggression" and "condemned all military intervention in the internal affairs of independent nations". Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking from Switzerland where he is attending talks on his country's nuclear programme, warned that air strikes would lead only to greater loss of life. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, said that Iran had been trying to dominate the Middle East. "It is really not possible to tolerate this. Iran has to understand," he said, adding that Tehran should withdraw any forces it had in Yemen as well as from Syria and Iraq. Saudi television said the kingdom had deployed 100 fighter jets to the operation, while the United Arab Emirates had committed 30, Kuwait 15 each and Qatar 10. Bahrain said it had committed 12 fighter jets. All five are members of the GCC. There was no mention of Oman, the sixth GCC member. Saudi Arabia had also mobilised 150,000 troops near the border. Riyadh said it was boosting security on its borders and across the kingdom, including at the OPEC kingpin's crucial oil facilities. II. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/conflict-in-yemen/article23628188/ Yemen military action denounced by Iran as 'dangerous step' AHMED AL-HAJ AND HAMZA HENDAWI SANAA -- The Associated Press Published Thursday, Mar. 26 2015, 12:26 AM EDT Last updated Thursday, Mar. 26 2015, 8:22 PM EDT The turmoil in Yemen grew into a regional conflict Thursday, with Saudi Arabia and its allies bombing Shia rebels allied with Iran, while Egyptian officials said a ground assault will follow the air strikes. Iran denounced the Saudi-led air campaign, saying it "considers this action a dangerous step," and oil prices jumped in New York and London after the offensive. The military action turned impoverished and chaotic Yemen into a new front in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Yemen's United States-backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled the country Wednesday as the rebels known as Houthis advanced on his stronghold in the southern port of Aden, reappeared Thursday. He arrived by plane in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, Saudi state TV reported. Starting before dawn, Saudi warplanes pounded an air base, military bases and anti-aircraft positions in the capital of Sanaa and flattened a number of homes near the airport, killing at least 18 civilians, including six children. Another round followed in the evening, again rocking the city. Rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi angrily accused the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel of launching a "criminal, unjust, brutal and sinful" campaign aimed at invading and occupying Yemen. "Yemenis won't accept such humiliation," he said in a televised speech Thursday night, calling the Saudis "stupid" and "evil." The Houthis, who have taken over much of the country, mobilized thousands of supporters to protest the air strikes, with one speaker lashing out at the Saudi-led coalition and warning that Yemen "will be the tomb" of the aggressors. White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Air Force One en route to Alabama that U.S. President Barack Obama had authorized logistical and intelligence support for the strikes, but that the U.S. is not joining with direct military action. In the air assault, Saudi Arabia deployed some 100 fighter jets, 150,000 soldiers and other navy units, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported. Also involved were aircraft from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Egypt, though it was not clear which carried out actual strikes. Once the air strikes have weakened the rebels and their allies in the military forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a ground invasion of Yemen is planned by Egyptian, Saudi and other forces. The assault will come from Saudi Arabia and by landings on Yemen's coasts along the Red and Arabian seas, according to three Egyptian military and security officials. Three to five Egyptian troop carriers are stationed offshore, they said, although the number of troops was not specified, and the timing of the operation was not given. The aim is not to occupy Yemen but to weaken the Houthis and their allies until they enter negotiations for power-sharing, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the plans with the press. Egypt is "prepared for participation with naval, air and ground forces if necessary," Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said at a gathering of Arab foreign ministers preparing for a weekend summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Saudi Arabia and fellow Sunni-led allies in the Gulf and the Middle East view the Houthi takeover as an attempt by Iran to establish a proxy on the kingdom's southern border. Iran and the Houthis deny that Tehran is arming the rebel movement, though it says it provides diplomatic and humanitarian support. In recent months, the Houthis have swept out of their northern strongholds to take over Sanaa and much of the north. The air strikes appeared to give new spirit to military units and militiamen loyal to Mr. Hadi. In Aden, pro-Hadi militiamen battled in two districts with Houthi fighters backed by Mr. Saleh's forces. Bodies of slain fighters were seen in the streets, as shops closed and residents sheltered in their houses, witnesses said. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
