July 20-26: Houthis and coalition trade airstrikes, offshore oil tanker threatens to spill

July 20-26: Houthis and coalition trade airstrikes, offshore oil tanker threatens to spill

Saturday, July 20

San’a was rocked by several powerful explosions following air raids by the Saudi-led coalition on Saturday. The strikes ostensibly targeted Houthi air defenses and ballistic missile sites. On the same day, the Houthis claimed to have carried out drone attacks on military targets at King Khalid Air Base in southwestern Saudi Arabia. According to Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarei, the drone attacks targeted radar installations and military positions at the air base near the city of Khamis Mushait. There was no comment from the Saudi-UAE coalition on the rebel claim.

July 13-19: WFP and Houthis near agreement on aid to San'a, protests against Saudi presence in al-Mahrah continue

Saturday, July 13

The Houthi rebels and the World Food Program may have reached an agreement that would allow the resumption of aid deliveries to San’a, which WFP suspended recently due to the Houthis’ obstruction and theft of aid shipments. Meanwhile, representatives from Ansar Allah and the coalition-backed government met as members of the Redeployment Coordination Committee on a UN ship in the Red Sea for talks over the weekend. The body was established by the UN and chaired by Danish Lieutenant-General Michael Lollesgaard, head of the UN mission for Hudaydah. 

Independent journalist Baseem al-Jenani tweeted that the Houthis arrived late to the joint meeting on implementation of the Stockholm Agreements, held on a ship off the coast of Hudaydah.

The United Nations human rights office reported that a Houthi court sentenced 30 academics, students, and politicians "critical of the Houthis" to death, adding that "credible" allegations show many were tortured during their detentions. These charges appear to have been "politically motivated," announced spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani last week.

July 6-12: UAE pulls forces from Hudaydah, cholera cases skyrocket

Sunday, July 7

The pro-Houthi Saba news agency reported that the Houthis have developed new missiles and drones to use against the Saudi-led Coalition supporting the government. The weapons were unveiled at an exhibition on Sunday attended by Mahdi Al-Mashat, president of the rebel’s ruling council. The agency said the exhibition displayed “new models of ballistic and winged missiles and drones made in Yemen,” including the Quds-1 missile, the Samad-3 drone, and the Qasef-2K drone.

 Monday, July 8

 Save the Children reported Monday that the first six months of 2019, Yemen has seen more suspected cholera cases than in the whole of 2018. A total of 439,812 suspected cholera cases were so far identified with some 203,000 children among those affected. The ongoing rainy season exacerbates the situation, with flooding and downpours threatening to intensify the spread of the waterborne disease.

IHL & HRL Violations - June 2019

Abha, Saudi Arabia

On June 12th, Houthi forces attacked the Saudi civilian airport Abha International Airport, launching a cruise missile that struck the airport and injured 26 people. This attack constitutes a violation of rules 3 and 6, which prohibit targeting civilians.

Al-Hudaydah Governorate 

On June 17th, a woman was killed and two others were injured when a shell fired by the Houthi militias landed in the midst of a rally of citizens in the city of Hays. Targeting civilians is a violation of rules 3 and 6. 

On June 24th, a girl was killed and four civilians, including two children, were injured as a result of Houthi shelling in the city of Hays. In a related context, a man was shot and killed by a Houthi sniper outside of his home in the al-Durayhimi District. This is a violation of rules 3 and 6, which prohibit targeting civilians.

June 29-July 5: More Houthi Drone Attacks; UAE Escalates Withdrawal of Forces

Saturday, June 29

A new UN report released this weekend found that over 7,500 children have been killed or wounded in Yemen since the start of the war. The majority of these casualties were attributed to airstrikes, shelling, fighting, suicide attacks, and mines. The Secretary-General’s report said that the killings and injuries specifically were among 11,779 grave violations against children since the beginning of the conflict. Virginia Gamba, the UN special representative for children in conflict, commented, “the children of Yemen had nothing to do with the start of this conflict. They should now be given the opportunity to exit from it and be assisted to fully recover.”

A Houthi-laid mine in al-Jawf province killed two men and a child today, reports al-Masdar Online.