10-nation coalition launches strikes to ensure Yemen stability

UPDATE: Etisalat stops broadcasting ‘Yemen Channel’

Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) on Thursday decided to cease broadcasting ‘Yemen Channel’, which is carried in the e-Life bundle, as it contains inciting programmes, and is an opponent to legitimacy and the international resolutions on Yemen.

LATEST: Saudi suspends domestic and international flights from southern region

The General Authority of Civil Aviation on Thursday announced the temporary suspension of international and domestic flights bound to and from the kingdom's airports located in the southern region.

An official statement released on Thursday said that according to followed procedures, domestic and international flights at both King Abdullah Airports of Jazan, Abha, Wadi Aldwasir, Bisha, Sharourah and Najran have been suspended temporarily, starting from Thursday morning, until further notice.

The authority explained that detailed information for travellers by airlines operating in these airports will be communicated to them directly via SMS text messages.

JUST IN:  Senior Scholars calls upon Muslims to support Al Hazm Storm operation

The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia has said that the decision of the Kingdom, Arab Gulf states and other participating countries, to launch the Al Hazm Storm operation in Yemen, aims to protect the legitimate government and defend the Yemeni people from Al Houthi militias.

The Saudi Press Agency, SPA, quoted the Council's statement as describing the decision as "fit and wise", supported by the higher interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, the Arab region and the Islamic world, which have interest in Yemen's stability and unity and interest in the security of the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, which constitutes security for the entire Muslim world, and lives at the heart of every Muslim, and Muslims all over the world are against anyone who tries to undermine its security.

Sheikh Dr. Fahad bin Saad Al Majid, the Council's Secretary-General, said that senior scholars have already declared the Houthi group a terrorist group that does not want good for Yemen and Muslims, as detailed in the council's statement in 2014.

He stated that Muslims in the whole world, institutions and nations, are called on to support this military operation in order to achieve its legitimate objectives based on the duty of supporting the people of Yemen and preserving the stability and security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab region so as to prevent the use of Yemen as a tool by external forces that have not ceased their tampering with security and stability of Yemen.

Saudi, Jordanian Kings discuss developments in the region

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, discussed in a phone call yesterday the regional and international developments.

The Saudi Press Agency, SPA, said that the Kings discussed cooperation between both countries during the call .


Egypt supports politically and military Gulf Arab operation in Yemen

The Arab Republic of Egypt has announced its political and military support for the steps taken by the coalition in support of the legitimate government in Yemen.

A statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that Egypt's support for this move comes in response to the coalition's request, emanating from its historical responsibilities towards Arab national security and the security of the Arab Gulf region.

The statement also added that Egypt followed up with great concern over the last weeks the severe deterioration in the political and security situation in the brotherly Yemen, and what has been witnessed of attacks on the legitimate institutions and the spread of violence and terrorism, a matter which Egypt announced its full rejection of, and called for the full implementation of the outputs of the National Dialogue and respect for its legitimacy.

The statement explained that the Egyptian government is currently conducting coordination with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States, on participation's arrangements by Egyptian air and naval forces, and even a ground force, if necessary, in the framework of the alliance, in order to defend the security and stability of Yemen, preserve its territorial integrity and the maintenance of security of Arab countries


Morocco declares its full solidarity with Saudi to maintain legitimacy in Yemen

The Kingdom of Morocco has affirmed its full and absolute solidarity with Saudi Arabia to maintain the legitimacy of the government in Yemen.

The Moroccan News Agency, MAP, carried a statement which said, ''The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has stated that the Kingdom of Morocco has closely followed up with great concern the serious developments in Yemen, represented by the use of force and violence by the militia in undermining the gains of the Yemeni National Dialogue and striking against the legitimacy.'' The Ministry said, ''With regard to these behaviours and their potential risks on a large scale, the Kingdom of Morocco declares its full and absolute solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support to maintain legitimacy in Yemen and defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its steps to ward off any harm that may affect its territory, the Holy Grand Mosque, or threaten peace and security in the entire region.'' WAM/Amani

Statement of GCC Countries on Yemen

The Kingdom Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait today issued the following statement:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, with great concern and pain, followed the dangerous development of events in the Republic of Yemen, which shook the security of Yemen and its stability through the coup orchestrated by the Houti Militias on the legitimacy.

Also, this has become a major issue regarding the security and the stability of the region and a threat to world peace and security. Our countries have been expeditious in exerting all the efforts to stand with the neighborly people of Yemen in order to bring back its security and stability through establishing a political process launched by the Gulf States initiative and executive mechanisms, and to safeguard the region from the repercussions of this coup.

And in this framework, the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, responded to the request of His Excellency the President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, which was introduced on 7th March 2015, requesting the convening of a conference in Riyadh under the umbrella of the GCC to be attended by all political Yemeni parties wishing to preserve the security and stability of Yemen.

And at the time when the preparations were taking place to convene this conference, we received a letter from His Excellency the President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and the following is the text of the letter:

Dear Brother the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, The King of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dear Brother, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the brotherly United Arab Emirates.

Dear Brother, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, The King of the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain.

Dear Brother, His Majesty the Sultan Qabus Bin Said, The Sultan of the brotherly Oman.

Dear Brother, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al-Sabah, The Emir of the neighborly State of Kuwait.

Dear Brother, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, The Emir of the brotherly State of Qatar.

Dear Brothers, I write to you this letter with sadness and my heart is overwhelmed with great sadness and sorrow as a result of the security situations in the Republic of Yemen, the result of the enormous deterioration and the great danger due to the ongoing aggressive actions and the continuing violence against the sovereignty of Yemen that the Houthi coup orchestrators are undertaking and continuing to undertake with the intention to disintegrate Yemen and to strike its security and stability.

We have exerted all possible efforts to end these Houthi criminal sinful aggressions against our people, which left deep wounds in each Yemeni home. We sought with all our power to reach a peaceful solution to get Yemen out from a dark tunnel that the coup Houthi orchestrators put the country in, to safeguard our people from the fire of chaos and destruction, and to avoid implicating the country into a war that will burn the entire land that the coup orchestrators sought and continue to seek its ignition.

But our all peaceful efforts and our continuous determination faced a categorical refusal by the Houthi coup orchestrators who are continuing their transgressions to bring the remaining region and especially in the south under their control, which led the Republic of Yemen to go through the most difficult conditions in its history. The people of Yemen, who abide by our Islamic religion, have never witnessed such a similar sinful aggression, which is refuted by Islamic principles and traditions as well as International charters.

This sinful aggression executed by internal Militias supported by forces from within who sold their conscience and are only concerned about their self-interests, and also supported by regional powers, whose objective is to dominate this country and to make it a base for their dominance in the region. This threat is not only menacing the security of Yemen only, but also the security of the entire region as well as the world peace and security.

In the face of these serious developments, and the keenness on Yemen's security and stability and the security of the region and international peace and security, and the protection of the Yemeni brave people who pay a heavy price as a result of the Houthi coup, it is out of my constitutional responsibilities that necessitate that I have to take care of people and the preservation of the nation's unity, independence and territorial integrity, and taking into account what has been and is being carried out by Houthi militias by way of aggressive acts, the most recent one is monitoring military convoys destined to attack Aden and seize it and the rest of the South, and the announcement of the criminal militias of their intentions to move militarily towards the south which was confirmed by the recent report of the special envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations submitted to the Security Council, including the confirmation that the so-called Houthi Revolutionary Committee has issued an appeal for public mobilization in the military units controlled by it in the north in preparation for the campaign on the south, and the report also confirmed that the Houthis are continuing their occupation of government institutions and expansion into new areas, despite repeated demands by the Security Council, and that Air Force aircraft seized by the Houthis are continuing to fly over and bombard the city of Aden, which is considered a serious unprecedented escalation.

And as the United Nations envoy's report has confirmed that the Houthis began to move now toward the south, Lahaj and Aden, and that fears spread of the exploitation of Al Qaeda of the current instability to provoke further chaos which makes the country slide toward more violent conflict and fragmentation, I appeal to you my brothers and your sisterly nations to stand - as you have accustomed us always - by the Yemeni people for the protection of Yemen, and I ask you, based on the principle of self-defense in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and on the basis of the Charter of the Arab League and the treaty of joint Arab defense, to provide instant support by all necessary means, including military intervention to protect Yemen and its people from continuous Houthi aggression and deter the expected attack to occur at any hour on the city of Aden and the rest of the southern regions, and to help Yemen in the face of Al Qaeda and ISIS.

The Yemeni people will not forget the standing of his brothers by its side in these difficult circumstances and threats to it.

In conclusion, I assure that the Yemeni people's trust in Allah Almighty will never be shaken, and would remain committed to their national fundamentals imposed to make it dearly in order to maintain the pride and dignity of the nation and its sovereignty.

Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, March 24, 2015.'

Saudi Ambassador to Washington: Saudi Arabia, coalition of over ten countries launched operations in Yemen

Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America, Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir, has stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched military operations in Yemen as part of a coalition of over ten countries in response to a direct request from the legitimate government of Yemen.

Saudi Press Agency, SPA, quoted Al Jubeir as saying in a press conference at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, "The operation will be limited in nature, and designed to protect the people of Yemen and its legitimate government from a takeover by the Houthis and a Houthi violent and extremist militia. The Gulf Cooperation Council countries have tried to facilitate a peaceful transition of government in Yemen, but the Houthis have continuously undercut the process by occupying territory and seizing weapons belonging to the government."

He added, "In spite of repeated efforts by the GCC, Group of 10 countries and the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General to seek a peaceful way to implement the GCC initiatives and the outcomes of the national dialogue that define the political transition in Yemen, the Houthis have reneged on every single agreement they have made and continue their quest to take over the country by violent means. They captured the capital city of Sanaa, they placed the legitimate President, Prime Minister and cabinet members under house arrest, they seized the security services and they continue to expand their occupation of the country."

In a letter dated March 7th, 2015, President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi of Yemen made a request to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to convene a conference under the auspices of the GCC to which all Yemeni political factions seeking to preserve security and stability in Yemen would be invited. The Houthis rejected this invitation and continued their violent onslaught in Yemen to the point where they were threatening to occupy the city of Aden, which had become the temporary capital for the legitimate government of President Hadi after he was able to escape from Sanaa.

In a letter, dated March 24th, 2015, President Hadi made, based on the principle of self-defense, enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter, as well as in the Arab League charter's collective defense mechanism, a request for immediate support, by all means necessary, including military intervention to protect Yemen and its people.

Based on the appeal from President Hadi, and based on the Kingdom's responsibility to Yemen and its people, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with its allies within the GCC and outside the GCC, launched military operations in support of the people of Yemen and their legitimate government.

All Houthi Air Defences 'fully destroyed'


Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that the first air strike on the Houthis' strongholds in Yemen has fully destroyed all Houthi air defences, Al-Dailami base, SAM missiles batteries and four warplanes, without any losses in the Saudi Air Force.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Minister of Defence, Chief of the Royal Court and Special Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrived at the centre of the Air Force Operations Command to command the Al-Hazm (Firm) Storm operation, which began operations upon an order issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Supreme Commander of all Military Forces, at 12 o'clock midnight local time.

"The Minister of Defence supervised the first air strike on the Houthis' strongholds in Yemen, which resulted in the destruction of all Houthi air defences fully, Al-Dailami base, SAM missiles batteries and four warplanes, without any losses in the Saudi Air Force.

The SPA statement continued, "At the operations command center, the Minister received the Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, who was briefed on the details of the military plans and operations directly before the Saudi aircraft started their missions."
 

Pro-government forces retake Aden airport

Forces loyal to Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi recaptured the international airport in his southern power base Aden early on Thursday, a security official said.

Troops of the 39th Armoured Brigade, who are allied to the Shiite Huthi militia which controls the capital Sanaa, pulled out of the airport just a day after seizing it, the official said.

13 killed in Sanaa during Yemen offensive: civil defence

At least 13 civilians were killed in air strikes against Huthi rebels in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a civil defence source said Thursday.

Military sources said the raids had hit rebel positions at various locations in Sanaa, including at Al Daylami airbase and the adjacent international airport in the north of the city, as well as the presidential complex seized by the rebels in January.

Yemen has been gripped by growing turmoil since the Shiite Huthi rebels launched a power grab in February.

The offensive came after the Huthi rebels threatened Yemen's second city of Aden, where Hadi has taken refuge after fleeing Sanaa.

 

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