President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, has earned the praise of officials in Yemen who are saying the move has directly resulted in Iran’s diminished role there.
Jim Jones, former Obama national security adviser, called sanctions on Iran “effective” and said he would like to see more countries sanction Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s U.S. allied military coalition has cut multiple deals with al-Qaeda in order to maintain ground in the ongoing civil war in Yemen, a report by The Associated Press on Monday revealed.
South Korea’s presidential Blue House is finally responding to the petition filed in June after several hundred refugees from Yemen arrived on tiny Jeju Island. The government promised to tighten up asylum screening in response to public complaints.
Contents: Attacks on Saudi tankers expose twin Iran military threats to international oil shipments; US considers military options for Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb
Contents: Saudi Arabia suspends Red Sea oil shipments after Yemen Houthi missile strikes tanker; Saudis renew airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen’s Hodeidah seaport
When last we checked in on Jeju Island, the little South Korean resort that unexpected found itself dealing with hundreds of refugees from the brutal civil war in Yemen, the refugees were cautiously optimistic about the help they were receiving from private citizens and the South Korean government. Three weeks later their situation has reportedly taken a turn for the worse, with homeless refugees camping on the streets of Jeju.
Al-Arabiya ran an article on Tuesday in which Yemeni refugees staying on South Korea’s Jeju Island spoke about their “asylum struggles,” particularly their efforts to move from the island to the South Korean mainland.
The United Nations warned this week that an estimated 18.4 million are expected to perish of war-driven starvation in Yemen by the end of the year, a development that will exacerbate what some say is the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a member of a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen since 2015, revealed Tuesday that the Sunni alliance is working with the United Nations on a deal to end the war that would make peace contingent upon the Shiite rebels withdrawal from the strategically important port city of Hodeidah.
The South Korean resort island of Jeju provides a fascinating case study in refugee politics as the small island wrestles with an unexpected surge of refugees from Yemen’s civil war.
The Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting to restore the internationally-recognized government of Yemen reported on Wednesday that the strategically vital airport in Hodeidah was captured from Houthi insurgents without any civilian casualties, despite the Houthi tactic of placing armored fighting vehicles in civilian areas.
Contents: Saudi coalition claims to have captured airport in Yemen’s Hodeidah; United Nations renews its peace plan proposal
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Officials in a Saudi-led coalition now battling Shiite rebels for control of a crucial port in Yemen on Tuesday displayed weapons captured on the battlefield that they say show Iran is arming the insurgents.
South Korea has long faced the possibility of dealing with a refugee crisis from North Korea if the government collapses, but a wave of refugees coming from an entirely different direction have taken Seoul by surprise and caused a political crisis. The administration of President Moon Jae-in is under enormous pressure to deal with asylum seekers fleeing the horrific civil war in Yemen.
Ongoing fierce clashes between the Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-allied Houthi rebels over the control of Yemen’s most vital port city, Hodeida, have forced about 26,000 residents to flee so far, the United Nations declared this week as fighting continues to rage.
A Saudi-led coalition of Arab fighters reportedly used Apache helicopter gunships and carriers to bomb Iran-backed Houthi fighters who had taken shelter at an airport in Hodeidah, Yemen, on Monday in an attempt to push the rebels to leave the city and “save the population” of civilians there.
The Saudi-led coalition reportedly said this week it can seize Yemen’s main port city of Hodeida from the Iran-allied Houthi rebels quickly enough to avoid interrupting aid to millions and triggering the famine that the United Nations fears would befall the region if the offensive continues.
Contents: Saudi Arabia and UAE launch a ‘catastrophic’ assault on Port Hodeidah in Yemen; Houthis increase missile attacks on Saudi cities
The U.S. military has reportedly intensified its assistance to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, providing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with intelligence to improve the accuracy of airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the port city of Hodeida that began Wednesday.
Saudi air defences on Sunday intercepted a ballistic missile over the southern city of Jizan after being fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, a Saudi-led military coalition said.
The Trump administration is considering a plea from the United Arab Emirates for American military assistance in Yemen, specifically to capture the vital port city of Hodeidah from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
SALALAH, Oman — A cyclone more powerful than any previously recorded in southern Oman slammed into the Gulf country and neighboring Yemen on Saturday, deluging a major city with nearly three years’ worth of rainfall in single day. The storm killed at least six people while more than 30 remain missing, officials said.
Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran (SNSC), reportedly said on Wednesday that Iran is ready to hold talks on the civil war in Yemen with Saudi Arabia without preconditions.
The United States Treasury Department on Tuesday issued a fresh set of sanctions against Iran, targeting five Iranians who are linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and who provided ballistic missile support to Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Saudi-owned satellite news channel says ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Shiite rebels have targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The occupation of historic Socotra archipelago by forces of the United Arab Emirates was denounced on Monday as an “unjustified” attack on “national sovereignty.”
Contents: Residents of Yemen’s Socotra island protest UAE military deployment; Rift grows between Saudi Arabia and UAE in Yemen
The New York Times reported on Thursday that U.S. Army Green Berets have been quietly working with Saudi forces in Yemen since late last year, allegedly in contradiction of official statements that America gave only logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi-led campaign against Iran-backed Houthi insurgents. The news comes as Sudan considers withdrawing from participation in the Saudi intervention, which has now been in progress for over three years.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for unity among the Gulf states against the “common challenge” of Iran during his trip to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Iran’s ruling regime blasted the “unholy partnership” between the United States and Saudi Arabia on Monday, arguing it will bring “further instability, war, extremism and an arms race in the Middle East.”
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – A Malaysian court on Monday sentenced a Danish citizen to a week in jail after he pleaded guilty to maliciously publishing false information, the first person to be punished under a controversial anti-fake news law.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is using the Middle East leg of his first trip abroad as America’s top diplomat to call for concerted international action to punish Iran for its missile programs.
WASHINGTON, DC — Rival terrorist groups Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are capitalizing on the security vacuum created by deteriorating security conditions in Yemen to expand their influence, a top Pentagon official cautioned lawmakers.
DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman opened a summit of Arab leaders on Sunday by condemning an old foe, Iran, without making any reference to missile strikes by Western powers on Syrian government targets over a suspected gas attack a week ago.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a $930 million donation to the United Nations humanitarian efforts in Yemen as the war between the Saudi-led Sunni coalition and Shiite Iran-allied Houthi militants continues to rage.
During his U.S. visit, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman renewed his calls for the U.S. to fully withdraw from the nuclear Iran deal, saying the accord would not prevent Iran’s regime from acquiring nuclear weapons and likened it to “waiting for the bullet to reach your head.”
Contents: Yemen’s Iran-backed al-Houthi rebels launch barrage of missile attacks on Saudi cities; Al-Houthi missile attack on Saudi cities sharply escalates the Yemen war
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen fired a salvo of seven ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia on Sunday night, targeting the cities of Najran, Jizan, Khamis Mushait, and the capital of Riyadh. Saudi defense forces say they were able to intercept all seven missiles. One fatality and two injuries were reported as debris from an intercepted missile fell on a home in Riyadh and killed an Egyptian resident. The death marked the first fatality on Saudi soil from a Houthi attack.
The United States signed a $1 billion deal with Saudi Arabia on Thursday that includes sending nearly 6,600 missiles to the kingdom.
