Name: Meesum Ali Alvi

Topic: The War in Yemen: Crimes and Consequences

The Yemen crisis unfolded over several years, starting with the Arab Spring in 2011 when numerous groups
took to streets, chanting various slogans. Some pro-democracy protestors, others concerned with increased
Saudi influence on the country’s ruling elite. Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh relinquished power after
multiple attempts to force a resignation. By March, protests had taken a violent turn after the military
opened fire on the orders of Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, former prime minister and then acting President,
an individual with Saudi backing and a known beneficiary of Saudi Mineral companies to be installed in
Yemen. The start of a Civil War was officially announced after The Ansarullah aka Houthis took over the
Yemeni Capital of Sana’a in a rapid strike operation. Intense clashes between several groups took place,
most notably Houthis against Pro- government Saudi-Backed forces, ISIS and the US backed coalition
forces. The conflict is a potential flashpoint for another regional war, as growing Iranian influence on the
land border with arch rival Saudi Arabia and emergence of another pro-Shiite force is further solidifying the
ground for a Persian style checkmate to US-Israel policies in the middle-east.

Initial weapon of choice of the Saudi coalition was the naval blockade, Egypt had committed five warships
to Saudi aid and Somalia had offered its airspace and waters to be used against Yemen along with 4
thousand soldiers. From March 2015 and onwards dozens of casualties were being reported daily. Some of
the worst airstrikes include Ma’arib Governorate attack and Air campaign in Al-Hodeidyah. The Air Raids
on civilian population resulted in death of 20,000 people till 2017 in airstrikes alone. Saudi Coalition
Advanced further after destruction of Al Anad airbase which was seized from USAF by Houthi militias.
Hundreds of casualties were again reported when RSAF hit Al-Hodeidyah dairy and oil factory.
At the same time Saudi Air-to-Ground missiles hit Sa’adah. The Saudi strikes continued for another 3
years. The officially recognized war crimes include 20,500 unlawful airstrikes on civilian settlements,
Indiscriminate Artillery Attacks, Landmines in more than six governorates, Arbitrary Detentions, Torture
and Enforced Disappearances, Attacks on Cultural and Heritage sites, Targeting medical camps and
hospitals. One of the worst war crimes was reportedly the use of white phosphorus, a chemical weapon.
Saudi regime used cluster bombs of the CBU-105 type, a weapon banned by the UN human rights
charter. From 2013 to the present day UNHRC has termed the Yemen War as”the worst humanitarian
crises”. More than 3 million were displaced, were insecure of food in Yemen due to the blockade.
Malnutrition killed a child every 10 minutes in previous years. Rape had been used as a weapon of war
making around 2 million women insecure. The war torn country lost its only port in Hodeidah in an
attack by the Saudi F-15 eagles. In a royal statement issued by MBS which states “democracy is under a
serious threat in our neighboring country and we must jump to aid of pro-democracy fighters” despite
Saudi Arabia itself being a Monarchy. Saudi Arabia launched “Operation Decisive Storm”. A coalition
of nine countries equipped with Fighter jets and Ground forces of Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan,
United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Academi (Blackwater , An American security company) ,
with United States providing intelligence and logistical support, including air refueling, one the largest
military alliance was formed to destroy Houthi forces. The UK and US collectively sold more than 200
billion dollars of military hardware and also deployed military personnel under command and control of
Royal Saudi Forces.

The Houthis armed movement boasts more than hundred thousand fighters. Most militants are Zaidi
Shiites in coordination with many Sunni groups of anti-ISIS/anti-AlQaeda ideology in Yemen and seeking
greater autonomy for the Houthi-majority regions of the country. They held lines against Saudi led
coalition as well as the Islamic state and Al Qaeda with very limited resources. At the start, the movement
could only afford Assault rifles and some units of LMGs but today are equipped with armored vehicles,
surveillance radars, tanks, mortars, Ballistic missiles, Suicide and surveillance drones, anti-tank and anti-
aircraft weaponry. These weapons were smuggled in the country at a time when movement was days away
from being completely destroyed. These weapons are mostly of Russian and Iranian origin.
Over the years, the group has found allies in powerful places, namely Iran, Russia, Lebanon, Palestine,
Syria and Iraq. The group has managed to display naval warfare capabilities as well, like homemade rocket
propelled bombs, capability to intercept Saudi Assault boats and Shipping vessels belonging to KSA.
On the media front, to counter western silencing maneuver, Middle Eastern allies of the Houthis invested
heavily in media and set-up state of the art news channels like Al-Manar, Press T.V and Quds T.V. In an
unpublished study by Elayah Etal (2017) entitled “Agenda setting theory and the role of western media in
shaping public opinion for the Yemen War”. The study collected 605 articles and the coverage shown on
western media of the on-going conflict. The study results found poor media coverage of the war, both in
terms of operations of war and the consequences or the humanitarian crises in the country, all of these
were under-reported. The France24 is known for terming Yemen war as a conflict between Shiites and
Sunnis or a sectarian war, Similarly The independent U.K have supported Saudi Airstrikes numerous times
not highlighting the fact that these were civilian targets bombed by the coalition

In early days of intervention, Saudi Defense Minster shared a detailed intelligence document which traced
Iranian links to the Houthi militias. On the other hand, Iranians and especially Quds Force (Elite Iranian
special force for foreign operations and Liberation of Jerusalem) acknowledged and promised to continue
military and humanitarian aid. The head of Quds force Major Gen. Qassem Soleimani would often express
his support to Yemeni resistance. Titled as the” Shadow Commander of the Middle East” and “the most
powerful man in the region” he was the mastermind behind the Syrian war and war against ISIS in Iraq.
Qassem Soleimani specialized in handling of proxies in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Lebanon. In a
detailed interview by Al Balagh T.V, the feared general explained how IRGC managed to smuggle
missiles, food and medicine to crippling resistance in Yemen. With such high-tech military hardware in
Yemeni hands, the dynamic of war changed in matter of weeks. In the initial retaliatory attack the Houthis
fired 70 BURKHAM-2 Ballistic missiles towards Saudi installations in Jizan province and accurately hit
the Saudi base. All of Saudi camps were completely destroyed till 2020 and attacks inside Saudi territory
were only increasing in number as well as intensity. In July 2019, videos surfaced on the internet where
hundreds of military vehicles were captured by the Houthi rebels and millions of dollars of military
hardware was also captured, this operation was a big set-back for the alliance. One of the most effective of
these attacks was on Aramco oil facility, the largest in the world was struck by dozens of missiles costing
the kingdom nearly a billion dollars. As of 2021 these rebels have captured most of Ma’arib, the last Saudi
stronghold in the country and the coalition has raised white flag seeking solution through dialogue.
Ansarullah now claims to be self-sufficient in weapons production with Iranian transfer of technology,
scientists, operators and instructors. They operate wide range of UAV’s notably HUDHUD UAV,
RAGHIB UAV, RASED, QASEF,K1 AND SAMAD UAVs with operational ranges reaching 1000
kilometers. Their advanced and destructive missiles include SAQEB 1, 2 and 3 missiles (based on Russian
R-73) , FATER-1, Zulfiqar long-range ballistic missiles, Qaher 1 and M2 missile,VOLCAN 1, 2 and 3
missile.
The US-Saudi coalition had hoped to quickly crush the Houthis But it has become clear that the
Houthis have been steadily gaining ground since the battle started. Saudi Arabia can no longer win
the war. According to UN estimates, more than 230,000 people have been killed and millions are
sick and hungry. Despite the harsh conditions, the Houthis have retained the escalation ladder.
Saudi Arabia has put forward a plan to end the war in Yemen, received by Houthis as nothing more
than an exit strategy. The Saudi foreign minister, announced that proposals would include a
nationwide ceasefire and end of naval blockade along with the withdrawal of remaining forces
from strategic locations under the supervision of the United Nations. The Houthis initially rejected
Saudi Arabia's peace initiative .Today, Ansarallah has missiles and UAVs with different functions inside
and outside Yemen, such as shortening the positions of the Saudi coalition and the mercenaries of the
resigned government with UAVs and missiles, and targets the positions of Saudi Arabia and the UAE inside
the country with Samad 3 UAVs or Volcan 3 missiles. This situation has caused a fundamental shift in the
balance of power in the Yemeni war so that the Yemeni army and popular committees on the ground and in
the air have the ability to inflict heavy damage on the Saudi coalition. This situation could lead to more
potential damage to Saudi Arabia as the war enters its eighth year.

REFRENCES:

1) Hill ,Ginny(2017) Yemen Endures: Civil War, Saudi Adventurism and future of Arabia , London:
Hurst & Co.

2) Jeremy M. Sharp.(2021).Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention. Congressional Research

Service,6(4),3-20

3) Stensile, S.” Decisive Storm: Saudi Arabia’s Attack on Yemen”. Expert analysis, Norweigean Peace
Building Resource Centre (NOREF). Oslo, May 2015

http://www.peacebuilding.no/var/ezflow_site/storage/original/application/fdae163.pdf