https://southfront.org/yemeni-war-report-june-21-2018-al-hudaydah-airport-still-remains-contested/
Fierce clashes between the Saudi-led coalition’s forces and the Houthis are ongoing near the port city of al-Hudaydah in western Yemen.
On June 19, the coalition’s forces once again entered the al-Hudaydah airport claiming that this time they really captured it. However, they were not able to establish full control of this important facility because of a fierce resistance from the Houthis. On June 20, clashes in the area continued.
Since June 13, when the coalition kicked off its advance on al-Hudaydah, pro-Saudi sources had claimed at least 3 times that the airport is in the hands of the coalition. All these claims appeared to be false.
The control of the airport is an important if the coalition wants to storm the city from the southern direction.
At the same time, coalition-led fighters continued their attempt to outflank al-Hudaydah from the eastern direction, engaging the Houthis in the Matahin square area. While the square remains contested, the highway linking al-Hudaydah and the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, is already closed because of the clashes.
The only save highway from the besieged city is heading in the northern direction.
According to pro-Houthi sources, up to 40 vehicles of the coalition-led forces have been destroyed and up to 250 fighters of the coalition-led forces have been killed over the past few days. These claims are partly confirmed by released photos and videos.
In turn, the Saudi-led bloc expanded its bombing campaign on the besieged city. Airstrikes aimed at alleged positions of the Houthis are also destroying the civilian infrastructure and cause civilian casualties.
Pro-Saudi sources provide contradictory numbers, but in general, they claim that about 30 strikes hit the city and its vicinity on a daily basis.
On June 18, Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister for foreign affairs demanded from the Houthis to withdraw “unconditionally” from Hudaydah. Then, he claimed that the coalition’s forces kept the Hudaydah Sanaa highway “open for the Houthi militias to withdraw”. However, by June 20, the highway had been closed because of clashes. This is another signal that the sides can hardly find a solution to de-escalate the situation.
Separately, the Houthis launched a Badr-1 rocket at an oil facility of the Saudi state company Aramco in the Abha area of the province of Asir. Another rocket, Qaher M2, was launched at positions of the coalition’s forces in the western Yemeni coast.
As the battle for al-Hudaydah is developing the Houthis will likely expand their missile strikes at the coalition’s forces in Yemen and important targets in Saudi Arabia.
My 5 constants in warfare includes having the best fit warriors and leaders. The main characteristic is to have the moral high ground. The Houthis defend their land but the Saudi and Emirati mercs are fighting with terror and no morals. They stand to lose even if better armed. It is inevitable.
Note to Mad Dog above.
The Anglo-American free press predictably tries to spindoctor and deny America’s criminal participation in the Saudi-UAE aggression against Yemen:
The siege of Hodeidah, Washington’s war crime in Yemen
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/06/15/pers-j15.html
Western Media Whitewash Yemen Genocide
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/06/18/western-media-whitewash-yemen-genocide.html
How Media Obscure US/Saudi Responsibility for Killing Yemeni Civilians
https://fair.org/home/media-yemen-us-saudi-airstrikes-killing-civilians/
great news under the circumstance. I wish Russia would become a force for the truth in the world, but its still – possibly for the reasons Saker states – under control of the neo-liberal globalist financiers – Russians but neo-liberal globalists – who are only looking out for the material gains of Russia – and safety – I don’t suppose there’s much in the way of $$$ for Russia in helping Yemen or Palestine.
Iran is on its way with 2 warships..
https://southfront.org/iran-sends-warships-to-gulf-of-aden-as-clashes-for-yemens-al-hudaydah-continue/
Without ATGM the Houthi defense would not work.Where are they getting the ATGM from and how many do they have? Someone showed the Houthi how to shelter from aerial bombardment. Tunnel system? Tunneling equipment? Is their tunnel equipment for Houthi or are they using picks and shovels? Every video shows poorly educated defenders . But someone with a lot of technology is teaching them.
I think you’re assigning too much importance to education here.Maybe they learned from the ones attacking them?There’s nothing stopping the Houthi’s from learning technology and tactics from their enemies and using their own tools against them.And wasn’t the USA dropping weapons in the region, not long ago?Those weapons probably got passed around.
Does anyone has access to commercial satellite pictures? For sure Al Saud and UAE ruler has access to military imaging but it would be nice for Houtis if they have some commercial pics as well. It would be unfair otherwise but then again, who said life is fair.
In what is merely the latest incidence of gut wrenching US hypocrisy, compare and contrast:
The Ukraine overthrow of an elected government, is a ‘popular uprising.’
The Yemeni overthrow of their government is ‘terrorism’ and banditry.
It’s like Chomsky says; the US definition of terrorism is ‘when they do it, it’s terrorism.’
And I’m sure we can all recall from the Balkans; the integrity of borders, no matter how arbitrary they were, was inviolable, except when it came to the Albanian squatters in Kosovo, where instead, it was ‘facts on the ground’ that mattered, except even then, in Northern Kosovo (Mitrovica) where facts on the ground patently still didn’t matter if you were a Serb, even at the instant they did, if you were Albanian. Spun around, ‘Serbs everywhere must lose, and we will apply the justification to suit, regardless we contradict every other rule we just made.’
I wish the Houthis every success. They are truly in the front line against the devil.
Interesting look at the parties involved in Yemen’s War. A tonne of mercenaries to be sure. Western special forces also in. Other than Korea and Iran, Ansurullah have little backing
http://militarywatchmagazine.com/read.php?my_data=70524