ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

ALMOST A YEAR and a half into Saudi Arabia’s U.S.-backed bombing campaign in Yemen, the humanitarian toll has become so extensive that the International Committee of the Red Cross has taken the unusual step of donating entire morgue units to Yemeni hospitals. “The hospitals were not able to cope,” said Rima Kamal, a Yemen-based spokesperson for the Red Cross. “You could have more than 20 dead people brought into one hospital on one single day. The morgue capacity at a regular hospital is not equipped to handle this influx of dead bodies.” “At times several dead bodies had to be stored on one shelf to avoid further decomposition,” Kamal continued. “The situation was not sustainable.” Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen in March 2015, after Houthi rebels took control of the capital and forced Yemen’s Saudi-backed leader, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, into exile. The United Nations has since attributed the majority of the war’s 6,500 deaths to the Saudi coalition, which the U.S. and U.K. have re...

Hama, Syria (12:40 A.M.) – The jihadist rebels of Jund Al-Aqsa (Al-Qaeda franchise), alongside their allies from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), reportedly captured the village of Khattab in northern Hama after a short battle with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). According to a military source in the province, the jihadist rebels quickly advanced south of Taybat Al-Imam to the nearby village of Khirbat Al-Hujamah, where they were once again able to overwhelm the Syrian Armed Forces. Following the capture of Khattab, Jund Al-Aqsa and their allies moved onto the key town of Khattab, where they were confronted by a small unit of Syrian Arab Army soldiers at the northern flank. Not long after the preliminary firefights at the northern flank of the town, the Syrian Armed Forces withdrew their units to the south in order to avoid being overrun by Jund Al-Aqsa and their allies. The jihadist rebels are now within 5 km of Hama City after cutting off the Mhardeh-Hama Road, which was a vital supply rout...

Damascus, Syria (2:02 A.M.) – Units from the Syrian Army’s elite Republican Guard continued their advance in Eastern Ghouta capturing a 1 km squared territory from Hawsh Al-Farah in the direction of Tal Sawwan following intense clashes with the Saudi-sponsored Jaish Al-Islam jihadist group. Clashes are ongoing as the Syrian Armed Forces look to fortidy their positions in the Carton Factory that lies southwest of the horse farms. The recent military developments in the northern axis of Eastern Ghouta place the Syrian Army on the verge of cutting off the Islamist stronghold of Tal Kurdi from Al-Rayhan and Douma. As of now, only a few makeshift farm roads connect the two regions. Should the Syrian Armed Forces capture Tal Kurdi in the coming days or weeks, the would alleviate much of the danger from Adra city while ensuring the safety of the Damascus-Homs highway.