SAUDI-LED COALITION REPELS SEVERAL ATTACKS, KILL DOZENS OF HOUTHI FIGHTERS IN WESTERN YEMEN

Map of the situation around Hays during December 2017

On March 7, fighters loyal to Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi repelled several attacks by the Houthis on their positions in the southern part of the Hays district in the western province of al-Hudaydah, according to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV. Pro-Hadi fighters supported by Apache attack helicopters of the Saudi-led coalition killed 30 Houthi members.

The Hays district was captured by the Saudi-led coalition and pro-Hadi forces on December 10, 2017. The district is one of the key positions in western Yemen as it overlooks the highway toward thh al-Hudaydah port.

In response to the Houthis’ attacks on Hays, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes on positions, camps, ammo depots and headquarters of the Houthis in the districts of al-Jarrahi and Tuhayat, south of Hays.

Al-Arabiya said that more than 100 Houthis fighters had been killed and dozens others had been injured in the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.

The Saudi-led coalition stepped up its aerial operations in western Yemen in January after the Houthis had managed to besiege its forces south of the city of al-Hudaydah. Due to this, the Houthis have not been able to recapture any position there so far.

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog