Latest news with #Airwars
Al Manar
2 days ago
- General
- Al Manar
US Airstrikes on Yemen Port Raise War Crime Concerns as Civilian Toll Mounts
\US military strikes on the Ras Issa Port in Hodeidah, Yemen, on April 17, 2025, caused dozens of civilian casualties and significant damage to port infrastructure, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack should be investigated as a war crime. As part of its military campaign against the Houthis, that began on March 15, the United States targeted Ras Issa Port, one of three ports in the town of Hodeidah through which about 70 percent of Yemen's commercial imports and 80 percent of its humanitarian assistance passes. Human Rights Watch identified via satellite imagery multiple attack sites. The independent research group Airwars found that the strikes killed 84 civilians and injured over 150. 'The US government's decision to strike Ras Issa Port while hundreds of workers were present demonstrates a callous disregard for civilians' lives,' said Niku Jafarnia of Human Rights Watch. 'The attack's impact on humanitarian aid could be enormous, particularly after Trump administration aid cutbacks.' Human Rights Watch's investigation, which included satellite imagery analysis and interviews with sources in Yemen, revealed extensive damage to fuel tanks, berths, customs areas, and cargo facilities. Operations at the port remain limited, threatening aid delivery to a population already facing severe food and water shortages. Among the dead were 49 port employees, several truck drivers, and three children. US Central Command defended the strikes, claiming they aimed to 'eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists.' However, Human Rights Watch argues that attacking the port as an 'economic source of power' for the Houthis would make virtually any economic entity a potential military target. With no public evidence that weapons or military supplies were stored at the port, the organization believes the attack was either indiscriminate or disproportionate in its civilian impact. The US also provided direct military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition in their conflict against the Houthis, starting in March 2015. Numerous coalition attacks during that conflict violated the laws of war. 'The recent US airstrikes in Yemen are just the latest causing civilian harm in the country over the past two decades,' Jafarnia said. 'The Trump administration should reverse past US practice and provide prompt compensation to those unlawfully harmed.'
Al Jazeera
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Houthis maintain pressure on Israel as US launches more strikes on Yemen
Israel has intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, the third such attack by Houthi forces in a 24-hour span, as the United States continues daily attacks on the country. The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday it had activated air raid sirens across parts of the country following the missile launch. No injuries or major damage were reported. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a response to Israeli operations in Gaza. The Houthis have increasingly targeted Israel and shipping routes in the Red Sea, stating that their actions are acts of solidarity with Palestinians as Israel continues its assault on Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The Houthis did not carry out attacks during the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year until Israel blocked all aid into the besieged enclave in early March and followed that with a full resumption of the war. In the meantime, Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported on Saturday that the US launched two air raids on Yemen's Kamaran Island and as-Salif district in the port city of Hodeidah. The new attacks come a day after the same news outlet reported seven US attacks on the Ras Isa oil port in as-Salif district in Hodeidah. Last month, a US strike on the same port killed at least 80 people and wounded 150 in one of the deadliest attacks on the country by US forces. The US has also ramped up its air campaign in Yemen, launching its most extensive military operations in the Middle East since President Donald Trump assumed office in January. US forces claim to have struck Houthi positions, however, there have been numerous civilian casualties. The high civilian toll from US strikes is drawing increasing alarm. The UK-based monitor Airwars reported that between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in March alone. April's deaths are expected to be higher. Houthi sources say at least 68 African migrants died in a single overnight strike on Monday, with additional casualties reported around the capital. As the conflict intensifies, political instability is growing within Yemen. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, the prime minister of the internationally recognised government, announced his resignation on Saturday, citing persistent challenges, including his inability to reshuffle the cabinet. Government insiders said a power struggle with Presidential Council leader Rashad al-Alimi triggered Mubarak's departure. Within hours of the announcement, the presidential council named Finance Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik as prime minister, according to the state-run SABA news agency. The council also named bin Mubarak as an adviser to the ruling body, without addressing his claims. Mubarak's political career has been closely linked to the long-running war in Yemen. He rose to prominence after being abducted by Houthi fighters in 2015 while serving as chief of staff to then-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Much of the international community does not recognise the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), even though the armed Iran-aligned group controls most parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and some of the western and northern areas close to Saudi Arabia.
Al Jazeera
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Yemen's Houthis launch missiles at Israel, army says it intercepts
Yemen's Houthis have claimed responsibility for launching two missiles towards northern Israel, targeting the Ramat David military airbase and the Tel Aviv area, as the group continues its military pressure in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli fire. The Israeli military said on Friday it intercepted the first missile and launched another interceptor at the second, which was also fired from Yemen. Alarms were triggered in several locations, though authorities reported no casualties or damage. The military added that the outcome of the second interception was still under review. Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Houthis – also known as Ansar Allah – confirmed the group had carried a 'military operation' against a key Israeli military target. Saree said hypersonic missiles were used and had successfully hit their intended destination. The Israeli army responded that 'interception attempts were made' without providing further details. The Houthi group has repeatedly said its attacks on Israel as well as United States and British ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait will only cease if Israel agrees to a permanent Gaza truce. The Houthis did not carry out attacks during the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year until Israel blocked all aid into the besieged enclave in early March and followed that with a full resumption of the war. The attacks come as the US escalates its military operations in Yemen. Since March, the US has launched large-scale attacks not only on infrastructure but increasingly on individuals linked to the Houthi leadership. Civilian casualties are mounting, with UK-based monitor Airwars estimating between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in March alone, and suggesting April's toll is even higher. One of the deadliest US strikes in April hit Ras Isa port in Hodeidah, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 150. On Monday at least 68 people were killed in the overnight strike on detained African migrants, and eight people were killed around the capital, Houthi media reported. Rights advocates have been alarmed about the growing civilian death toll. Three US Democratic senators recently wrote to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, demanding an accounting for civilian lives lost. 'Strikes pose a growing risk to the civilian population in Yemen,' United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. 'We continue to call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.'
Al Jazeera
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Yemen's Houthi fighters down $200m worth of US drones in under six weeks
Yemen's Houthi armed group has shot down seven US Reaper drones worth more than $200m in recent weeks, marking the most significant material loss yet in Washington's campaign against the fighters. The drones were destroyed between March 31 and April 22, according to defence officials, as the Houthis step up efforts to target United States aircraft operating over Yemen. Three of the drones were lost in the past week alone, suggesting an improvement in the Houthis' ability to strike high-altitude US aircraft. The drones – each costing about $30m – were conducting surveillance or attack missions when they crashed into water or land. A defence official said the strikes occurred on March 31 and on April 3, 9, 13, 18, 19 and 22, according to The Associated Press news agency. Dozens of civilians have been reported killed in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen since March 15 after US President Donald Trump ordered daily strikes against the group. Central Command spokesperson Dave Eastburn said on Thursday that US forces have struck more than 800 targets, destroying command centres, weapons depots and air defences, and killing hundreds of Houthi fighters and leaders. This claim could not be independently verified. Another US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the drone losses are under investigation but are likely the result of hostile fire, the AP reported. The Houthis have targeted mainly Israeli, US and British ships passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in protest against Israel's war on Gaza. The group has said the attacks would stop if Israel agreed to a permanent ceasefire. The Trump administration appears to have shifted from targeting only infrastructure to deliberately striking figures within the Houthi movement. The strategic change comes amid rising civilian casualties from the US-led campaign, according to Airwars, a UK-based monitoring group. Airwars estimates that between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in US strikes during March. The group believes the toll in April is already considerably higher, though full figures remain unconfirmed. Earlier this month, a US air strike targeted the Ras Isa port, also in Hodeidah, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 150. This was followed by another attack on Monday, which killed 12 people and wounded more than 30 others in Yemen's capital Sanaa. Concerns are growing in Washington over the human cost of the campaign. Senators Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kaine have written to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, questioning whether the administration is abandoning its responsibility to reduce civilian harm, particularly after reports emerged about the high civilian death toll on the Ras Isa fuel terminal.
Washington Post
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Senators challenge Hegseth on civilian deaths in Yemen strikes
Three Senate Democrats called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday to account for the scores of civilians reportedly killed in recent U.S. military strikes meant to target Houthi militants in Yemen. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) warned Hegseth that President Donald Trump's repeated claim that he would be a 'peacemaker' in his second term 'rings hollow.' Such a 'serious disregard' for life calls into question the Trump administration's ability to conduct military operations 'in accordance with U.S. best practices for civilian harm mitigation and international law,' the senators told Hegseth in a letter obtained by The Washington Post. A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since early 2024, the United States has been engaged in what the military has described as a predominantly defensive campaign against Yemen's Houthis, an Iran-back group that control much of western Yemen. In response to Israel's war in Gaza, Yemen militants launched a sustained assault months earlier on U.S. and foreign ships traversing the narrow Red Sea shipping lane off their coast, imperiling global commerce. Monitoring groups say the Trump administration has shifted the approach, moving from mainly striking Houthi military infrastructure to targeting its leaders. According to Airwars, a U.K.-based watchdog organization, U.S. strikes were estimated to have killed 27 to 55 Yemeni civilians in March. The estimated casualty toll in April to date is believed to be much higher. So far the Trump administration appears to be 'choosing targets that pose a more direct risk to civilians and may indicate a higher tolerance to the risk of civilian harm,' Airwars said this month. The United Nations assessed that casualties, a term that encompasses both those killed or injured in a military operation, tripled from February to March to a total of 162, the senators wrote in their letter. 'In addition, the strikes have moved beyond targeting Houthi missile launch sites to hitting urban areas,' including civilian infrastructure, they added. A U.S. strike last week on a fuel depot in the Yemeni port of Ras Isa — which U.S. Central Command described as 'not intended to harm the people of Yemen' — killed more than 70 people, according to Houthi leaders and local news reports. The Post could not independently verify those figures. The senators have implored Hegseth to account for the number of Yemeni civilians killed so far and asked him to describe the efforts that the Defense Department has undertaken to avoid such casualties. They also asked whether the Pentagon is even tracking reported civilian deaths after the Trump administration's recent steps to curtail civilian protection activities set up at the Pentagon under President Joe Biden. Hegseth, a combat veteran and a former Fox News personality, has voiced disdain for restrictions imposed on U.S. forces' ability to operate and said he supports 'rules of war for winners.' 'Our enemies should get bullets, not attorneys,' he wrote in his 2024 book, 'The War on Warriors,' lamenting that suspected fighters captured by U.S. forces benefited from access to attorneys. During his confirmation hearing in January, Hegseth was asked whether the U.S. military under his leadership would abide by the Geneva Conventions and prohibitions on torture. 'What we are not going to do,' Hegseth responded, is put international conventions above Americans. 'I am extremely concerned that this administration is eliminating the safeguards we use to prevent civilian casualties, and that we use to ensure accountability with international humanitarian law,' Van Hollen, the lead author of the letter, said in an interview Thursday. Such conduct runs counter to American values, he added, but it also threatens American security interests. 'As military leaders have made clear: if you don't minimize the loss of civilian life, not only are you potentially violating international humanitarian law, but you're undermining the goals of your mission.' In Yemen, 'you only fuel more anger at America among the population when you kill scores of civilians … [and] you risk the Houthis gaining more recruits to their cause.' The administration's efforts to dismantle civilian harm mechanisms will 'undermine years of work to learn from past mistakes and improve how the U.S. prevents and responds to civilian harm — work that actually began under the first Trump administration,' said Annie Shiel, U.S. advocacy director at Center for Civilians in Conflict, noting that many of those efforts arose from bipartisan legislation passed by Congress. Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, has long commanded outsize global attention as a hotbed for al-Qaeda militants and other extremist activity. And successive U.S. administrations — particularly that of former president Barack Obama — have drawn international outrage for civilian casualties that have resulted from U.S. drone strikes or other assaults on suspected militants. Lawmakers from both parties grew increasingly outraged during the nearly decade-long bombardment of the Houthis by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who carried out the campaign using U.S.-supplied weapons. The carnage fueled a humanitarian crisis which, together with the bombardment, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis, according to the United Nations and humanitarian groups. The Trump administration's intensified offensive in Yemen appears to have rankled some influential voices within the GOP, who have warned of endless wars and depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles at a moment when many national security experts say the United States should be prepared for a potential conflict with China. 'Why did we have to do this? Is it part of our constitution that we must be bombing someone at all times?' far-right commentator and Trump ally Ann Coulter wrote on social media last month. Trump's vice president, JD Vance, argued against the strikes in a private exchange with Hegseth and several other senior administration officials that was inadvertently shared with the Atlantic magazine's top editor last month. 'I think we are making a mistake,' Vance wrote.
