Coalition strikes Yemen capital, more foreign troops reported arriving

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A Saudi-led alliance launched more air strikes on Yemen's capital and more foreign troops were reported to be moving into the country as the campaign to rout Houthi forces intensified.

The Houthi-run state news agency Saba said that 15 citizens were killed and 77 were wounded in the attacks by warplanes on Sanaa. Medical sources said at least 15 civilians were killed in similar attacks on Monday. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the figures.

The alliance, made up mainly of Gulf Arab countries,

has increased air strikes on Sanaa and other parts of the country since Friday, when a Houthi missile attack killed at least 60 Saudi, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates soldiers at a military camp east of Sanaa.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/08/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0R80X220150908

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1. Twenty Indians killed in Yemen as more foreign troops reported arriving

A Saudi-led alliance killed at least 20 Indian nationals in air strikes on fuel smugglers at a Yemeni port on Tuesday, fishermen said, and more foreign troops were reported to be arriving to intensify the campaign against Houthi forces.

The Houthi-run state news agency Saba also said that 15 citizens were killed in air strikes on Sanaa, and medical sources said at least 15 civilians were killed in similar attacks on Monday. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the figures.

The alliance, made up mainly of Gulf Arab countries,

has increased air strikes on Sanaa and other parts of the country since Friday, when a Houthi missile attack killed at least 60 Saudi, Bahraini and United Arab Emirates soldiers at a military camp east of Sanaa.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/08/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0R80X220150908

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2. India says boats carrying Indians bombed by aircraft traveling between Yemen and Somalia

SANAA, Yemen — Warplanes bombed two boats carrying 20 Indian crew members as the vessels traveled between Somalia and Yemen, India's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, a day after the Yemeni coast guard said a Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemeni Shiite rebels bombed boats off the war-torn country's coast.

Thirteen crew members are alive and seven are missing, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a statement. He said authorities are trying to gather more information. He didn't elaborate on who may have carried out the attack.

Yemeni coast guard officials said Tuesday that a Saudi-led coalition attacked more than five boats off the Yemeni coast in airstrikes, the same day the Indian boats were bombed. Officials with the rebels, known as Houthis, said the boats were carrying fishermen and weren't connected to them. It wasn't immediately clear if the two incidents were the same.

Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of mainly Gulf nations fighting the Houthis, who took control over the capital, Sanaa, last September, later spreading across Yemen.

http://www.startribune.com/india-says-indians-bombed-in-boats-between-yemen-and-somalia/325873881/

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3. Dozens of Emirati Soldiers Beheaded by ISIL in Yemen

ISIL terrorists have cut off the heads of several dozen Emirati soldiers who fled the war in Yemen's Maarib after a Houthi missile attack killed at least 65 of their comrades along with 240 others from the Saudi-led coalition, Iranian media reports said.

"ISIL militants in coordination with the Saudi intelligence beheaded UAE soldiers after abducting tens of Emirati military men who had fled the war in Maarib province," yjc.ir website quoted a Yemeni security source as saying on Tuesday.

The source pointed to Saudi Arabia's role in orchestrating ISIL's abduction of Emirati troops.

"The Saudi intelligence directors run and supervise these abduction operations," he said.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150909/1026778882/yemen-isil-beheadings.html

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4. ‘Conditions in Yemen invoke optimism’

he Yemenis and all other honourable people know that the war in Yemen is a sacred duty, that it does not stem from a desire to be involved in military conflicts, but to save the lives of millions, said UAE’s Al Bayan newspaper. “The UAE is also exerting efforts in maintaining a balance in its war against terrorism by launching a humanitarian drive for the Yemeni people through the ‘Yemen, We Care’ campaign. Prior to the launch of the drive, humanitarian bridges were built and campaigns were launched, highlighting the fact that the UAE understands the need for relief work and economic development. The UAE Armed Forces will remain the arm that combats the unjust and the terrorists. The UAE is proud of its martyrs who sacrificed their lives in Yemen to defend the rights of the Yemeni people from the treachery and actions of terrorists,” the paper added.

The blood of the Arab coalition’s martyrs was spilled alongside those of their brothers in Yemen, wrote Qatar’s Al Sharq. “It is an obligation to recognise this Arab cohesion and solidarity, which is embodied in the blood of the martyrs; and that is exactly what the coalition is doing by liberating Yemen from the coup forces, and this is reflected in the impending liberation of Sana’a. Now that many months have passed since the launch of Operation Restoring Hope, conditions in Yemen seem to invoke optimism after the Arab coalition nations helped the popular resistance and national army in Yemen defeat the coup forces, resulting in the liberation of a number of governorates. This leaves Al Houthis, [former Yemeni president] Ali Abdullah Saleh and the regional power backing them with the sole option of submissively implementing the UN Security Council’s resolutions.”

http://m.gulfnews.com/opinion/media-watch/conditions-in-yemen-invoke-optimism-1.1581332

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5. REUTERS - Egypt sends up to 800 ground troops to Yemen's war- security sources

SANAA (Reuters) - As many as 800 Egyptian soldiers arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday, Egyptian security sources said, swelling the ranks of a Gulf Arab military contingent which aims to rout the Iran-allied Houthi group after a five-month civil war.

It was the first reported deployment of ground troops there by Egypt, which has one of the Arab world's strongest armies.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has scored major gains against the militia and its allies in Yemen's army, backing a push by Yemeni fighters to seize much of the country's south and now setting its sights on the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.

Four Egyptian units of between 150 to 200 troops along with tanks and transport vehicles arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday, two Egyptian security sources said.

http://en.aswatmasriya.com/news/view.aspx?id=6c668d5e-e547-4fb4-8a69-515f7465e574

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7. Yemen Crisis: Egypt, Morocco To Send Ground Troops To Battle Houthi Rebels With Saudi Arabia

BEIRUT -- For the first time since Saudi Arabia formed a 10-country coalition in March to battle the Yemeni Houthi rebels, Egypt and Qatar have expanded their involvement -- previously limited to airstrikes -- by sending hundreds of ground troops to Yemen this week. Nine coalition members are expected to have forces fighting on the ground alongside Saudi troops before the end of the week, according to Yemen local news.

Egypt, which has one of the strongest armies in the Arab world, sent 800 troops armed with tanks and military transport vehicles into the war-torn country Tuesday night. The day before, Qatar sent 1,000 troops into Yemen. Morocco, Sudan, Jordan and Kuwait are expected to follow suit and join the thousands of troops already on the ground from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Some reports claim that many of the countries listed had already sent troops into Yemen as of Wednesday.

"We have sent these forces as part of Egypt's prominent role in this alliance. ... The alliance fights for the sake of our brotherly Arab states, and the death of any Egyptian soldier would be an honour and considered martyrdom for the sake of innocent people," a senior Egyptian military source told Reuters.

http://www.ibtimes.com/yemen-crisis-egypt-morocco-send-ground-troops-battle-houthi-rebels-saudi-arabia-2089007

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6. Iranian ambassador leaves Yemen as battle for capital looms

Jeddah and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iran’s ambassador to Sana’a and his deputy left for Tehran late on Monday—a step that has fueled speculation about whether the Islamic Republic will close its embassy in Yemen.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday denied claims it was considering closing its embassy in Sana’a, adding that its diplomatic mission will continue to operate as usual.

Marzieh Afkham, Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Ambassador Hossein Niknam had returned to Tehran for annual vacation, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

According to analysts, the move represents “a preemptive step” by Iran following reports that Yemen’s exiled government is seriously considering severing diplomatic ties with Tehran.

http://english.aawsat.com/2015/09/article55345066/iranian-ambassador-leaves-yemen-as-battle-for-capital-looms