Yemen suffered over 52 thousand attacks including airstrikes, naval bombardment, and artillery operations from the Saudi-led coalition in 2018. According to the Yemeni Army spokesman, this figure includes an average of 50 airstrikes per day.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the new year, Yemeni Army spokesman and brigadier-general Yahya Saree broke down the various attacks his nation faced over the past 12 months.
Attacks Against Yemen in 2018
In 2018, Yemen suffered 52,249 offensive attacks of various kinds across different provinces. This figure includes
- 15,353 airstrikes
- 244 raids using internationally banned cluster munitions
- 74 armed UAV raids
- 11 sound bombs
- 494 missile attacks from naval vessels
According to brigadier-general Saree, the US-backed Saudi coalition against Yemen has targeted his country with over 100 thousand airstrikes since launching its war in 2015. Saree explained that his army would provide an exact statistic in the coming days.
However, Yemen also boasted several successful military advancements and operations over the course of 2018.
In March, Yemen’s Missile Force revealed a new domestically produced short-range ballistic missile system dubbed Badr 1. Seven months later, Yemeni forces unveiled the advanced Badr 1P: a short-range smart ballistic missile system with an accuracy of three meters.
However, some of the Yemeni military’s most crucial advancements were the long-range unmanned drone systems: al-Samad 2 and al-Samad 3, named after the late Yemeni President of the Supreme Political Council who was assassinated by the US-backed coalition. Upon its revelation, Yemen’s Air Force used the drone to strike a Saudi Aramco facility.
Using their traditional and advanced military technology, Yemen’s Army and Popular Committees were able to repel over 1000 offensive attempts from Saudi-backed mercenaries.
Yemen’s sniper unit also boasted major success last year. Special Forces managed to carry out over 7000 sniping operations on various fronts — particularly beyond enemy lines in the provinces of Najran, Asir, and Jizan. These operations killed over 6,600 Saudi-backed forces including high-ranking leaders.
US-backed Saudi Coalition Violates Ceasefire Agreement Over 800 Times
According to Army spokesman brigadier-general Saree, the US-backed Saudi coalition had violated the agreed ceasefire over 800 times at the time of his statement. Saree said these violations included over 450 missiles and 75 instances of hovering coalition warplanes.
Army spokesman brigadier-general Saree said that these daily offensive operations during the ceasefire make it clear that the US-backed Saudi-led coalition is not interested in achieving peace and more interested in taking control of Hodeidah port by any means necessary.
The Saudi coalition also dropped countless airstrikes. 38 of those airstrikes took place in a single day across various provinces while peace negotiations were underway in Sweden.
Airstrikes killed at least 15 civilians since the peace negotiations began in early December — including seven women and three children. Meanwhile, 28 sustained injuries, eight of whom were children as well as five women.
The United States along with other western powers have provided virtually unlimited support to the Saudi coalition against Yemen in the form of troops, training, weapons, aircraft, and refueling said aircraft along with intelligence and logistical support for selecting airstrike targets.
This, along with the fact that the Saudis routinely target civilians, makes the United States and its Western allies complicit in war crimes. One such crime involved the targeting of a school bus full of children with double-tap airstrikes using precision-guided smart missiles.
Source: www.geopoliticsalert.com
