Fuerza saudí-emiratíes toman aeropuerto rebelde en Yemen

Saudi-led forces seize rebel-held airport in Yemen's Hodeida - military

Forces allied to the Saudi-led coalition say they have entered Hodeida airport as part of an assault to retake the port city. Fears are rising of a new humanitarian crisis if food imports, from the port, are disrupted.



DW

Soldiers from an Arab alliance seized the international airport in the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida on Saturday, officials loyal to Yemen's exiled government said.

Aid workers and rights advocates said areas close to the airport remained the scene of intense fighting, which prevented thousands of people from leaving the Red Sea city, which has a population of 600,000.

Other government officials and witnesses later said coalition forces had not yet fully taken control of the airport. They said fighting was heavy just outside the airport gates.

The pro-alliance Yemeni military, meanwhile, said that soldiers were working to clear mines and the last remaining rebels from land close to the airport, which is on the south side of the city.

Troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are leading ground forces in the latest assault to recapture the country's main gateway for food shipments, which began on Wednesday.


Saudi-led troops look to retake Yemeni port of Hodeida

Biggest battle yet

UAE troops are being bolstered by militiamen and soldiers backing Yemen's exiled government, while Saudi Arabia is providing air support for what is being described as the biggest battle in the country's three-year civil war.

Yemen's Shiite rebels, the Houthis, who also hold the country's capital of Sanaa, did not immediately acknowledge losing the airport.

So far, fighting has yet to enter Hodeida's downtown or its crucial port.

Humanitarian crisis

The Arab coalition has ignored advice from international aid groups, who say Yemen is already on the brink of famine and any shutdown of Hodeida's port could risk tipping millions of civilians into starvation.

Some 70 percent of Yemen's food enters via the port, as well as the bulk of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies, which around two-thirds of the country's 27 million population depends on.

Calls for restraint as key Yemeni port attacked

Saudi Arabia, which leads the Arab coalition to restore the internationally recognized Yemeni government, defended its decision to launch the assault.

It said the port was continuing to provide millions of dollars in duties for the Houthis, who they claim were also importing weapons through the facility.

The Saudi-led alliance says it can swiftly capture the port, the only one the Houthis control, without major disruption to aid supplies.

Later on Saturday, the United Nations envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa for talks on the conflict in Hodeida, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

He was expected to call for Houthi leaders to cede control of the port to a UN-supervised committee, and to avoid further fighting between rebels and the Arab coalition.

More than 10,000 people have been killed during Yemen's civil war. The Saudi-led alliance intervened in 2015 to thwart what many countries in the Middle East see as efforts by their archfoe, Iran, to dominate the region.

Western nations say Tehran has supplied the Houthis with weapons, from assault rifles to the ballistic missiles they have fired deep into Saudi Arabia, including at the capital, Riyadh.

mm/jlw (AP, Reuters)

5 Países árabes cortan relaciones con Qatar por financiar a ISIS

Qatar row: Five countries cut links with Doha
BBC



Doha, capital de Qatar.

Qatar's government said it believed the move was "unjustified"
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.
They say Qatar backs militant groups including so-called Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda, which Qatar has denied.
The Saudi state news agency SPA said Riyadh had closed its borders, severing land, sea and air contact with the tiny peninsula of Qatar.
Qatar called the move "unjustified" with "no basis in fact".
The unprecedented move is being seen as a significant split between powerful Gulf countries, who are also close US allies.
It comes in the context of increased tensions between Gulf countries and their near-neighbour Iran. The Saudi statement accused Qatar of collaborating with Iranian-backed militias.

What has happened?

The diplomatic withdrawal was put into motion by Bahrain then Saudi Arabia early on Monday. Their allies swiftly followed.
SPA cited officials as saying the decision was taken to "protect its national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism".
The three Gulf countries have given Qatari nationals two weeks to leave their territory.
In the latest developments:
The UAE has given Qatari diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. Abu Dhabi accuses Qatar of "supporting, funding and embracing terrorism, extremism and sectarian organisations," state news agency WAM said
The UAE state airline Etihad Airways said it would suspend all flights to and from Qatari capital Doha from 02:45 local time on Tuesday
Bahrain's state news agency said it was cutting its ties because Qatar was "shaking the security and stability of Bahrain and meddling in its affairs"
The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels also expelled Qatar from its alliance because of Doha's "practices that strengthen terrorism" and its support to groups "including al-Qaeda and Daesh [IS], as well as dealing with the rebel militias", according to SPA.
All you need to know about Qatar
Food, flights and football at risk

What is the context?

US President Trump met Egyptian President Sisi and Saudi King Salman in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago
While the severing of ties with Qatar was sudden, it has not come out of the blue, as tensions have been building over recent years, and particularly in recent weeks.
Two weeks ago, the same four countries blocked Qatari news sites, including Al Jazeera. Controversial comments purportedly by Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani criticising Saudi Arabia appeared on Qatari state media.
The government in Doha dismissed the comments as fake, attributing the report to a "shameful cybercrime".

Qatar says news agency was hacked

More broadly, there are two key factors driving Monday's decision: Qatar's ties to Islamist groups, and the role of Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival.
While Qatar has joined the US coalition against IS, the Qatari government has been forced to repeatedly deny accusations from Iraq's Shia leaders that it provided financial support to IS.
However, wealthy individuals in the emirate are believed to have made donations and the government has given money and weapons to hardline Islamist groups in Syria. Qatar is also accused of having links to a group formerly known as the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
The SPA statement accused Qatar of backing these groups, as well as the widely-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and that it "promotes the message and schemes of these groups through their media constantly".

Where key countries stand on IS

Where does IS get its support?
Saudi Arabia, a Sunni majority country, also accused Qatar of backing Shia militants in Bahrain and in the eastern Saudi province of Qatif. Qatar has repeatedly denied ties to Iran in the past.
While on a visit to Riyadh two weeks ago, the US President Donald Trump urged Muslim countries to take the lead in combating radicalisation, and blamed Iran for instability in the Middle East.

The State of Qatar
Capital: Doha
Population 1.9 million
Area 11,437 sq km (4,416 sq miles)
Major language Arabic
Major religion Islam
Life expectancy 79 years (men), 78 years (women)
Currency Riyal
Getty Images
UN, World Bank

What has been the reaction?

Qatar, which is due to host the football World Cup in 2022, was critical of the decision, in comments broadcast on Al Jazeera.
"The measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact," Al Jazeera quoted the foreign ministry as saying. It said the decisions would "not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents".
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking in Sydney, urged the countries to resolve their differences through dialogue.
"I do not expect that this will have any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified fight against terrorism in the region or globally," he added.
Qatar's stock market plunged in early trading on Monday,

Finalizan maniobras militares entre EAU y Malasia

UAE Concludes Joint Military Exercise with Malaysia

UAE and Malaysian Ground Forces take part in a joint military exercise 

ABU DHABI // A military exercise in Abu Dhabi between UAE and Malaysian ground forces, Desert Tiger 4, ended on Thursday.

The Desert Tiger series is an annual joint exercise between the two countries to highlight professionalism and efficiency of UAE Ground Forces troops and to raise their level of combat readiness.

Maj Gen Saleh Al Amiri, Commander of UAE Ground Forces, attended the military exercise along with General Dato’ Sri Zulkiple bin Hj Kassim, Malaysian army chief.

Desert Tiger 4 comes part of the UAE leadership’s continued desire to support and create distinguished partnerships between UAE and Malaysia.

Another aim is to promote mutual cooperation and achieve a common vision by sharing experiences, enhancing joint military actions, and raising the level of performance and combat efficiency.

The exercise also trains ground forces on the use of modern weapons for all types of combat operations.

The UAE Ground Forces have been drafting training plans for their personnel. The Desert Tiger 4 exercise highlighted the success of these plans, Wam said.

TheNational

F-16 de la operación Unified Protector se accidentó en Italia

Un avión de combate F-16 que participaba en la operación Unified Protector de la OTAN sobre Libia, se accidentó cuando intentaba aterrizar en la Base Aeronaval de Sigonella aproximadamente a la 11:35 (hora local).

Según informó la OTAN en un comunicado, el piloto de la aeronave logró eyectarse con éxito y su estado actual se está evaluando.

El accidente se produjo cuando el F-16 se salió de pista sin control, después de aterrizar en la base italiana. Aunque la OTAN no informó sobre la nacionalidad del avión y su piloto, agencias como ANSA y AFP señalaron que se trata de un aparato perteneciente a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos y que el aviador eyectado no sufrió lesiones ni heridas.

El avión siniestrado formaba parte del contingente de los EAU aportado para reforzar la zona de exclusión aérea sobre Libia, de acuerdo con el mandato de la resolución 1973 de las Naciones Unidas.