Washington and Saudis Plan Escalated Aggression on Yemen

Global Research, May 10, 2015

On May 7, John Kerry met with Saudi officials in Riyadh.

A so-called proposed 5-day humanitarian ceasefire is phony. Terror-bombing continues. US/Saudi enforced blockade prevents enough essentials to life from entering Yemen.

Suggesting a limited pause in fighting is willful deception. Washington wants all-out terror war against 25 million Yemenis.

Is large-scale invasion planned? Yemeni UN envoy Khaled Alyemany representing the illegitimate (US-installed) ousted government has called for intervention by foreign ground forces.

Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin called invading Yemen “reckless – an escalation of the situation.”

“What we need is a speedy resumption of negotiations under the mediation of the United Nations,” he stressed.

On May 7, UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Johannes van der Klaauw called for an immediate halt to fighting, saying:

“Civilians were reportedly targeted while they were trying to flee to safer areas, having been trapped in Aden with limited or no access to water, food and health care for weeks.”

“People in Aden have endured extreme hardship as a result of conflict over the last six weeks and must be able to move to safer areas to seek medical and other assistance.”

“Violence towards civilians and aid workers, and attacks on hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, must stop immediately.”

Yemeni doctors and other medical workers demonstrated in front of Sanaa’s UN office. A doctor attending the rally said:

“We have come here…to call for the UN Secretary-General to put an end to this genocide war against the Yemenis. Many patients die at the hospitals because of” no fuel or medical supplies.

Thousands have died, mostly noncombatant civilians either in harm’s way or deliberately targeted.

Thousands more were injured, many maimed for life. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

Riyadh’s military spokesman Brig. General Ahmed al-Assiri responded to Houthi and tribal fighters’ cross-border attacks in retaliation against Saudi terror-bombing, ludicrously saying:

“The Houthi militias have crossed red lines and they will be dealt with differently now. (They’ll) pay a harsh and expensive price.”

“The formula has changed after Saudi towns and civilians” were shelled.

AP said Houthis and allied forces consolidated control over most of Aden while Kerry was in Riyadh. The previous day they “overwhelmed” Tawahi’s downtown district and an area presidential palace.

Reuters reported Riyadh’s vow to hit Houthis hard despite a 5-day ceasefire offer. Asseri declined to say if ground invasion is coming. All options are open, he stressed.

In a letter to UN officials, Houthis called for international action against Saudi-led aggression.

Senior Houthi official Tawfiq al-Himyary denounced Riyadh’s phony ceasefire offer – calling it “cover” for its failures.

“Saudi Arabia feels it is in trouble after more than 40 days of aggression,” Himyary said. “It did not reach its stated goals, but killed and displaced thousands of civilians.”

“Saudi Arabia has no right to attack the Yemenis or even to give them any kind of truce. There is no trust in this regime at all.”