Saudis Keep Bombing Yemen After Declaring 5-Day Halt

by Stephen Lendman

Four months of US-orchestrated, Saudi-led terror bombing along with imported takfiri terrorists and other pro-Western elements waging ground war left thousands of Yemenis dead (mostly civilians deliberately targeted), many more thousands wounded, and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, according to ICRC officials.

Last week, Riyadh announced a five-day humanitarian ceasefire beginning Sunday night local time - while it continues blocking most aid from entering the country.

Its goal along with Washington’s is starving Yemenis into submission. So-called humanitarian pauses are farcical when announced - thinly veiled PR stunts fooling no one. Nothing on the ground changes. Saudi-led aggression continues.

Its forces along with anti-Houthi ground elements violated several previous ceasefires straightaway. Pre-dawn Monday was no different.

Saudi terror bombing continues unabated - including against Lahij province civilian targets. A Hajjah province medical center was struck.

A senior Houthi official denied reports about the Ansarullah movement rejecting the latest announced truce. Houthi leader Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi posted a Twitter message saying “(t)he battle goes on and the war is not over” - meaning announced short-term pauses resolve nothing.

Peace depends on Obama calling off his Saudi-led proxies. Yemeni resistance wants freedom from external, largely Western, dominance. Otherwise the liberating struggle will continue.

Ansarullah political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said Riyadh continues arming Al-Qaeda and other takfiri terrorists under the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid it systematically blocks.

“Most cargos sent by the Saudi planes to Aden do not include humanitarian aid,” said Bukhaiti. “Rather they are weapons and military equipment sent to the terrorist groups, especially al-Qaeda. The Yemeni nation doesn’t need Saudi Arabia's assistance, but it needs the end of the siege imposed by Riyadh and its allies.”

After four months of Saudi-led terror bombing along with blocking most vitally needed humanitarian aid, killing thousands of civilians, destroying Yemeni infrastructure and other non-military targets, as well as blaming Houthis for its aggression, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon refuses to condemn its premeditated war without mercy.

He continues calling on all parties to exercise maximum restraint instead of forthrightly denouncing US-orchestrated, Saudi-led terror bombing, importing takfiri terrorists for ground fighting, supporting in-country Al-Qaeda elements for the same purpose, enforcing blockade to deny humanitarian aid, and continuing slow-motion genocide against the Yemeni people.

Ahead of Sunday’s already breached ceasefire, he “welcome(d) the announcement,” according to a statement by his spokesman. Again he urged “all parties to exercise maximum restraint (and) comply fully with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians…”

Conservative estimates indicate well over 5,000 killed, at least double or triple that number injured - besides unknown numbers perishing from starvation, untreated wounds and diseases, lack of clean water and overall deprivation in a conflict showing no signs of ending. Not as long as Obama orders fighting continued.

As expected, Saudi-controlled media blamed Houthis for violating the latest ceasefire - ignoring Kingdom warplanes continuing terror bombing attacks unabated.

Riyadh aggression is considered humanitarian intervention. Legitimate Houthi resistance is called “terrorism.”

Nothing in prospect suggests ending conflict diplomatically. Obama wants unconditional surrender. Houthis want their sovereign independence respected.

A Final Comment

On Sunday, Saudi King Salman arrived in France for a three-week Riviera holiday - along with an entourage of about 1,000, including royal family members and heavy security.

To accommodate them, over a half mile of public beach was cordoned off for their use. Illegal construction was completed in advance. A cement platform was built on the beach for an elevator to Salman’s villa. It’ll be removed when he leaves.

Two Saudi Arabian Airlines 747s brought the king and his entourage to Nice airport. Inner circle family members are staying in luxury Vallauris village accommodations. Hundreds of others are in Cannes 5-star hotels.

Not everyone is happy about their presence. Over 100,000 people signed a petition protesting the “privatization” of beachfront property during their visit.

Salman will enjoy all the luxury money can buy while his military continues murdering Yemenis to please him.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.