DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As the
US sends a
destroyer and fighter jets to help protect the
UAE against missile attacks by
Yemeni rebels, we look at the seven-year conflict in Yemen.
اضافة اعلان
The war pits Iran-supported rebels against
Yemeni government
forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition that includes the UAE.
The conflict has left about 377,000 dead, according to the
UN, either directly in the fighting or as a result of famine and disease.
2014: Houthis take capital
Houthi rebels from the Zaidi Shiite minority in northern
Yemen seize the capital Sanaa in September 2014.
Backed by Iran, they ally themselves with military units
loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, toppled by a 2011 uprising.
They also overrun most of the north, including the lifeline
Red Sea port of Hudaydah.
In February 2015, President
Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi flees to
second city Aden on Yemen's south coast.
2015: Saudis step in
A coalition led by
Saudi Arabia enters the conflict in March
2015 with air strikes on the rebels.
Washington says it is contributing logistics and
intelligence.
As the rebels advance on Aden, Hadi flees to Saudi Arabia.
The coalition's intervention helps pro-government forces
secure Aden, and in October they claim control of the Bab Al-Mandab strait, one
of the world's most strategic waterways.
2018: Battle for key port
In June 2018, government fighters, backed by Saudi and
Emirati ground forces, launch an offensive to retake Hudaydah, a key entry point
for humanitarian aid.
UN-brokered talks between the warring parties open in
December, with a ceasefire declared in Hudaydah.
But in mid-January 2021, clashes break out between rebels
and pro-government soldiers in the south of the city.
Separatists flex muscles
The anti-Houthi camp is divided.
South Yemen was an independent state before unifying with
the north in 1990, and southern separatists frequently clash with unionists
loyal to Hadi's government.
The separatists occupy the presidential palace in Aden in
January 2018, before Saudi and Emirati forces intervene.
In August 2019, separatists from the UAE-trained Security
Belt force again clash with unionist troops.
Riyadh has since negotiated a power-sharing agreement and
the formation of a new government.
2019: Saudi oil hit
The rebels escalate their attacks on Saudi Arabia, using
drones and missiles.
A major hit on September 14, 2019 on the giant Abqaiq
processing plant and Khurais oilfield halves the kingdom's crude output.
Riyadh and Washington accuse Iran of being behind the
attack, which it denies.
2021: New escalation
On February 8, 2021, the Houthis resume an offensive to
seize oil-rich Marib province, the government's last northern stronghold.
The upsurge comes shortly after Washington ends its support
for coalition military operations and removes the Houthis from a
"terrorist" blacklist.
Fighting intensifies over the following months.
2022: Rebels turn on UAE
On January 3, 2022, the rebels seize an Emirati-flagged
vessel in the Red Sea.
A week later pro-government forces with UAE backing claim to
have retaken Shabwa province in a blow to rebel efforts to overrun neighboring
Marib.
On January 17, a rebel drone and missile attack on an oil
facility in Abu Dhabi kills two Indians and a Pakistani, the first deaths in
the UAE.
The Saudi-led coalition kills 14 people in retaliatory air
strikes on Sanaa.
On January 21, at least 70 people die and more than 100 are
wounded in an air strike on a prison in northern Yemen.
At least three children die in a separate bombardment of
Hudaydah.
US send warship, fighters
On January 24, US forces use Patriot interceptors against
two ballistic missiles aimed at Abu Dhabi.
And on Monday, a third missile attack is thwarted during a
visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
On Tuesday, Washington announces it is sending the guided
missile destroyer USS Cole and fighter jets to Abu Dhabi after a phone call
from Crown
Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
Read more Region and World
.jpg)
.jpg)
