Yemeni Tribe Regains Control of Saudi Military Base

The Yemeni tribe of Takhya entered al-Minare Saudi military site on the border area between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, killing many Saudi soldiers.

The tribe killed and injured at least 18 Saudi soldiers in a retaliatory attack, the Arabic-language Yemeni press website quoted security sources as saying.

The tribe also managed to regain control over the military site in Saudi Arabia near Yemen’s Baqem district in Saada governorate on Saturday, according to the sources.

Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for 18 days now to restore power to fugitive president Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed 1026 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children.

Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement.

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

Five Persian Gulf States — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait — and Egypt that are also assisted by Israel and backed by the US declared war on Yemen in a joint statement issued on March 26.

US President Barack Obama authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to the military operations, National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said late on March 25.

She added that while US forces were not taking direct military action in Yemen, Washington was establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support.