"In Yemen’s brutal ongoing war, ‘the weakest no longer survive’" PBS NewsHour 3/15/2021
Excerpt
SUMMARY: What began as a civil war in 2015 between Yemen’s government and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has evolved into a brutal proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with U.S. involvement. Jane Ferguson updates us from Yemen on the war's terrible toll, and Nick Schifrin speaks with the Biden administration's envoy about the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
"In foreign policy shift, Biden lifts terrorist designation for Houthis in Yemen" PBS NewsHour 2/16/2021
Excerpt
SUMMARY: The Biden administration on Tuesday officially lifted the designation of the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen as a global terrorist organization. That announcement comes within a larger review of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. Nick Schifrin reports on the prospects of diplomacy, and speaks to Timothy Lenderking, the new U.S. Envoy to Yemen, to learn more.
SUMMARY: Airstrikes on Saudi oil facilities over the weekend disrupted markets and increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. blames Tehran for the attacks and has reportedly shared intelligence with Saudi Arabia to back up the assertion. Lisa Desjardins reports, and Judy Woodruff talks to Frederic Wehrey of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about the risk of escalation.
SUMMARY: In Riyadh on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia showcased evidence it says proves Iran’s involvement in weekend airstrikes on two major Saudi oil facilities. Iran denies the claim, and given the strained relations between the two countries, how should the U.S. respond? Yamiche Alcindor talks to Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute and Rob Malley of the International Crisis Group.
SUMMARY: Mozambique’s official death toll from a deadly cyclone in March has topped 1,000. In the storm’s aftermath, survivors face lack of power, food and supplies, plus deadly outbreaks of diseases like cholera and malaria. Amna Nawaz talks to David Beasley executive director of the World Food Program about his organization's response to that catastrophe, as well as those in Yemen and Venezuela.
SUMMARY: War in Yemen has killed at least 10,000 people and endangered millions more. Now questions are being raised on Capitol Hill, and inside the State Department, about U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition and whether Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are doing enough to limit or prevent civilian killings. Nick Schifrin talks with Larry Lewis of the Center for Naval Analyses.
SUMMARY: One of the poorest countries in the Middle East, Yemen's war has pushed it to the brink of famine. A Saudi blockade has slowed the flow of food and helped push prices up. Markets and businesses are ruined from airstrikes. Millions are destitute. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson smuggled herself across front lines to report on what's happening inside the world's worst humanitarian disaster.
SUMMARY: War rains down from the sky in Yemen, where an aerial bombing campaign by Saudi-led and American-backed coalition hammers much of the north. The U.S. military supports the campaign against the Houthi rebels with logistics and intelligence, and sells the Saudis many of the bombs it drops on that country. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson smuggled herself across front lines to report this series.
SUMMARY: In the streets of Yemen’s capital Sana’a, chants of “Death to America” are loud and clear. Houthi rebels, tied to Iran, seized the city and much of the north in 2014, causing Saudi Arabia to form a coalition, backed by the U.S., to defeat them. The war has brought the country to its knees and driven bitter resentment, but hasn't pushed the Houthis back. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports.
SUMMARY: The Saudi-led coalition that supports Yemen's government has begun an operation to retake the vital port city of Hodeidah, currently controlled by Houthi rebels who are aligned with Iran. Aid groups sounded alarms over the new escalation in the bloody proxy war, already the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Jeffrey Brown learns more from Gregory D. Johnsen of the Arabia Foundation.
SUMMARY: In Syria, almost every conceivable atrocity has been committed in the last few years, says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. Al Hussein joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the U.S. role in the destruction of Raqqa, the investigation into a suspected chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime, as well as the “horrific” conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
SUMMARY: For aid organizations, especially those in conflict zones, remaining politically neutral is crucial for trust. A New York Times investigation found that the conduct of a logistics company could drive suspicion that aid groups in Yemen were somehow acting as agents of the U.S. government. William Brangham speaks with The New York Times' Eric Schmitt and Daryl Grisgraber of Refugees International.
SUMMARY: On the campaign stump, Donald Trump promised to give the U.S. military more freedom to strike terrorist targets around the world. Now the President has approved the Pentagon's plan to intensify its targeting of al-Shabab strongholds in Somalia. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with former State Department official Sarah Sewall about the new changes for military operations.
HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour): Among the countries where the U.S. is fighting terrorism are Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. Now the President has approved the Pentagon's plan to beef up its targeting of Al-Shabaab in Somalia, giving the military greater latitude to decide when and where to strike.
For more on all of this, we turn to Sarah Sewall. She served as undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights during the Obama administration. She's written extensively about military operations and civilian casualties. She's now at Johns Hopkins University.
Ms. Sewall, I want to first ask — just walk us through what the changes are that the Pentagon just announced.
SARAH SEWALL, Former State Department Official: Well, essentially, President Obama had created two categories for thinking about the use of force in the context of the war on terror.
One was more like targeted killing with more restricted types of targets that you could both choose and were forced to identify, and it controlled the effects of those uses of force more closely. The other is more like what Americans would understand as war, general hostilities.
And what has happened is, the President — the current President has now moved, according to reports, moved the Somalia engagement of U.S. forces from the category of more targeted uses of force to that of general hostilities.
SUMMARY: More than a month after a controversial U.S. Special Operations raid in Yemen -- during which Navy SEAL Ryan Owens was killed -- there are still questions about how the mission was authorized, what it accomplished and more. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner looks at competing claims and Judy Woodruff (NewsHour) gets the perspective of Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump.
SUMMARY: What level of planning did the Obama administration take on ahead of a deadly U.S. military raid in Yemen carried out under President Trump? Hari Sreenivasan talks to former Defense Department official Andrew Exum, and Colin Kahl former National Security Advisor to the Vice President [Joe Biden], two men with intimate knowledge of the Obama administration's process for authorizing the use of military force.
SUMMARY: Fighting in Yemen struck a new chord over the weekend, when a Saudi Arabian airstrike on a funeral gathering killed more than 140 people. Saudi forces have been bombing the country for months, with logistical help from the U.S. in fighting Houthi rebels and al-Qaida forces. Jeffrey Brown speaks with Michael Hanna of The Century Foundation about why this attack is creating a different reaction.
HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour): We turn now to the ongoing civil war in Yemen, where the civilian death toll grew over the weekend.
More than 140 people died after what witnesses say was an airstrike on a funeral on Saturday in the capital city of Sanaa. The Saudi air force has been bombing the country for months, with logistical assistance from the U.S. Reports from the scene said it was U.S.-made bombs that were dropped on the funeral.
The Saudi-backed government in Yemen is fighting Houthi rebels, as well as al-Qaida forces. At least 10,000 people have died over the last 18 months, and more than million have been displaced. And on Sunday, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Red Sea was targeted by Houthi missiles fired from the Yemeni coast. The Navy says the missiles detonated short of the target, leaving the ship untouched.
We begin with this report from Neil Connery of Independent Television News.
NEIL CONNERY, ITN: They're burying the dead in Sanaa, dozens of burials for those killed in this weekend's funeral attack.
On the streets, thousands came to mourn the capital's governor, his picture looking down on his own procession. The governor was one of hundreds of people packed into the funeral hall when it was hit by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike. But even as they pay their respects to the governor's family, the jets are back again, their roar heard overhead.
As Sanaa buries its dead, there is rising anger at the weekend funeral attack, and, with it, calls for revenge. Hopes for peace here have never seemed so far away.
MAN: It means to us war. We need war. We will kill or be killed. That's for us, blood for blood, and eye for eye.
NEIL CONNERY: Yemen's tragedy has a new chapter, the single deadliest attack in its 19-month war. In the capital, as they cover the graves of its victims, how many more will follow?
HARI SREENIVASAN: And to Jeffrey Brown.
JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour): Yesterday, Secretary of State Kerry spoke with Saudi officials and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. And a National Security Council spokesman said that the U.S. would review its support of the Saudi-led coalition.
For more on the situation, I'm joined by Michael Hanna, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation.
Welcome to you.
There was already so much concern and anger over civilian casualties and deaths in this conflict. How important is this new incident?
MICHAEL HANNA, The Century Foundation: Well, it's gotten a lot more attention than this war usually does.
And I think that's partly because of the nature of this attack and the scope of the damage. This was a really horrific attack. It happened on a funeral hall with a huge number of senior Yemeni figures, tribal figures and political leaders. And it does seem like a difference in time, like a red line had been crossed in bombing this kind of funeral gathering.
And for that reason, it's gotten a lot of attention and a lot of negative attention. And the reaction of the United States has been different. We have seen horrific bombings in the past, but this has elicited a different kind of response from the United States.
SUMMARY: Many people think of the civil war in Yemen in broad terms - Shia versus Sunni, Saudi Arabia versus Iran. But what does the constant fighting mean to those in the country? Jane Ferguson examines how the ongoing struggle is affecting everyday Yemenis, providing an on-the-ground perspective on the war.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): Today in Geneva, Switzerland, talks ended between Yemen’s exiled government and Houthi Shiite rebels, who control that country’s capital. The negotiations failed to reach even a temporary cease-fire.
Tonight, we take a close at the personal cost of the conflict, but first a bit of background. The latest turmoil can be traced back four years to the Arab spring, when an uprising ultimately led to the ousting of then President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Earlier this year, Houthi rebels, with the help of soldiers still loyal to the former leader, forced Yemen’s current president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, into exile. That sparked an international military response led by Saudi Arabia.
The subsequent fighting has killed more than 1,000 civilians and displaced more than one million.
“NewsHour” special correspondent Jane Ferguson traveled to Yemen to see firsthand what life is like in rebel-controlled territory.
JANE FERGUSON (NewsHour): These rebels have ruled much of Yemen for almost a year, marching through the streets of their greatest prize, the capital, Sanaa, in a show strength and defiance.
Houthi gunmen control the streets and their politicians control the government. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of backing the Houthis. And this was Saudi Arabia’s answer to that close relationship. Intensive airstrikes have pounded the country for three months.
My God. So, this is where the rocket fell.
We were among the first Western journalists to enter Sanaa since that bombardment began in March. We found neighborhoods destroyed and people terrified.
SUMMARY: Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s retirement announcement, Sen. Ted Cruz’s Presidential prospects and U.S. involvement in the Yemen conflict.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): Now to the chaos in Yemen, which seems to be growing with each passing hour, with questions of who’s in control.
The last vestiges of Yemen’s government crumbled as Shiite Houthi rebels advanced on Aden. The pro-American president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, had taken refuge there, but the Houthis offered $100,000 for his capture, and local officials said he fled on a boat.
Hadi’s foreign minister, speaking from Egypt, disputed that report.
RIAD YASSIN, Foreign Minister, Yemen (through interpreter): Until now, Aden is still standing. The president is still in Aden, and he is trying as hard as possible to withstand.
JUDY WOODRUFF: In Washington, the State Department said only that Hadi has left the presidential palace.
JEN PSAKI, State Department Spokeswoman: He is no longer at his residence, which you have seen in reporting, but we can certainly confirm. I’m not in a position to confirm any additional details from here about his location.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The Houthi advance was aided by fighters loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in 2011. The rebels now control the capital, Sanaa, and have spread south and west. Their advance, with Iran’s apparent support, prompted Saudi Arabia to station forces along its border with Yemen.
“Victory to the revolution,” they cried. “Victory to the south.”
As the rebels cheered today, Hadi’s aides formally asked the Sunni Arab states to come to his aid.
SUMMARY: In Yemen, Houthi Shiite rebels now control the capital, have spread south and west, and are making an advance on Aden, driving out President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Who will rise to power and how does the turmoil affect the region? Leslie Campbell of the National Democratic Institute joins Judy Woodruff to offer analysis.
SUMMARY: In Yemen’s capital Sanaa, people awoke overnight to explosions as Saudi jets bombarded military targets. The goal of the operation, which killed at least 18 civilians, was to drive out Shiite Houthi rebels who have taken over much of the country. Iran, key supporter of the Houthis, denounced the strikes. Judy Woodruff reports.
SUMMARY: Yemen’s deadliest terror attack in decades left hundreds of casualties. Judy Woodruff talks to Nabeel Khoury, a former State Department official in Yemen, about rising violence, ethnic tensions and power struggles in that country.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): We want to take a closer look at today’s violence in Yemen and what it says about the state of that region.
Joining me now is Nabeel Khoury. He had a career in the Foreign Service and was the deputy chief of mission in Yemen for the State Department from 2004 to 2007.
Welcome to the program.
NABEEL KHOURY, Former State Department Official in Yemen: Happy to be here.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, a terrible situation today. Over a hundred and, what is it, 30 were killed, over 300 wounded, worst violence in decades. How do you explain this?
NABEEL KHOURY: Well, this attack was perpetrated against the Houthi in principal, who are in charge in Sanaa.
But, unfortunately, a soft target was chosen, meaning a mosque, where Zaidi Yemenis go.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Zaidi, a particular group.
NABEEL KHOURY: Zaidism is a part of Shia Islam. It broke off Shia Islam centuries ago. But it’s closer to Shia Islam than it is to Sunni Islam.
MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): The terror threat that's already shut down U.S. embassies across the Muslim world zeroed in on Yemen today after the State Department urged American citizens and many U.S. government personnel to depart.
Americans and other foreigners streamed to the airport in Sanaa after the State Department warned of an extremely high threat level. And at the fortified U.S. Embassy, nonessential staffers were ordered to leave, flown out by the U.S. military.
But, in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki wouldn't call it an evacuation.
JEN PSAKI, State Department: Let me just make clear what this is and what this is not. This is a reduction in staffing. This is -- we still have a presence in Yemen. But -- and we are -- we will continue to evaluate. I don't have any updates on when staff may return.
MARGARET WARNER: It was reported that today's order to leave, coming after widespread embassy closings and a worldwide travel alert, was triggered by a communication between al-Qaida's leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, and Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the chief of its affiliate, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. The Yemeni government objected to today's U.S. order, but did cite specific intercepted threats.
RAJEH BADI, Yemeni government spokesman (through interpreter): There were attempts to control key cities in Yemen. The plot was planned by al-Qaida for the 27th day of Ramadan. The aim was to control two important ports by dropping in al-Qaida members wearing military uniforms who would pretend to ask for Ramadan tips owed to them. Then they would attack.
MARGARET WARNER: AQAP has tried to mount operations outside Yemen, too, the failed 2009 Christmas Day bomber and the 2010 plot to ship explosives in printer cartridges to the U.S. The U.S. has launched multiple drone strikes in Yemen, including one today that killed four suspected al-Qaida operatives.
SUMMARY: For more on the threat posed by Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Gregory Johnsen from Princeton University, a former Fulbright scholar in Yemen, joins Margaret Warner to discuss U.S.-Yemeni government relations and possible unintended consequences of drone strikes in that country.
RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): In recent years, Yemen has emerged as the hottest front in the war against al-Qaida.
Tonight's edition of "Frontline" travels to the heart of the Arabian Peninsula nation.
Guardian journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, reporting for "Frontline," gained rare access to militant strongholds. He visited several towns and met with insurgent leaders and fighters.
Here is an excerpt.
The suicide bomber who killed more than 90 people during the rehearsal of a Yemeni military parade yesterday was a soldier, a senior official said today after the country’s president attended a Unification Day procession shielded by bullet-proof glass.
The bomber was a member of Yemen’s central security forces, Ali Mohammed al-Anisi, national security chief, told reporters after today’s celebration. Central security forces are a police unit whose second-in-command is the nephew of the country’s ex- president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Al-Anisi declined to give further details on the bomber, saying only that a committee chaired by President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi will investigate the attack.
Today’s parade was moved to the aeronautics college and was restricted to students of military colleges. Hadi appeared behind bullet-proof glass during the event, attended by senior government and military officials as well as diplomats. The president pledged yesterday to continue the fight against al- Qaeda, whose Yemeni affiliate claimed responsibility for the bombing in an e-mailed statement, saying its target was Defense Minister Mohammed Naser Ahmed.
The minister and Chief of Staff Ahmed al-Ashwal both escaped uninjured, the Defense Ministry said on its website. It said the bombing near the presidential palace in Yemen’s capital also wounded about 220 people.
Yemen’s army has been battling militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the government fights to recapture cities in the southern province of Abyan. Government forces and allied fighters forced al-Qaeda militants to flee the suburbs outside the city of Lawdar on May 17.
Joy ‘Into Sorrow’
The perpetrators “wanted to turn the joy of our people with the Unification Day into sorrow,” President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi said in a speech to the nation. “The war on terrorism will continue until it is uprooted and defeated completely, whatever the sacrifices.”
JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): Now, more details and a major twist in the foiled al-Qaida terrorism plot.
Front pages around the country carried the news today that the would-be terrorist intending to blow up a U.S. bound airliner was in fact a double agent from Saudi Arabia. He was supposed to slip past airport security wearing a sophisticated bomb in his underwear.
Instead, the agent had infiltrated al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, and delivered the improvised explosive device, or IED, into Saudi and U.S. hands.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI director: We have seen over the last several days, particularly with regard to the IED that was recently recovered, that terrorism should be -- is and should be and continues to be our number one priority and the number one priority of a number of our intelligence agencies.
JEFFREY BROWN: At a House hearing this morning, FBI Director Robert Mueller said the foiled plot underscores the importance of wide-ranging electronic surveillance powers, due to expire at the end of this year.
ROBERT MUELLER: The access to information that enables us to identify persons both within the United States, but also without the United States that would hurt us, but also our intelligence agencies to operate overseas to pull in this information has been essential and remains essential.
JEFFREY BROWN: House members refrained from pressing Mueller for more details on the double agent. Since the story became public, some in and out of government have criticized the leaking of the information.
