The Saudi-led air strikes on a market in Norther Yemen killed 119 people, nearly three times the number previously reported, the United Nations said Thursday. The UNICEF children’s agency said that among those killed in the Mastaba district on Tuesday were 22 children, while another 47 people were wounded. Press TV reports: The UN children’s agency in a statement strongly denounced the deadly airstrikes.
Obama’s Atlantic interviews on foreign policy contains some interesting remarks, but they are difficult to square with Obama’s own policies. The New York Times summarizes some of his views this way:
President Obama believes that Saudi Arabia, one of America’s most important allies in the Middle East, needs to learn how to “share” the region with its archenemy, Iran, and that both countries are guilty of fueling proxy wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Nasser Arrabyee reviews the effects of the appalling U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war on Yemen:
The European Parliament has voted in favour of an EU-wide arms embargo against Saudi Arabia over its operation in Yemen. The resolution calls for a ban on all weapons sales to the country, until alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen have been investigated, and was passed by 359 votes to 212 While the vote does not compel EU member states to act, it does increase pressure on Riyadh, in the wake of criticism from the UN and growing international alarm over civilian casualties in Yemen.
Trevor Thrall and John Glaser make an excellent case against U.S. support for the war on Yemen:
Beyond placating overexcited Saudi fears of a U.S. strategic tilt towards Iran, there simply is no moral, legal, or strategic justification for what the U.S. is doing in Yemen.