More than a dozen dead in coalition strikes on Yemen's Sanaa following attack in UAE

 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched airstrikes against militant groups and “armed separatists” in Yemen to restore “security and stability” the country was grappling with since 2018 war, a report has said.

According to Al Jazeera’s military correspondent Omar Khaled, at least three Yemeni soldiers were also among casualties during the Saudi Arabia-led offensive in Sanaa, which started in mid-October.

UAE forces are believed to have killed dozens of terrorists in the conflict. According to the Associated Press, UAE Air Force personnel flew air attacks into Yemeni airspace last month—the first such operation since the start of the US-backed uprising in 2016, and one that prompted criticism from Saudi Arabia and the United States.

The coalition struck several places between October 18 and 22 ‘2020 and’ is currently fighting the Iranian-supported Islamic State group to reclaim Yemen from an interim Saudi government led by President Abd-Rafattah al-Zayani after more than four years under his leadership. It is accused of carrying out atrocities, violating international human rights protocols and targeting civilians.

The UAE, which took over governance of Sanaa on 15 September 2020 following its takeover of the capital city’s airport over security concerns, has been ramping up airstrikes on anti-state militias since then. One of the deadliest has targeted a prominent group called Ansar Allah, and another hit two high profile Shiite factions including the paramilitary Jaish-e-Islam party. The United Nations Security Council has expressed concern over the use of air strikes and arms restrictions, calling for a cease-fire in Yemen.

According to Human Rights Watch, over the past six months, the UAE has killed 1,854 individuals and wounded some 2,000 in the fight.

It comes a day after Egypt, the International Crisis Group and others called for concerted action to end Yemen's civil war, while urging Riyadh and Washington to continue support for the UN-supported Libyan Red Cross in the conflict. They said Yemen's warring factions continued to deny their humanity, and warned that any attempt to move the country towards a democratic future, using “mass killings in large numbers is an existential threat to the survival of the nation."

Libyan Civilian Support Team said they could not be involved in the current conflict. Its spokesperson, Mohamed Ali Moadi, told Reuters in Tripoli last week that Libyan armed groups are responsible for crimes committed across the Middle East along with those committed elsewhere. He accused both Ansar Allah and Jaish-e-Islam of committing terrorism in addition to supporting terrorism elsewhere.

“It is unacceptable and unjustifiable that innocent people who are trying to protect innocent people who do not deserve it are being bombed,” he said. Iran-supported militia group Ansar Allah announced on Tuesday it had taken part in the air strike campaign. Ansar Allah members include the notorious Jaish-e-Islam wing, with ties to various regional extremist groups.

UAE pilots flying missions across Yemen have reportedly struck targets around the country, said Hama Saber, a spokesperson for the Lebanese Armed Forces, adding that the UAA also flies operations into Saudi airspace. Saber was quoted as saying the UAE did not say which countries it was striking but insisted that Saudi Arabia was no longer the target, though the UAE was aware of Yemen's “offensive actions” in Yemen. The UAE is still involved in Yemen's civil war, according to Saber, who added Saudi Arabia remains the “main target".

Al Jazeera contributed to this report.