Saudi-led Coalition Declares End to Yemen Campaign

Soviet Press Sputnik ^ | 4-21-2015 | Lavrov

[tcrlaf]

The Saudi-led coalition will now begin a new phase, titled 'Operation Restoring Hope', according to the statement of the Saudi defense ministry.

Saudi-led coalition operations in Yemen are now entering a political phase. The airstrikes have eliminated all threats against the kingdom and the neighboring countries through the destruction of the heavy arms and ballistic missiles that were seized by the Houthi militias and pro-Saleh forces, according to a statement by the defense ministry.

A coalition spokesman said the decision to end operation Firmness Storm followed a request from the Yemeni government.

[tcrlaf]

Just broke within the last hour. Details to follow.

Definitely a "WTF?" moment... Now entering a "political phase"?

[justa-hairyape]

Admission that they cannot win on the ground. What part of Yemen does the old government even control now ? Think the west is Houtiland now. And the east is Al Qeada.

[bert]

-——Now entering a “political phase”-——

Meetings with the tribal sheiks to restore the pecking order

[tcrlaf]

Did the potential confrontation with the Iranian convoy, being just a few hours away now, as it enters Yemeni waters, prompt this??

[grania]

Is it fair to assume that the Saudis will not risk anyone in their own military getting shot at?

[allendale]

The reality is that despite huge expenditures procuring military ordinance, the Saudi army is an untested and unreliable ground force. The Saudi royals have absolutely no confidence that the rank and file will fight well or risk all to fight for the “kingdom”. The Saudis were unable to recruit the Pakistanis to fight in Yemen and apparently the Egyptians, despite the huge Saudi subsidies to their economy, did not agree to fight. It would not be an easy battle against the motivated Shi’ite tribesmen.

[AU72]

Stealing a page from “Declare victory and go home”.

[gr8eman]

Yep...they just learned our navy is protecting the Iranian convoy!

[bert]

No, of course not

Unless you are ignorant and then of course it doesn’t matter

[tcrlaf]

Al-Aribya article now up:

The Saudi Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday the end of Operation Decisive Storm, a military campaign led by the Kingdom in Yemen to combat the Houthi advance in the embattled country, Al Arabiya reported.

The anti-Houthi coalition also announced the beginning of a new campaign, titled “Operation Restoring Hope,” after the earlier campaign launched on March 26 fulfilled its objectives, a statement said.

The new push would include diplomatic and political efforts along with military operations, Gen. Ahmed Asiri told reported in Riyadh
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/04/21/Coalition-announces-Op-Restoration-of-Hope-in-Yemen-.html

[Old Teufel Hunden]

This is not good. I don’t see how they can claim their goals were reached if the Houthi are still advancing. This is a quit and go home approach. Perhaps with the U.S. Naval ships in the area they are looking at starving the rebels of arms and re-supplies.

[McGruff]

‘Operation Restoring Hope’

Enough of naming these operations. Just kill the bastards and go home.

[caww]

Well Saudi King just called up the National Guard today to join the ground troops.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-arabia-king-salman-national-guard-yemen-iran-houthi-rebels/

[tcrlaf]

IMO, it seems that the combination of the Saudi’s unable to trust there own green ground troops to fight, plus being unable to buy/bribe another nation to the fighting for them, plus the very real possibility of a big confrontation with Iran in just the next few hours prompted this.

[caww]

Breaking on Fox... ISIS leader al-Baghdadi 'seriously wounded in air strike'....no longer in day-to-day control of terror group as he recovers from injuries sustained during attack in March, according to sources

[tcrlaf]

Twitter Rumor mill is that they are looking for this guy.

In ODESSA, UKRAINE....

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"plus the very real possibility of a big confrontation with Iran in just the next few hours prompted this."

Even if their highest hopes are reached and we either forced the Iranian ships to turn around or actually wiped them out, I still don't see how this accomplishes their mission of defeating the Houthis. They were getting their guns and ammo somehow and I don't think it was the sea previously. What are the other ways they were getting their weapons or have those been shut off? If so and we prevented the Iranians from re-supplying the rebels, then this strategy would work as it would only be a matter of time before the Houthis would run out of guns and ammo.

That's a lot of ifs. As Warren Zevon might have said, send lawyers, guns and money....

[Truth29]

I wonder if Obama passed the Saudi’s a message that he did not want his Iranian Mullahs to lose any face and he would look harshly at any further interference in his plans to make Iran the new hegemon in that part of the world?

[caww]

This does not, however, mean a ceasefire will be declared as they’re saying that.....

“The coalition will continue to prevent the movement of Houthi militias from moving or undertaking any operations inside Yemen,” .....Saudi spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri in the Saudi capital Riyadh. He added that the bombing operation will resume if it is deemed necessary.

[Uncle Miltie]

The Saudis spat in the general direction of Yemen and declared their effort over.