BREAKING: Saudi Arabia Wages War on Yemen · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Sanaa. Photograph shared by Yemeni blogger @mareb_elward on Twitter
Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against Yemen this morning. Backed by its Gulf Arab allies, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Saudi Arabia started an airstrike operation, dubbed Decisive Storm, against Houthi fighters who took control of Yemen in January.
The airstrikes started at 2.30 a.m. Yemeni time, and online Yemenis and Arab bloggers are torn between those wanting to see the Houthis rooted out of power and those who don't want to see the country becoming another Iraq, Syria or Libya.
Friend in Sana says bombing started at 0230 am – crazy anti aircraft fire followed #Yemen pic.twitter.com/nK0kpI0i5I
— vivek raj (@vivekrajindia) March 26, 2015
UAE commentator Sultan Al Qassemi names the countries taking part in Decisive Storm:
Al Arabiya: 30 UAE fighter jets, 15 Kuwaiti, 15 Bahraini, 10 Qatari, 6 Jordanian, 2 Egyptian jets, to participate in “Decisive Storm” #Yemen
— سلطان سعود القاسمي (@SultanAlQassemi) March 26, 2015
Journalist Henan Moussa adds:
Military operation against #Yemen Houthis is called ‘Decisive storm’. Pakistan &Egypt are also contributing with air &naval forces. @akhbar
— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) March 26, 2015
And student Daniel Wickham, from the UK, asks:
Saudi, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt & Jordan bombing #Yemen right now. Pretty much guaranteed US & UK-made jets are being used right?
— Daniel Wickham (@DanielWickham93) March 26, 2015
Al Qassemi also draws parallels to another storm:
Current major regional war “Decisive Storm” shares same initials as last major regional war “Desert Storm” (1990) Coincidence? I think not.
— سلطان سعود القاسمي (@SultanAlQassemi) March 26, 2015
Yemeni blogger Atiaf Alwazir appeals to her countrymen and women:
No matter our political affiliations don't root for #war it won't solve any problems, it will just cause more bloodshed #Yemen
— Atiaf Alwazir (@WomanfromYemen) March 26, 2015
And she adds:
#war is never the answer.This is intended to destroy #Yemen not to shift balance of power! F you #saudi & international war loving coalition
— Atiaf Alwazir (@WomanfromYemen) March 26, 2015
Yemeni Hamza Shargabee explains:
the airstrikes are happening because the participatns hate houthis/iran not because they love #Yemen
— Hamza Shargabee (@icHamza) March 26, 2015
From Sanaa, Jamal Jubran writes on Facebook:
أنت ضد فكرة الحرب. أنت ضد العدوان،أيّ عدوان. تخرج لمظاهرات ضد الحروب. كيف الآن تؤيد الحرب على بلدك. عشر دول بتضرب بلدك في وقت واحد. السعودية بتضرب بلدك. وأنت تؤيدها. اسمح لي أقلك : أنت كائن مسخ ومشوّه.
يلعن أبو شكلك.
You are against war. You are against any aggression. You take part in anti-war demonstrations. How come you now support a war on your country? Ten countries are attacking your country at the same time. Allow me to tell you that you are a disturbed person. May you be damned.
And Hafez Albukari shares photographs of empty streets in the capital Sanaa, as schools have been closed for the day:
Quite Sanaa streets at 7am as many r not going to schools, colleges or work after air strikes panic. #Yemen pic.twitter.com/vCd41ZleZn
— Hafez Albukari (@hafezbukari) March 26, 2015
Many are questioning what airstrikes will achieve.
On The Yemen Peace Project page on Facebook, Will Picard writes:
Saudi Arabia, responding to Abdu Rabu Mansur Hadi's request, has launched air strikes against San'a. As a student of Yemeni affairs and of military tactics, I do not understand what KSA thinks it can achieve with such strikes. People will be killed, without a doubt, and the infrastructure will be damaged, but air strikes will do nothing to degrade the position of Saleh and Ansar Allah.
He adds:
I'm a relatively smart person. I've studied international relations and warfare for a long time. I honestly cannot imagine what positive result Saudi Arabia or its allies think can be achieved through air power right now. Thoughts?
Meanwhile, Saudi blogger Hassan Al Harthy is celebrating the Saudi stance in standing against “injustice and enmity.” He tweets:
في كل عهد تحرير من ظلم وعدوان السعودية بلد النصرة بعد الله ،، #عاصفة_الحزم pic.twitter.com/xM6VM5sNbX
— حسن الحارثي (@Al_7arthy) March 26, 2015
Every reign sees a liberation of injustice and enmity
Saudi Arabia is the country of support after Allah
He shares this inforgraphic which champions Saudi monarch King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the liberator of Kuwait; King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz as the saviour of Bahrain and the current King Salman bin Abdulaziz as the champion of Yemen.
Journalist Mohammed Jamjoom wonders if the airstrikes will pull in other regional players:
Discussing #Saudi led airstrikes in #Yemen, Arabiya anchor just asked guest what he thinks response from #Iran will be …
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@MIJamjoom) March 26, 2015
And Syrian blogger Rafif Jouejati asks:
Is it officially WWIII yet?
— Rafif Jouejati (@RafifJ) March 26, 2015
Stay tuned for more coverage from Yemen.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Pakistan was a part of the Saudi-coalition bombing Yemen. Apologies for the error.