Saudi Propaganda v. Legitimate Reports on Yemen

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Days earlier, Houthi spokesman General Yahua Saree said movement forces, allied with Popular Committee fighters, routed Saudi troops in kingdom territory bordering Yemen.

"The operation resulted in the complete destruction of three military brigades of the enemy (Saudi) forces, seizure of large quantities of military equipment, including hundreds of vehicles and armored vehicles, capture of thousands of enemy forces, mostly traitors and the beguiled (Saudi-sponsored Yemeni militiamen loyal to Yemen's US installed puppet president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi). Hundreds more were killed and wounded in the process as well," Saree claimed.

Given demonstrated military capabilities of Houthi fighters, including their ability to successfully strike strategic Saudi targets deep into kingdom territory, Saree's claim appears credible.

Southfront cited Houthi forces, saying they "liberated 350km2 in the first stage of their operation in northern Saadah. Three brigades of Saudi-led forces were defeated and more than 2,000 personnel were captured."

AMN News and Southfront published Houthi videos, showing destruction and seizure of Saudi weapons and military equipment, along with capture of large numbers of Saudi soldiers and allied fighters.

AMN News called the Houthi offensive along territory bordering the kingdom and Yemen "massive."

Riyadh was silent for three days following the attack, giving credence to Saree's report by not challenging it straightaway if untrue.

On Tuesday, Saudi Colonel Turki al-Malki called Houthi claims part of a "misleading media campaign," a dubious statement made way too belatedly to be taken seriously.

Of course, nothing Saudi officials say can be believed. Their remarks consistently lack credibility.

On Monday, Al Jazeera aired footage, showing what it called "a long line of captured troops - dressed in thongs and traditional Yemeni clothing - who appear to be the men surrendering to the" Houthis.

On Monday, the BBC and other international media reported that Houthi fighters released 290 Saudi fighters captured in the above explained offensive, the ICRC acting as an intermediary.

Earlier, the Houthi National Committee for Prisoners Affairs (NCPA) agreed to a UN-brokered prisoner exchange deal arranged in Stockholm last December, involving around 7,000 detainees held by both sides.

NCPA head Abdul Qader al-Murtada said "(o)ur) initiative proves our credibility in implementing the Sweden agreement and we call on the other party to take a comparable step," adding:

"We decided to release 350 prisoners because nothing from the Sweden agreement has been achieved. The release is going take place today" — calling it a goodwill gesture.

At the same time, the Houthis condemned Riyadh's use of children aged 13 - 16 as soldiers, a complaint filed with the UN for the illegal practice — flagrantly breaching the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Separately on Monday, the Saudi owned and controlled Al Arabiya propaganda operation falsely claimed Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei "ordered" and President Rouhani "authorized" the September 14 strikes on key Aramco oil facilities "from Iranian territory."

The report cited no evidence backing the claim because none exists. The Big Lie persists because establishment media repeat it.

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