Al-Houthi missiles at gas stations..a double killing strategy with the aim of intimidating civilians and spreading terrorism
English - Tuesday 15 March 2022 الساعة 04:13 pm
NewsYemen, Investigations Division:
On January 19, early this year, tens of kilometers away from the fronts that had calmed down between the Iranian arm and the forces of the Southern Giants, four citizens were killed by a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi militia at the "Al-Aqili" fuel station in the isolation of "Houra" in the valley of the Ain district, northwest of Shabwa.
The Houthis' bombing of gas stations with ballistic missiles is one of the biggest signs of "terrorist" Houthi war that seeks to spread terror and intimidation away from the military fronts. The systematic and widespread targeting of targets in which civilians are present, in violation of the principle of distinction and proportionality in international humanitarian law.
During the 12 months, from February 2021 to February 2022, four fuel stations in different areas of Marib Governorate alone were bombed with ballistic missiles. The four incidents caused losses to civilians and property.
Lian, the charred girl
On June 5, 2021, a fuel station in the residential neighborhood of Al-Rawda, north of the city of Ma'rib, was subjected to a double attack with a "ballistic missile" and a "booby-trapped" drone, causing dozens of deaths and injuries, both civilians and soldiers.
According to the report of the “Yemeni Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations” issued in September 2021, the attack targeted the gas station while there was a queue of private cars whose owners were waiting to get their share of the lacking gasoline, which led to successive explosions followed by the outbreak of a massive fire that killed (26). ) civilians, including (21) dead, some of whom had charred bodies, and (5) wounded, some of whom were seriously injured.
Social media platforms published painful pictures of the completely charred girl, Lian, who died with her father in the attack on the station, as well as the killing of 3 other children as young as 14 years old, which resulted in local and international reactions expressing the ugliness of the crime.
Acting US Ambassador to Yemen Kathleen Westley expressed her dismay at the incident, saying, "We are horribly shocked the reports that the Houthis used a ballistic missile to destroy a fuel station in Marib, killing and wounding civilians.”
The former British ambassador, Michael Aaron, described the horrific news about explosions at a petrol station in Marib, which left dozens of civilians dead and wounded, calling on the Houthi militia to stop the attack on Marib and engage seriously with the United Nations.
Fragmentation ballistic missiles
In an open source investigative report published on the Yemeni Archive website, The investigation stated that the terrorist Houthi militia targeted the “Taj Saba Complex” gas station in the Al-Rumaila area, east of Marib, with a “Badr-F” fragmentation ballistic missile on March 16, 2021, during a large gathering of civilian vehicles, killing two people and wounding seven others.
The investigation confirmed that there was no military activity at the gas station at the moment of the bombing, and that all 35 vehicles queuing to refuel were of a civilian nature.
The information published by the militias on the Badr-F missile shows that it contains 14,000 fragments, covering an area of 350 meters in diameter with an error of only 3 meters. , It explodes at a height of 20 meters from the target, meaning it has a proximity explosion system. According to the"I Believe in Science" website, this type of missile aims to cause greater damage in a larger area and cause harm through shrapnel, and through the shock wave, which makes its effect fatal and fatal to people and buildings.
Systematic targeting with intent to intimidate
Renewed systematic targeting of the terrorist Houthi militia on civilian gatherings at gas stations in conjunction with the movements of its forces in Al-Juba district, where a fuel station near the city of Al-Jadida, the district center, was bombed with a ballistic missile on October 13, 2021, causing 10 civilian casualties, 4 dead, including two women, and 6 wounded. Others, including two children. The burning of a number of citizens' vehicles.
The distance in the satellite images shows that the station was approximately 4 km away from the lines of engagement at that time, as the terrorist Houthi militia was stationed on the outskirts of the Wasit area in the same district, while the position of the legitimate forces was near the Rashid station, and the bombing of a site does not constitute this far. The confrontations have no military advantage, in addition to the fact that the victims are civilians.
On January 19, 2022, a Houthi ballistic missile hit a fuel station in the city of Harib, south of Ma'rib, killing 4 civilians, including workers at the station, and wounding 5 others, at a time when the region witnessed military confrontations between the Giants' forces and the Houthi militia, which were forced out of the city. This incident is the last stop targeted by the militias, and it will not be the last in violation of international law.
Violation of international law
In its latest report to the Security Council (S/2022/50), the Group of Experts on Yemen said that they investigated eight incidents in which the Houthis used OpenElement explosive munitions indiscriminately in populated areas in Marib and Taiz, killing 33 people, including eight children, and wounding 51 others, including 11 children.
The team reported that the fierce fighting in the vicinity of Marib since February 2021 had severe consequences for civilians, and in several attacks in which explosive devices such as artillery shells were used, they hit camps and civilian objects, causing deaths and injuries among civilians.
The report indicated that these cases demonstrate the Houthis’ continued disregard for the principle of discrimination and the principle of protecting civilians. The systematic attacks on populated areas in Taiz and Marib, at a distance from the active front lines, can be considered acts aimed at spreading terror among the civilian population. This is prohibited under international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law requires that parties to a conflict distinguish between civilians for whom they are protected and combatants who are legitimate targets of attack. Civilians may not be deliberately targeted; They must not carry out attacks that fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, or that cause disproportionate harm to civilians.
Despite local and international reports and calls calling on the terrorist Houthi militia not to target civilians, ballistic missiles rained down on all Yemeni governorates, reaching neighboring countries, hitting civilian targets, causing civilian casualties, in complete disregard of international laws and international norms.
