October 23: A Day Etched in Yemeni Blood — The Ongoing Memory of the U.S.-Saudi-UAE Aggression
Every year on this day, Yemen’s collective memory is weighed down by the rubble of demolished homes and the blood of children and women—marking yet another chapter in the crimes of the U.S.-Saudi-UAE coalition, which has waged war on Yemen’s land and people for eight consecutive years.
October 23 is not an ordinary date in the calendar of aggression; it is a mirror reflecting the ugliness of American and Saudi hatred against a peaceful nation that refused foreign tutelage and paid the price of freedom and sovereignty with its blood, sweat, and unbroken will.
Through all these years, the crimes have taken different forms, but the message has remained the same: a U.S.-Saudi-UAE aggression killing the Yemeni people with no conscience and no law.
2015: The Year of Blood and Fire — Massacres of Women and Children in Saada, Hajjah, and Sana’a
On October 23, 2015, the U.S.-Saudi air force filled Yemen’s skies with death, targeting residential areas, markets, and schools.
In Saada, 11 civilians were martyred, including three children and four women, in a horrific attack on the home of Saghir Maswadah in the Haydan district, while others were killed in al-Qillah, Maran.
In Hajjah, airstrikes hit a public market in Hairan, killing eight civilians and wounding others, while continued raids on Abs and Haradh destroyed power stations, fuel facilities, and civilian homes.
In Sana’a, airstrikes destroyed Hadran School and hit residential neighborhoods in Atan, al-Hafa, and al-Nahdayn, with other strikes extending to al-Bayda, Ibb, Marib, and Hodeidah—proving the coalition made no distinction between a city and a village, nor between a child and a woman.
2016: Cluster Bombs Burning Both Land and People
The year 2016 saw a dangerous escalation as the coalition used internationally banned cluster munitions on Baqim District in Saada, killing six civilians.
The bombardment spread to al-Harirah, Rashaḥah, Kitaf, al-Zahir, and Razih, alongside Saudi rocket shelling of border villages. Meanwhile, violent explosions shook Sana’a after air raids struck al-Hafa, al-Nahdayn, and al-Daylami Air Base.
The aggression extended to al-Jawf, Marib, Hodeidah, and Taiz, leaving behind a trail of destruction and pain.
2017: Field Escalation and Retaliation for Military Failure
On October 23, 2017, the coalition, frustrated by battlefield setbacks, sought revenge on civilians.
In Hajjah, warplanes launched nine raids on Haradh and Medi, and another on al-‘Ubayṣah in Kushar. In Saada, raids struck al-Buqa’, al-Far‘, Al-Subḥan, and Majz, while Munabbih endured Saudi artillery and rocket attacks.
Raids also targeted Nihm and al-Jawf, destroying homes and farms, revealing that every military failure only pushed the coalition to commit more atrocities.
2018: Targeting Livelihoods and Civil Infrastructure
The strikes of October 23, 2018, exposed the economic face of the war. Coalition aircraft hit a bee transport truck in Bani Hassan, Abs, as well as areas east of Hodeidah Airport and Sirwah in Marib.
Meanwhile, Saudi artillery pounded villages in Baqim and Shada (Saada).
The attacks on farms, homes, and public roads turned that day into a testimony of the war’s economic and humanitarian toll on Yemenis.
2019: Escalation on Hodeidah and Saada
In 2019, civilians in Tuhayta, al-Fazah, and Hays were wounded by shelling from coalition-backed mercenaries, while Saada endured heavy air raids on Fut, Bani Sayyah, and Majazah (in Asir).
On October 23 alone, over 170 airstrikes were launched on Saada and Hajjah—an act of desperation to restore the coalition’s fading “prestige” after four years of military failure.
2020: Systematic Killing Persists
On October 23, 2020, the coalition committed another crime when Saudi border guards killed civilians in Munabbih, while coalition warplanes carried out over 30 raids on Marib, al-Jawf, and Hodeidah.
More than 140 artillery shells were fired on Hodeidah’s districts, revealing the continuation of U.S.-driven policies of destruction and mass killing with utter disregard for civilian lives.
2021: Repeated Attacks on Civilians and African Migrants
In 2021, the aggression committed a double crime with Saudi shelling on al-Sheikh and al-‘Izza in Munabbih, killing one civilian and injuring five others, including four African migrants.
Simultaneously, coalition aircraft bombarded Marib, al-Jawf, Shabwa, and Hodeidah, inflicting extensive damage on civilian infrastructure and essential services.
2022–2023: Espionage Warfare and Ongoing Violations
During these two years, the coalition shifted to deploying combat spy aircraft as part of a new warfare phase. Strikes targeted Hodeidah, Taiz, and Saada, while mercenaries continued shelling residential areas.
On October 23, 2023, a spy drone strike hit Hays District, followed by 114 artillery shells across variou