December 16: An Open Record of Crimes by the U.S.–Saudi–Emirati Aggression Against Yemen
December 16 stands as a repeatedly bloodstained date in the record of the U.S.–Saudi–Emirati aggression against Yemen. Over the years of war, this day has become a witness to a wide series of crimes and violations targeting civilians, infrastructure, and public and private property across multiple governorates—within a systematic criminal pattern that reflects the nature of the aggressive war and its destructive objectives against the Yemeni people.
2015: Targeting Civilians and Economic Infrastructure
On December 16, 2015, coalition warplanes escalated their criminal operations, targeting civilian gatherings and service facilities. The most prominent of these crimes was the bombing of a wedding celebration in Dhubab District, Taiz Governorate, resulting in martyrs and wounded in a crime that shook the human conscience.
On the same day, various areas in Taiz and Khayran Al-Muharraq in Hajjah were targeted, along with intensive shelling of Saada Governorate that struck homes, farms, and public roads. The salt production and refining factory in Al-Salif, Hodeidah Governorate, was also targeted, with its equipment and workers’ housing destroyed—an attack that directly hit the national economy and citizens’ livelihoods.
2016: Cluster Munitions and Extrajudicial Killings
December 16, 2016 witnessed even more serious crimes, including the targeting of a civilian vehicle in Saada Governorate and the use of cluster munitions in Baqim District—an egregious violation of international humanitarian law.
Coalition mercenaries also killed citizen Abdullah Ali Al-Thabati in Marib because of his national positions, an extrajudicial execution accompanied by widespread shelling that struck Hodeidah, the Capital Secretariat (Sana’a), Taiz, and Al-Jawf.
2017: Massacres Against Women and Children
On this day in 2017, coalition warplanes committed one of their most heinous massacres against civilians, with more than 20 people—mostly women and children—killed in Al-Mazarah village, Al-Khokha District, Hodeidah Governorate.
Markets, homes, and farms in Hays, Saada, Marib, and Al-Jawf were also targeted, and dozens of airstrikes were carried out in a bloody escalation that revealed a clear determination to directly target civilians.
2018: Children in the Line of Fire
December 16, 2018 recorded new crimes against children, most notably the killing of two children and the injury of their father in Al-Bayda Governorate, alongside shelling of residential neighborhoods in Hodeidah, Ad-Durayhimi, and Bayt Al-Faqih, and attacks on farms, factories, and homes—continuing the policy of collective punishment.
2019: Shelling Cities and Residential Neighborhoods
In 2019, coalition mercenaries intensified artillery shelling of residential neighborhoods in and around Hodeidah City, targeting homes as well as educational and commercial facilities, while coalition aircraft continued airstrikes on Saada and Asir.
2020–2021: Widespread Aerial and Ground Escalation
Crimes continued on December 16 in 2020 and 2021 through intensive airstrikes on Marib, Taiz, and Al-Jawf, in addition to widespread artillery and missile shelling in Hodeidah. These attacks resulted in injuries, extensive property damage, destruction of farms, and ongoing civilian suffering.
2022: Collective Retribution Crimes
On December 16, 2022, coalition mercenaries committed another crime east of Marib by targeting a tribal gathering in Wadi Ubaidah, killing seven citizens and injuring others. The attack was linked to disputes over civil and livelihood rights, reflecting the retaliatory mindset of the mercenaries and their sponsors.
A Comprehensive War on the Yemeni People
Year after year, December 16 confirms that the U.S.–Saudi–Emirati aggression has been less a conventional military war and more a comprehensive war against the Yemeni people—targeting their lives, security, food, and economy—in flagrant violation of all international laws and conventions. This reality reinforces Yemen’s legitimate right to steadfastness, self-defense, and continued resistance until sovereignty and freedom are achieved.