January 6: A Memory of Blood and Destruction in the Record of Crimes Against Yemen

January 6 is not a passing date in the memory of the war on Yemen. Rather, it is a blood-soaked milestone in which tragedy is repeatedly renewed, exposing the true nature of the U.S.–Saudi–Emirati aggression as a systematic criminal project that targets human beings before places, and everyday life before any other consideration. On this day, across successive years of aggression, airstrikes and shells converged to produce a single, recurring scene: civilians in the line of fire, and service infrastructure in the circle of destruction.

2016: Targeting Cities, Civilians, and Service Infrastructure

On January 6, 2016, the city of Taiz witnessed a wave of airstrikes targeting residential neighborhoods such as Al-Jahmaliyah and Hasanat, resulting in injuries and extensive damage to homes and vehicles. The attacks did not stop there; educational facilities and service areas were also struck, while the port of Mocha was targeted by a series of strikes that damaged its facilities.

In the border governorates, the districts of Razih, Shada, and Baqim were subjected to Saudi missile shelling and repeated airstrikes, causing damage to citizens’ homes and property. The bombardment also extended to the capital Sana’a, as well as Al-Mahwit and Hajjah, using internationally prohibited munitions—an early confirmation that the aggression made no distinction between military and civilian targets.

2017: Comprehensive Escalation and Expansion of Fire

The following year saw crimes take on a broader and more intense character. Two civilians were martyred in Munabbih on the border, and children were wounded by Saudi missile attacks. Meanwhile, Baqim, Al-Zahir, and Shada were struck with internationally banned cluster munitions.

Attacks spread to Sana’a, Marib, Taiz, Lahj, and Al-Hodeidah, where airstrikes targeted multiple sites, accompanied by heavy missile and artillery shelling by mercenaries on residential neighborhoods and farmlands. This caused significant damage to public and private property and entrenched the image of the aggression as a comprehensive war on civilian life.

2018: Children in the Line of Fire

January 6, 2018 brought even harsher scenes. A child was martyred in Al-Jawf Governorate by a mortar shell, while Saada witnessed airstrikes on homes and service facilities, injuring several civilians, including women. Markets and border areas were also targeted, with attacks extending to the capital Sana’a and Al-Hodeidah—an escalation that underscored the continued policy of pressuring civilians and targeting their livelihoods.

2019: Heavy Shelling of Coastal Cities

That year, attacks reached their peak in Al-Hodeidah Governorate, where residential neighborhoods were subjected to intense artillery and missile shelling by mercenaries, resulting in widespread civilian injuries and severe damage to homes and facilities.

In the north, a civilian was martyred by Saudi border guards, while aircraft continued to conduct airstrikes on Saada, Hajjah, Marib, Najran, and Jizan—an almost daily scene reflecting the cross-border nature of the aggression.

2020–2021: Continuation of Collective Punishment

During these two years, attacks continued on districts in Al-Hodeidah, Taiz, Saada, Marib, and Al-Jawf through artillery and missile shelling and intermittent airstrikes. Populated areas and industrial and service facilities were targeted, leading to civilian injuries and widespread property damage.

This coincided with the construction of military fortifications in and around residential neighborhoods, revealing a deliberate effort to turn cities into open battlefields and to impose the direct costs of war on civilians.

2022: Intensified Airstrikes and Expanded Destruction

January 6, 2022 witnessed one of the most violent waves of bombardment, as aggression aircraft carried out dozens of airstrikes on Marib, Shabwah, Sana’a, and Al-Jawf, targeting residential neighborhoods and civilian areas. At the same time, surveillance aircraft intensified activity over Al-Hodeidah, alongside artillery and missile shelling of populated coastal areas.

2023: Fire Without Respite

In the latest chapter of this date, civilians and African migrants were injured as a result of Saudi shelling on the districts of Munabbih and Shada in Saada, while airstrikes and shelling continued on Al-Hodeidah, accompanied by the construction of new combat fortifications—clear evidence that the machinery of aggression continues to operate under the same logic: targeting civilians and perpetuating humanitarian bleeding.

A Comprehensive Record of an Ongoing Crime

The cumulative toll of events on January 6 throughout the years of aggression does not represent isolated incidents, but rather a comprehensive record of a continuing crime. It embodies a model of total war waged by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Un