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Yemen: WFP Says Aid Looted in Houthi-held Area

0 Armed supporters of Houthi movement attend a gathering to collect food supplies for Houthi fighters at the battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen, 14 November 2019 - EPA
0 Armed supporters of Houthi movement attend a gathering to collect food supplies for Houthi fighters at the battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen, 14 November 2019 - EPA
    Asharq Al-Awsat
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Yemen: WFP Says Aid Looted in Houthi-held Area

0 Armed supporters of Houthi movement attend a gathering to collect food supplies for Houthi fighters at the battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen, 14 November 2019 - EPA
0 Armed supporters of Houthi movement attend a gathering to collect food supplies for Houthi fighters at the battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen, 14 November 2019 - EPA

The World Food Program said Tuesday that one of its warehouses in Yemen's Houthi-held area had been looted.

The UN food agency described the culprits simply as “militias” and said 127.5 tons of aid were stolen in the northern province of Hajja. A senior aid worker also said Houthi militiamen were behind the looting.

The worker spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, the Associated Press reported. Millions of Yemenis live just a step away from famine and rely on food aid.

The WFP began a partial suspension of food aid to areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels last June, amid accusations they were diverting aid from the war-torn country’s hungriest people.

The Houthis denied the accusation and aid deliveries resumed in August.

The WFP provides food assistance to 12 million people every month.

The agency spoke out repeatedly last year about aid diversion at the hands of Houthis and accused them of impeding its operations.

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Israeli Cluster Bombs Create ‘Renewed’ Disaster in Southern Lebanon

A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)
A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)
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Israeli Cluster Bombs Create ‘Renewed’ Disaster in Southern Lebanon

A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)
A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)

Lebanon is still clearing cluster bombs dropped by Israel during the 2006 war, and reports suggest that the threat is growing. Israel is believed to be using cluster bombs again in southern Lebanon, an area already severely damaged.

While the war continues, some sources in southern Lebanon claim that Israel has dropped cluster bombs, especially in agricultural areas. This could make it impossible for farmers to use the land in the future, as unexploded bombs could detonate at any time. The danger has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries since 2006.
Before the latest conflict, Lebanon’s Mine Action Center requested four more years to finish clearing the bombs left over from 2006. However, it has not been able to confirm whether Israel has used cluster bombs in this new conflict. The center is waiting for the war to end to confirm the types of weapons used.
Hezbollah accused Israel of using cluster bombs in southern Lebanon in a statement last month, calling on international human rights organizations to condemn the attack.
Hezbollah’s statement, released on Oct. 15, said Israeli forces dropped cluster bombs in several areas, including near the towns of Aalman and Deir Siryan. The group said this action violated international law, especially during wartime.
Retired Gen.
Abdul Rahman Chehaitli, who was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the Lebanese Army during the 2006 war, explained that Israel dropped cluster bombs just two days before the war ended.
These bombs were dropped randomly, making it impossible to create accurate maps for their removal.
Chehaitli told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon received incomplete maps of the bomb locations from Israel through UNIFIL, but some areas still remain dangerous. Removing these bombs is risky and slow, and unexploded bombs still pose a major threat to civilians.
He warned that the use of cluster bombs in the current conflict could lead to another disaster once the fighting ends.
According to the Lebanese National News Agency, Israeli warplanes dropped over 5 million cluster bombs in southern Lebanon during the 2006 war. By 2020, these bombs had killed 58 people and injured around 400 others, many of whom were farmers and shepherds.
The Lebanese Army’s Mine Action Center works with UNIFIL and local and international organizations to remove these bombs. However, a lack of funding has reduced the number of organizations able to help, especially in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa.
Hassan Faqih, head of the Tobacco and Tombac Farmers’ Union in Lebanon, described the continued threat of cluster bombs. Since 2006, many farmers have been unable to use their land because of unexploded bombs. Some have been injured or disabled after bombs went off.
Faqih told Asharq Al-Awsat that areas like the town of Hamila in the Nabatieh district are still full of unexploded ordnance, preventing farmers from working. He also confirmed that Israel has used cluster bombs again in this conflict.
Local residents can recognize the bombs by their shape and the sounds they make.
Cluster bombs are dropped from aircraft or fired as missiles and contain hundreds of smaller bombs that scatter over a large area. Though intended to target military forces, they are highly dangerous to civilians, especially children.