and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir meet with
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in September 2015. On 21 April 2015, the
Saudi Defence Ministry declared it was ending the campaign of airstrikes because it had "successfully eliminated the threat" to its security posed by Houthi ballistic and heavy weaponry. It announced the start of a new phase codenamed Operation Restoring Hope. In a televised address, Hadi said the end of airstrikes had come at his request and thanked the Arab coalition for their support. Earlier that day King Salman ordered the Saudi National Guard to join the military operation. Air and naval strikes continued despite the announcement that
Decisive Storm had ended. Both the Omani and Iranian governments said they welcomed the end of airstrikes. On 22 April, Oman presented a seven-point peace deal to both parties. The proposed peace treaty entailed the reinstatement of Hadi's government and the evacuation of Houthi fighters from major cities. following heavy pressure from the US. Later in the day, Saudi airplanes dropped leaflets in the
Saada Governorate warning of airstrikes throughout the area. Houthi spokesman Mohamed al-Bukhaiti later told the
BBC that the ceasefire had not been formally proposed and the Houthis would not respond until a plan was properly laid out. A spokesman for the Houthi-aligned military announced agreement to the ceasefire plan on 10 May, although he warned that a breach of the truce would prompt a military response. On 13 May, humanitarian agencies said they were trying to get aid into Yemen after a five-day ceasefire took effect on Tuesday night. Ships carrying humanitarian supplies docked at the Houthi-controlled
Red Sea port of
Hodeidah as planes were standing by to help evacuate the injured. Meanwhile, King Salman doubled his country's Yemen aid pledge to $540 million, funds the UN said would "meet the life-saving and protection needs of 7.5 million people affected".
Airstrikes At the operation's announcement, coalition leadership stressed that their campaign would attempt a political solution and that they would continue the air and naval blockade. Airstrikes resumed almost immediately following the coalition's announcement of the end of Operation Decisive Storm. On 22 April airstrikes continued in
Taiz, where an army base was hit shortly after Houthi fighters took it over, and Aden, where an airstrike targeted Houthi tanks moving into a contested district, among other locations, such as Hodeidah and
Ibb. The Houthis continued to fight for territory, By 26 April, coalition forces were striking what they described as Houthi military targets in Sanaa and Aden and in other locations, notably in Sa'ada province near the Saudi border, nearly every night. On 26 April, after midnight, airstrikes struck Houthi and pro-Saleh positions and targets in and around Sanaa, Aden, and the
Marib and
Ad Dali' governorates, backing up anti-Houthi fighters in the latter three locations, with more than 90 rebels reportedly killed. Coalition warships shelled fighters near Aden's commercial port. Saudi warplanes also targeted Houthis in the Saada Governorate, while Saudi artillery fired on targets in the Hajjah Governorate along the border. The Saudi National Guard was deployed on the border. On 28 April,
Sanaa International Airport was bombed by Saudi F-15 fighters to prevent an Iranian plane belonging to
Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) from landing, while it was approaching to land. The fighters had warned the plane to turn back, in an unsuccessful attempt to thwart its landing, but the Iranian pilot ignored the "illegal warnings", saying that, on the basis of international law, his plane did not need further permission to land. On the night of 6 May 2015, the Saudi-led coalition carried out 130 airstrikes in Yemen in a 24-hour period. At first, coalition spokesperson Ahmed Asiri admitted that schools and hospitals were targeted but claimed that these were used as weapon storage sites. Asiri later claimed that his words had been mistranslated. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Johannes Van Der Klaauw said that these bombings constituted a
war crime. "The
indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, with or without prior warning, is a contravention international humanitarian law," he said. He continued to say that he was particularly concerned about airstrikes on Saada "where scores of civilians were reportedly killed and thousands were forced to flee their homes after the coalition declared the entire governate a military target". announced a five-day ceasefire in Yemen, 8 May 2015. The
Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi
chargé d'affaires, and the
Iranian Parliament and the Iranian Red Crescent Society blasted Saudi Arabia for blocking Iranian humanitarian aid. The UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) "strongly urged" the coalition to stop targeting airports and seaports so that aid could reach all Yemenis. ICRC and
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, said that they were extremely concerned about damage to the airports at Sanaa and to the port city of
Hodeidah. Overnight on 29 and 30 April, Saudi Arabia was reported to have airdropped arms to anti-Houthi fighters in Taiz. On 30 April, airstrikes hit five provinces. On 6 May, coalition airstrikes targeted the Police Training Center in the
Dhamar Governorate, damaging nearby houses meanwhile the civil aviation authority announced it would re-open the airport to receive aid. Coalition airstrikes targeted the houses of Saleh in Sanaa in the early hours of 10 May, eyewitnesses said. Khabar, a Yemeni news agency allied with Saleh said that the former president and his family were unharmed. The Moroccan government said on 10 May that one of its
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft taking part in the air campaign went missing in action over Yemen, along with its pilot. The Houthis claimed responsibility, with Yemeni state TV broadcasting a report on the jet being downed by tribal militias over the Saada Governorate and showing images of the wreckage. On 18 May, Saudi-led airstrikes reportedly resumed on Houthi positions after a humanitarian ceasefire expired late the previous day; three coalition airstrikes hit
Saada. Yemen's exiled Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin blamed the rebel group for the renewal of hostilities. Al-Arabiya said Saudi forces shelled Houthi outposts along Yemen's northern border after the fighters fired mortars at a Saudi army post in Najran province. On 23 May, OCHA reported that airstrikes continued in the northern governorates of Sa'ada (Baqim, Haydan, Saqayn and As Safra) and Hajjah (Abs, Hayran, Haradh, Huth, Kuhlan Affar and Sahar districts). The road connecting Haradh and Huth districts was reportedly hit. Airstrikes were also reported in Al Jawf Governorate (Bart Al Anan district). On 27 May, airstrikes hit a police station in the capital,
Sanaa, killing 45 officers. The Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health announced that in total, 96 people were killed. On 3 June, the residence of a Houthi leader in Ibb province was hit by an airstrike, according to eyewitnesses. On 12 June, Saudi jets bombed the
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sanaa Old City, killing at least six people and destroying some of the ancient buildings.
UNESCO Director General
Irina Bokova said in a statement that she is "profoundly distressed by the loss of human lives as well as by damage inflicted on one of the world's oldest jewels of Islamic urban landscape". Locals also condemned the action. On 23 September, 2015, the Saudi-led coalition destroyed a ceramics factory in the town of Matnah. One civilian was killed and others were wounded. According to the BBC, the bomb is believed to have been produced in the United Kingdom by GEC-Marconi Dynamics. The factory's owner Ghalib al-Sawary told the BBC: "We built it over 20 years but to destroy it took only twenty minutes." "With the hospital destroyed, at least 200,000 people now have no access to lifesaving medical care," MSF said. "This attack is another illustration of a complete disregard for civilians in Yemen, where bombings have become a daily routine," said Hassan Boucenine, MSF head of mission in Yemen. The GPS coordinates of the only hospital in the Haydan district were regularly shared with the Saudi-led coalition, and the roof of the facility was clearly identified with the MSF logo, he said. UNICEF said the hospital in Saada was the 39th health center hit in Yemen since March, when the violence escalated. "More children in Yemen may well die from a lack of medicines and healthcare than from bullets and bombs," its executive director
Anthony Lake said in a statement. He added that critical shortages of fuel, medication, electricity and water could mean many more will close.
Amnesty International said the strike may amount to a war crime and called for an independent investigation. In February 2016, the Saudis bombed the ancient citadel of Kawkaban, killing seven civilians. On 8 October 2016, Saudi-led airstrikes
targeted a hall in Sanaa where a funeral was taking place. At least 140 people were killed and about 600 were wounded. According to
The Independent, one rescuer said: "The place has been turned into a lake of blood." After initially denying it was behind the attack, the Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team admitted that it had bombed the hall but claimed that this attack had been a mistake caused by bad information. After this attack, US national security spokesperson said that the US government was "deeply disturbed" by the bombing and added that US support for the Saudi-led coalition was "not a blank cheque". He added "we have initiated an immediate review of our already significantly reduced support to the Saudi-led Coalition." An explosion in a warehouse on Sunday 7 April 2019, in Sanaa, have killed at least 11 civilians, including school children and left more than 39 people wounded. The
Associated Press news agency said 13 killed, including 7 children and more than 100 were wounded. According to Al Jazeera and Houthi officials, the civilians were killed in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike. The Saudi-led coalition denied any airstrikes took place that day on Sanaa. The state-run news agency in Aden, aligned with the internationally recognized government, said the rebels had stored weapons at the warehouse. According to
The Washington Post, "some families and residents of the district of Sawan said the explosion occurred after a fire erupted inside the warehouse. They said a fire sent columns of white smoke rising into the air, followed by the explosion." Their accounts were confirmed by several videos filmed by bystanders.
Aircraft losses Cross-border fighting Ground combat On 3 April,
CNN cited an unnamed Saudi source who claimed that Saudi special forces were on the ground in and around
Aden, "coordinating and guiding" the resistance. The Saudi government officially declined to comment on whether it had
special forces, with Saudi Ambassador to the United States
Adel al-Jubeir saying on 2 April that Saudi Arabia had no "formal" troops in Aden. On 22 July, pro-Hadi forces had retaken full control of Aden, and the Aden Airport was reopened. In late July, an offensive launched by pro-Hadi forces drove Houthi forces out of the towns neighboring Aden. "It was the deadliest single attack on coalition soldiers since the start of its operation against Houthi rebels in March" Asseri said. The attacked was the highest casualty loss in the history of the UAE military. Qatar deployed 1000 troops to Yemen after the incident. By 8 September it was reported that the Saudi-led forces deployed in Yemen exceeded 10,000 troops and included 30
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. On 14 December media reported a Houthi & Saleh Forces
missile attack at a Saudi military camp south-west of the besieged city of Taiz, while sources confirmed the killings of over 150 coalition soldiers including 23 Saudi troops, 9 UAE officers and soldiers, 7 Moroccan soldiers and 42 Blackwater troops. On 19 December 2015, reported clashes leaves over 40 Houthi rebels and 35 government loyalists dead, with dozens wounded on both sides. In June 2018, anti-Houthi forces led by Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates assaulted the port of
Hodeidah, in an effort to dislodge Houthi forces. In January 2022, Yemeni troops backed by the Saudi-led coalition took control of the entire
Shabwah Governorate from the Houthis. This operation was supported and directed by the United Arab Emirates.
Naval involvement }} Saudi Arabia faced growing criticism for the Saudi-led naval and air blockade, which effectively isolated the country. A "military source and pro-Hadi militiamen" told the AFP on 26 April that coalition warships were participating in the shelling of Aden. On 30 April, the Iranian navy announced it had deployed two destroyers to the Gulf of Aden to "ensure the safety of commercial ships of our country against the threat of pirates", according to a rear admiral. According to the same source, the deployment was scheduled to last until mid-June. Iran's deputy foreign minister,
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, told state-run
Tasnim News Agency, "others will not be allowed to put our shared security at risk with military adventures".
Scale and participation of Saudi-led coalition members Pakistan was called on by Saudi Arabia to join the coalition, but its parliament voted to maintain neutrality. In February 2016,
Constellis (commonly known as Blackwater, named Academi at the time) withdrew from front-line duties in the Yemen campaign.
Morocco ended their participation in 2019 due to deterioration of
Morocco–Saudi Arabia relations followed by
United Arab Emirates in July 2019 amid possible tensions with Iran on the Persian Gulf and differences with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had 2,500 troops deployed for Operation Restoring Hope as of 2024, a total of two armored brigades from the
Royal Saudi Land Forces, according to the
International Institute for Strategic Studies. == Reports of war crimes ==