Joint Saudi, Omani stamp issued

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - RIYADH: The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) issued a statement regarding several allegations, on Wednesday.  

The first allegation is that the Coalition Forces targeted a school and a medical center in Al-Mukram village in Kamaran directorate of Al-Hodeidah governorate on March 26, 2022. 

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that two airstrikes hit Al-Mukram village caused injuries to a number of individuals and destroyed civilian objects. The village is under the control of Al-Houthi armed militia. 

JIAT vetted the incident, and reviewed all documents, including air tasking orders, daily mission schedule, mission execution procedures, satellite images, aerial images, video recordings of the executed mission. 

JIAT found that the Coalition Forces received intelligence information indicating that the two buildings were used as the command and control headquarters for hostile naval operations in the red sea, and weapons depot belonging to Al-Houthi armed militia. 

This is considered to be a legitimate military target, that achieves a concrete, direct and certain military advantage, as the legal protection of the civilian objects lost, based on Article (52) of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions and rule (8) of customary international humanitarian law.

The degrees of verification were available through the monitoring by the reconnaissance and surveillance system of the two buildings used. 

JIAT issued another statement regarding the allegations that the Coalition Forces targeted (A.G.)’s car in Al-Tuhyta directorate of Al-Hodeidah governorate on November 11, 2018, which led to the death of members of the driver’s family and the destruction of his car. 

The location of the (car) was not included in the claim. 

By studying the video recordings of the executed missions on the claimed date, the day before and the day after, JIAT found that Coalition Forces did not target a car south of Al-Tuhyta. 

By studying the air missions carried out by the Coalition Forces on (11/07/2018), which is the date of the claim, JIAT found that the Coalition Forces carried out an air missions on a military target - a cannon - south of Al-Tuhyta city, in a vacant area away from the paved roads, using one guided bomb that hit its target.

They were military targets, and there was no (cars) among them.

By comparing the statement of claim with the air mission carried out on the date of the claim, JIAT found that the description of the claim (car) does not correspond to the description of the military target (cannon.)

JIAT also issued a statement regarding the allegation that the Coalition Forces targeted Aden Hotel in Khurmaksar directorate of Aden governorate on July 9, 2015. 

By studying the air missions carried out by the Coalition Forces on the claimed date, JIAT found that Coalition Forces did not carry out any air missions in Aden.

JIAT also reported that there were no maritime targeting operations by the Coalition Forces ships in Aden during the period from June 9, 2015 to August 9, 2015. 

JIAT specialists studied the satellite images of the claimed location on (26/03/2016) after the claimed date, and found that there are no signs of damage on the main building roof, and no traces of damage caused by aerial targeting on the building.

In light of that; JIAT found that Coalition Forces did not target Aden Hotel in on July 9 as claimed.

Upon the team’s visit to the location, JIAT specialists found traces of surface weapons shots and damage on the front side of the hotel, and signs of damage on the first three floors of the hotel, most likely as a result of surface weapons shots.

By studying what was stated in the open sources regarding the claim, JIAT found signs of damage on the lower floors of Aden Hotel of the claim, comparable to the magnitude of the effects left by artillery shells.

Open source news was published about a high-ranking official in Aden visiting Aden Hotel, indicating that the size and level of damage suffered by the hotel is a result of being targeted by Al-Houthi armed militia.