Houthis claim to have destroyed/captured 3 Saudi Brigades inside KSA

[Humphrey Bogart]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/yemen-houthi-rebels-release-saudi-attack-video-190929130644121.html

Yemen's Houthi rebels release Saudi attack video
Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the Houthi claim that 500 of its forces were killed or wounded in major attack.

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday broadcast footage they said was of a major attack into Saudi Arabia that killed or wounded 500 soldiers with thousands of others surrendering.

Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, described an ambush on the Saudi forces that then developed into an "all-out" cross-border offensive that trapped the troops inside Saudi Arabia.

"More than 200 were killed in dozens of [missile and drone] strikes while trying to escape or surrender," Saree said.

The fighting took place in the southern region of Najran with video images aired showing armoured vehicles hit by blasts and surrendering soldiers.

More at link

The Houthis supposedly infiltrated Infantry units in to KSA itself to conduct ambushes and when they realized they had caught the Saudis completely off guard, they launched an all out offensive killing 500+ KSA soldiers and capturing thousands more.  BBC is reporting 3 Brigades of KSA soldiers surrendered. 

KSA is in big trouble either way and if the reports are correct, this might be their Dien Bien Phu moment.

 

[brihard]

Holy crap. I was gonna leave this one with an arched eyebrow, but if BBC is carrying it, this may be legit... That would be a tremendous escalation, and it’s going to lead to a great deal of violence. If true, Yemen’s (remaining) sovereignty is at great risk...

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Holy crap. I was gonna leave this one with an arched eyebrow, but if BBC is carrying it, this may be legit... That would be a tremendous escalation, and it’s going to lead to a great deal of violence. If true, Yemen’s (remaining) sovereignty is at great risk...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49866677

Yemen war: Houthi rebels claim mass capture of Saudi troops

Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have captured a large number of Saudi troops after a major attack near the border between the two countries.

A Houthi spokesman told the BBC that three Saudi brigades had surrendered near the Saudi town of Najran.

He said thousands of soldiers had been captured and many others killed. Saudi officials have not confirmed the claim.

The operation was the largest of its kind since the conflict began, the spokesman said.

Colonel Yahiya Sarea said Saudi forces had suffered "huge losses in life and machinery".

More at link

Saudis have not confirmed or denied anything.  All they have done so far is make a plea to the international community to take on Iran.

 

[Jarnhamar]

They sound pretty inept for having access to billions of dollars worth of military equipment and I can only assume western training by western advisors and instructors.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Looking at one video, I saw an armoured column of about 10 vehicles wiped out, then it cuts to what appears to be a group of tribesman surrendering and pickup trucks. I note the Houthi are showing their medics tending the wounded, so i suspect they are looking to extract some political benefit from this. However bad it is, this is going to shake the kingdom badly. They certainly don't get much value from their troops or their leaders. You might see a purge of leadership and perhaps a new type of officers promoted on competence. I wonder if the UAE saw this coming and wanted to disengage before their own got caught out by KSA ineptness.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Looking at one video, I saw an armoured column of about 10 vehicles wiped out, then it cuts to what appears to be a group of tribesman surrendering and pickup trucks. I note the Houthi are showing their medics tending the wounded, so i suspect they are looking to extract some political benefit from this. However bad it is, this is going to shake the kingdom badly. They certainly don't get much value from their troops or their leaders. You might see a purge of leadership and perhaps a new type of officers promoted on competence. I wonder if the UAE saw this coming and wanted to disengage before their own got caught out by KSA ineptness.

More reports coming out now, supposedly the KSA troops captured were National Guard mixed with Yemenese that had been "press ganged" in to service by the Saudis.

Photos of burned out Saudi LAVs from you know where...

 

[daftandbarmy]

Why Saudi Arabia can't win its own battles

"Saudi Arabia’s reliance on air power have also shown poor results in Yemen, where U.S.-supplied bombs have devastated the country but failed to uproot the Houthis. Nevertheless, there is a logic to Riyadh’s focus on air power, which derives from how Saudi generals understand their environment. Kenneth Pollack noted in his important 2002 book Arabs at War that the Saudis have long “heavily favored the air and air defense forces.”

The reason, according to Pollack, is that “only air forces could be employed against hostile forces attacking by air, land or sea,” and because the Saudi air force “could be based centrally and then deployed quickly anywhere in their vast realm, allowing the Saudis maximum flexibility in shifting their strength to meet a threat.”

Protecting Saudi Arabia from outside foes is only half of the strategy. The other half is political, as Saudi elites want to ward off internal enemies, too. Riyadh was “more willing to build a small, competent air force—whose loyalty could more easily be assured—than a large ground force,” Pollack wrote."

https://warisboring.com/saudi-arabia-cant-win-its-own-battles/

 

[Cloud Cover]

Not sure of their ability to keep aircraft airworthy and crewed, but they do have 350+ fighters/attack aircraft and about 23 air refuelling tankers [and about 500 patrol, training and support aircraft (fixed and rotary)].

 

[tomahawk6]

I dont buy whats being sold here . I havent found other sources supporting the claims by the Houthi's.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Likely Saudi is trying to figure what happened and how many lost.

 

[OldSolduer]

They sound pretty inept for having access to billions of dollars worth of military equipment and I can only assume western training by western advisors and instructors.

I have a few thoughts about certain armies who look good on paper but in reality are a parade ground army.

 

[tomahawk6]

The Saudi National Guard is a tribal force with its own ministry.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

The Saudi National Guard is a tribal force with its own ministry.

Photos coming out now on twitter:

 

[Underway]

I dont buy whats being sold here . I havent found other sources supporting the claims by the Houthi's.

For this type of news I rely upon Al Jazzera.  It's probably the best news source out there for most things that are not typically western.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Judging by those pics London might have a few more orders to fill.....

 

[Jarnhamar]

Judging by those pics London might have a few more orders to fill.....

Job security  :nod:

 

[tomahawk6]

Found a little bit on the BBC which described this event as unsubstantiated but described the battle was between the rebels and a pro government militia. Its clear that there was a losing side here. 

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Some background on the Houthi https://ctc.usma.edu/houthi-war-machine-guerrilla-war-state-capture/

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Seems the coalition has withdrawn from Hodeidah, not really clear if they are doing to comply with an UN agreement, or they were not willing to risk more troops in taking it over completely?

UN calls for new talks on Yemen's Hodeidah port as frontlines shift

A U.N. monitoring mission on Monday called on Yemen's warring parties to hold new talks over Hodeidah as the Saudi-led coalition strafed areas south of the port city, where Houthi fighters advanced in the wake of withdrawing coalition forces.

www.reuters.com