(Independent estimate) 1,000 POW[21][22] (including at least 26 Somalis)[23][24] Total Yemeni Casualties: 8,000 killed[25][26] Saudi Civilian Casualties: 4 civilians killed[27] Operation Scorched Earth (Arabic: عملية الأرض المحروقة) was the code-name of a Yemeni military offensive in the Saada Governorate that began in August 2009.
In July and early August 2009, local officials said the fighters had taken control of parts of the Saada Governorate, including a vital army post near the province's capital.
[32] Air, artillery, and missile attacks targeted the Malaheedh, Mahadher, Khafji, and Hasama districts, including the headquarters of the rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
[31] After two days of bombardment, the Yemeni government offered ceasefire terms to the rebels, which included demands for information on the six hostages who disappeared back in June.
[34] The Yemeni army pushed to secure the road that links Sa'dah to Harf Sufyan, launching salvos of shells to "demine" and "remove bombs" for humanitarian convoys.
[40][41] A Human Rights Watch report noted how the Houthis attacked the village of Mudaqqa on 16 September, prompting a government response.
[44][45][46] Fighting continued into October, with Houthi rebels claiming to have captured the town of Munabbih, one of the fifteen districts of the Sa'dah governorate.
Contrary to state media, another Yemeni military commander told the AFP news agency that the aircraft had been "flying at low altitude" when it was hit.
[49][50] Further reports by Yemeni sources also claim these planes were shot down, adding that agents of Hezbollah armed with shoulder-fired missiles were responsible.
[51] The Saudi Al-Arabiya and Kuwaiti Al-Seyassah news networks noted that a group of Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon was killed or captured by Yemeni forces.
[19][54] In the offensive's tenth week, the rebels captured a military base near the Saudi border in the Razeh district of Sa'dah governorate.
Some 200 Somali recruits arrived on boats via the Red Sea and were mainly sent on suicide missions against government and military targets in Saada City.
[65] A Saudi government adviser later said no decision had yet been taken to send troops across the border, but made clear Riyadh was no longer prepared to tolerate the Yemeni rebels.
[61] By 8 November 2009, Saudi Arabia confirmed that it had entered the fray, claiming to have "regained control" of the Jabal al-Dukhan mountain from the rebels.
As the fighting extended into January, Samira al-Madani became the first female journalist in Saudi Arabian history to report from the battlefield near the border.
[72] Abdul Malik al-Houthi reportedly suffered injuries during the fighting, but managed to escape to safety as Yemeni forces continued to engage rebels throughout the province.
Houthi leader Abdul Malek al-Houthi said they would stop fighting to prevent further civilian casualties and suggested the withdrawal was a gesture for peace.
Prince Khalid bin Sultan announced that the Houthis were defeated though did not declare an end to the Saudi bombing campaign, aimed at preventing any future incursions into the Kingdom.
The Saudi military fired 174 rockets and mortars at the rebel controlled Al-Dhaher, Qamamat, Ghafereh, Al-Rammadiat and Shada districts.
[81] Government operations were concentrated primarily in the northern parts of the Old City, including the residential neighborhoods of Al-Rout, Al-Shaab, Al-Jarba, Al-Toot, and Bab Najran.
Since the only hospital was located in the bombarded Old City, aid groups within Saada became the only source of the population's limited food, water, and improvised shelter.
[89] A United Nations team, including a representative of the UNHCR, was finally allowed into Saada City and surrounding refugee camps in April 2010.
[97] Since the beginning of the operation, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni government and conducting bombing raids into Yemen.
Morocco, which had severed ties with Iran in March of that year, noted that Tehran's alleged backing of the Houthis helped in the decision to later send troops.
[100] Various official Iranian sources responded, calling it a politically motivated fabrication and stating that the ship was traveling for business activities and was carrying no consignment.
Government officials claimed that hospital services were closed down due to a delay in rent payments, but security surrounded and blocked off patients from receiving aid.
[citation needed] Two days later, Iranian Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani accused the United States of cooperating with the Saudi campaign.
[102] A few days later, Iran announced plans to send warships to the Gulf of Aden as a means of protecting trade routes against Somali pirates.
This move coincided with the Saudi naval blockade in the Red Sea to stop arms shipments allegedly from Tehran and Eritrea to the Houthis.