4 civilians killed in Houthi missile attack on Yemen fuel station

By Ekrem Biceroglu

ADEN, Yemen (AA) – Four civilians were killed in a missile attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a fuel station in Yemen's southern Shabwah governorate, the country’s official news agency reported on late Thursday.

Several people were also injured in the attack, Saba News Agency said.

The Yemeni Legal Affairs and Human Rights Ministry condemned the attack ending up the civilian fatalities.

The injured people are in critical condition, the agency said, as the death toll is feared to increase.

On Wednesday, the Houthis targeted the house of an official in the Asilan district of Shabwah with a missile during a meeting of Yemeni army commanders. In the attack, 12 of the soldiers guarding the meeting lost their lives and many others were wounded.

The Houthi rebel group regularly carries out rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territory, saying they are in retaliation to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or about 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Merve Berker