Presidential HQ in Yemen’s Sanaa hit by airstrikes

By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA (AA) - The presidential headquarters in Yemeni capital Sanaa -- held by Shia Houthi rebels since 2014 -- was hit by two airstrikes on Monday believed to have been carried out by a Saudi-led military coalition.

According to witnesses, the strikes damaged a part of the headquarters, which is located in central Sanaa’s Tahrir neighborhood.

The twin strikes reportedly left several people dead or injured.

Yemen’s Houthi-run Al-Masira television channel confirmed the attack without providing a casualty toll.

In late 2014, Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa, forcing Yemen’s internationally-recognized government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.

One year later, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy force -- launched a massive military campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains and shoring up the country’s Saudi-backed government.