Saudi-led coalition carries out airstrikes on Yemeni capital

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday it had carried out airstrikes against Houthi rebel sites in the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi state news agency SPA, citing a coalition statement, said the attacks targeted a ballistic missile launcher and a drone-assembly workshop south of Sanaa.

According to the statement, several rebel weapons experts were killed in the attacks.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the coalition’s statement.

On Friday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had struck Houthi military targets in Sanaa.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including 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 needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million at risk of starvation, according to UN estimates.

A recent United Nations report projected that by year’s-end the death toll from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar