Saudi coalition hits Houthi targets in Sanaa: Witnesses

By Gulsen Topcu

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - A Saudi-led military coalition on Thursday struck targets affiliated with Yemen's Shia Houthi group in capital Sanaa, according to witnesses.

Coalition warplanes struck the Al-Deylemi airbase near Sanaa’s international airport several times, while the Air Force Academy, located north of the city, was hit by at least two airstrikes, witnesses told Anadolu Agency.

No information is yet available regarding possible deaths or injuries.

Neither the Saudi-led coalition nor the Houthis have issued official statements on the reported strikes.

Earlier Thursday, however, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said that three “ballistic missiles” aimed at Riyadh and Najran -- along with two Houthi aerial drones -- had been blown out of the air by Saudi air defenses.

According to Saudi figures, a total of 14 missiles have been fired from Yemeni territory -- all of which were destroyed before hitting their targets -- within the past 16 days.

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies -- who accuse the Shia Houthis of serving as Iranian proxies -- launched a massive military campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The ongoing violence has devastated basic services, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as one of “the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.