Saudi coalition hits Yemen’s Sanaa; casualties reported

By Murad Erifi

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - At least 40 people were killed or injured on Monday by airstrikes conducted by a Saudi-led Arab coalition in the city of Dhamar south of Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, according to local sources.

A medical source at Dhamar General Hospital told Anadolu Agency that coalition warplanes had targeted a Houthi-run government building in Dhamar.

Speaking anonymously due to fears for his safety, the source said at least 25 people had either been killed or injured, including civilians and Houthi fighters.

The source did not provide any additional details.

The Houthi-run Al-Masira television channel, for its part, reported Monday that at least 11 people had been killed when coalition warplanes struck Houthi positions in the Asr district west of Sanaa.

The source quoted by the broadcaster, however, did not disclose the victims’ identities.

Yemen has been dogged by violence since 2014, when the Shia Houthi militia group overran much of the country including capital Sanaa, of which it remains in control to this day.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at reversing the Houthis’ territorial gains and shoring up Yemen’s pro-Saudi government.