32 Killed in US-Backed Saudi Coalition Airstrikes in Yemen

At least 32 people, including women and children, were killed on Monday in airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Arab coalition near the Yemeni capital and in the provinces of al-Hudaydah and Damar.

Eleven died in the town of Aser, near Sanaa, eyewitnesses told Efe. The bombs destroyed a house located behind the town's Egyptian Cemetery, killing nine people inside as well as two passers-by, according to the witnesses.

Al Masira television, controlled by Houthi rebels, reported that nine people were killed in two airstrikes that targeted a bus in al-Jerahi, a town in the western province of al-Hudaydah.

The attack took place near the area of Hais, a battleground between the rebels and forces fighting on behalf of deposed Saudi-backed President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Saba news agency, which is also in rebel hands, said that eight other civilians perished when bombs fell on a farm in al-Hudaydah. Four people were killed and 55 others wounded in airstrikes at a customs headquarters in Damar province, Saba reported.

On Friday, Saudi aircrafts targeted the Hodeidah food storage depot after allowing aid into the war-torn country for the first time in weeks. According to reports, apart from the storage, Hodeidah Airport was also bombed causing several damages to the site.

The war-ravaged Yemen is already reeling under catastrophic humanitarian crisis due to bombing and military blockade by Saudi led coalition. According to international organisations, the population in Yemen is on the brink of famine as the blockade has led to the shortage of essential food and medicines. Cholera and diphtheria outbreak has further exacerbated the situation.

“For 1,000 days, huge amounts of sophisticated modern weapons have pounded Yemen, and on top of that we are now witnessing a medieval siege where mass starvation is being used as a weapon of war”, said Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB Chief Executive.

“Cutting off vital food, fuel, and medicine to a population is never justified and should never be tolerated. It is a tactic that is devoid of any sense of decency, any sense of morality and any sense of humanity.”

(with inputs from IANS)