Fresh Saudi airstrike against Yemen leaves nine civilians dead

At least nine civilians, including women and children, have lost their lives when Saudi military aircraft launched an airstrike against a civilian area in Yemen’s mountainous northwestern province of Sa’ada.

According to the reports, an informed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saudi fighter jets bombarded a residential building in the Razih district of the province early on Thursday, leaving nine people dead.

Another six civilians sustained injuries in the attack, the Arabic-language al-Masirah television reported.

Later in the day, Saudi aircraft pounded al-Hadab village in the Sirwah district of Yemen’s central province of Ma’rib, though no reports about casualties and the extent of damage caused were available. 

The aerial assault came shortly after Saudi warplanes struck Souq al-Hanoud area in the al-Hawak district of Yemen’s western and coastal province of Hudaydah late on Wednesday.

Nearly 50 civilians were killed and scores more injured in the attack.

With the latest fatalities, the Saudi air raids have killed almost 60 Yemeni civilians since Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, a US unmanned aerial vehicle hit the Wadi Abida district of Ma’rib Province.

An unnamed security official said the attack killed two suspected al-Qaeda militants, and triggered a large explosion when munitions the pair were transporting detonated.

The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of the chaos and breakdown of security in Yemen to tighten its grip on the southern and southeastern parts of the crisis-hit country.

The drone attacks in Yemen have continued alongside the Saudi military aggression against the Arab country.

The air raids came as the US Senate has overwhelmingly voted against a bill to block a huge American arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

SS