Saudi raids kill over 70 Yemeni civilians in 48 hours

Saudi raids kill over 70 Yemeni civilians in 48 hours
Tue Dec 26, 2017 08:07:49

More than 10,000 Yemenis have died since Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen.

(Al Jazeera) -- At least 71 civilians have been killed in the last 48 hours in air raids carried out by a Saudi-led military coalition targeting Houthi fighters in Yemen, residents and local media say.

Residents told Al Jazeera that several air strikes rained down on the capital Sanaa early on Monday, killing at least 11 people, including three children and two women.

Abdul Malek al-Fadhl, a pro-Houthi activist, said two buildings were flattened in Hay Asr, a residential neighbourhood to the west of Sanaa, as coalition raids targeted the home of Mohammed al-Raimi, a local Houthi leader.

Fadhl said warplanes also targeted Raimi's car as he tried to flee, and first responders who tried to reach the victims.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV network said at least eight civilians, including two women, were killed in strikes in Hodeidah province, 226km west of Sanaa, while four civilians were killed in raids on a government building in the central province of Dhamar.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that at least 48 civilians, including 11 children, were killed in 51 air strikes across Yemen on Sunday.

Saba also reported that scores of people were injured after four air strikes targeted a public protest in Arhab district against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition.

According to the medical journal The Lancet, the impact of war on Yemen's densely packed civilian neighbourhoods has been devastating.

More than 18 million civilians living in Houthi-held areas, with dwindling food supplies and limited medical care.

According to the UN, the war has killed more than 10,000 people and injured more than 40,000 to date.

The country is also facing a deadly cholera outbreak, a direct consequence of the war, that has claimed about 2,000 lives and affected more than one million people since April.

Keywords: Yemeni civilians, Saudi Arabia, Saudi-led coalition, Sanaa, Yemen, Houthi fighters, cholera outbreak

(Photo: AFP)

string(318) "[{"id":"3233586","sort":"12344931","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"151375419044603600.jpg","title":"Saudi war on Yemen serves interests of Israel: Houthi Leader "} ,{"id":"3244171","sort":"12344926","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"151418008454432000.jpg","title":"Stop bloody, unauthorized war in Yemen - The Trentonian "} ]"