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A Saudi-led military coalition launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen on Sunday, saying it had intercepted a series of missile and drone strikes in Saudi Arabia.
The attacks sparked huge explosions in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and released plumes of smoke that rose into the sky, the AFP news agency reported.
The Saudi-led coalition said it would not tolerate attacks in civilian areas.
“The attack on civilians and civilian facilities is a red line,” Colonel Turki al-Maliki, a coalition spokesman, was quoted as saying by the official Saudi press agency.
The Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite television channel reported at least seven airstrikes in Sanaa’s Attan and al-Nahda districts.
Al-Masirah’s report did not give details on which facilities were attacked by the coalition, smoke was seen rising over military camps in both areas.
Houthis claim to have shot down a Saudi drone
Yehia Sarie, a Houthi military spokesman, said their air defenses shot down a Turkish-made drone run by the Saudi Arabian air force over the northern province of Jawf on Sunday.
There was no recognition of Saudi Arabia and the rebels did not provide evidence to back up their claim.
The events mark a further escalation in Yemen’s six-year conflict between the coalition-backed Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels.
US President Joe Bide said he wanted fresh momentum to end the fight. His administration last month removed the Houthis from the country’s terrorist list.
US President Joe Biden removed the Houthis from Washington’s list of terrorists last month.
Its designation as a terrorist organization was announced in the last days of former President Donald Trump’s administration.
The move sparked a widespread outcry from humanitarian groups working in Yemen.
President Biden also recently appointed diplomat Tim Lenderking as the United States’ special envoy to the country.
The civil cost of fighting
The conflict in Yemen erupted almost six years ago when the Houthis invaded the capital and took over much of the north of the country.
The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead
A Saudi-led military coalition launched a bombing campaign to dislodge the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government.
The fighting has killed at least 130,000 people, including more than 12,000 civilians, brought millions to the brink of famine and sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Saudi Arabia has faced widespread international criticism for its airstrikes that have killed civilians and hit non-military targets in Yemen.
jf / aw (AFP, AP, dpa)
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