Houthis report 44 killed in Saudi strikes on Sanaa’s Bani Hashish

The Houthi-affiliated Health Ministry announced that the death toll from strikes targeting Al-Sharia village in Bani Hashish district had risen to 44, with 40 wounded. Meanwhile, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy announced the destruction of a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa.

The Houthi-affiliated Health Ministry in Yemen announced that the death toll from strikes it attributed to Saudi Arabia on Al-Sharia village in Bani Hashish district, Sanaa governorate, had risen to 44, including 21 children and 10 women, according to the group’s Saba news agency.

According to the ministry’s statement, the number of wounded had risen to 40, including eight children and nine women. It said search-and-rescue operations were still underway in the area. Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV had reported on Sunday that the strikes targeted homes in the village and that the initial toll was 25 killed and 30 wounded. The figures could not be independently verified.

Coalition says missile platform destroyed in Sanaa

Meanwhile, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced on Sunday that it had destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa. Its spokesman, Turki al-Malki, said the Houthis had used it in an attempt to target Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region. The brief statement did not address the toll announced by the group.

أثر اعتراض صاروخ في السماء

Earlier the same day, the coalition announced that it had destroyed two platforms in Saada governorate, which it said had been used to target Riyadh. It also said it had intercepted five missiles, including three ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles, as well as a drone launched toward areas in the kingdom. The Houthis, for their part, announced four operations involving missiles and drones that they said targeted Saudi oil facilities and military sites, without giving details of the results.

Yemeni government accuses Tehran

For its part, the Foreign Ministry of Yemen’s internationally recognized government called on Tehran to “stop arming the Houthis and cease trading in the blood of Yemenis.” It condemned a statement issued by Iran’s Foreign Ministry about Yemen, describing it as blatant interference that provides political and media cover for the group. It said Iranian involvement had moved from financing, arming and training to directly planning and managing operations.

Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized Sanaa and other governorates in September 2014. The Saudi-led coalition has conducted operations in support of the legitimate government since March 2015. Houthi attacks on Saudi territory have intensified since last July and have included civilian airports and oil facilities.

Photos: Anadolu

Houthis report 44 killed in Saudi strikes on Sanaa’s Bani Hashish