Saudis Strikes Kill 25 in Yemen, Including 11 Civilians

Five Civilians Killed in Airstrike Which Destroyed Their Home

by Jason Ditz, 

Saudi warplanes continue to pound Yemen, with a new round of attacks nationwide on Monday leaving at least 25 people killed, including 11 civilian bystanders. Saudi officials identified the other 14 slain as all Shi’ite Houthi movement members.

The deadliest incident against civilians was in Maarib, where warplanes destroyed a home and killed five members of the same family. The area attacked is part of a district which was attacked by pro-Saudi forces last week, in an attempt to oust the Houthis from the area.

Nine rebels were also reported slain in the same part of Maarib, with artillery shelling destroying a vehicle and killing three fighters, while other airstrikes killed six others, again all labeled Houthis. Maarib is an important central part of Yemen, and like most of the Saudi invasion of Yemen, central regions are heavily contested.

Saudi forces control most of southern Yemen, operating mainly out of the southern port of Aden, while the Houthis control the north, including the capital city of Sanaa. Saudi Arabia invaded in early 2015, vowing to reinstall the former Hadi government militarily.