At Least 25 Killed in Air Strikes on Village Near Sanaa, Health Officials Say

The update

Air strikes hit homes in al-Shariya, a village in the Bani Hushaysh district east of Sanaa, on Saturday. Health officials in Sanaa said at least 25 people were killed and 30 others wounded, most of them women and children, and that people remained buried under the rubble of destroyed houses. Footage showed rescuers pulling bodies from the ruins and injured children being carried into hospital. Officials accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the strikes; the Saudi-led coalition has not commented.

Why it matters

Yemen’s war had been largely dormant for several years, but fighting has resumed in recent months, linked to the wider Iran war. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis, who control Sanaa. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed. On Friday, an attack on a market in Taiz province killed 30 people, with each side blaming the other.

What to watch

Rescue work is continuing at al-Shariya, so the death toll may rise. Hours before Saturday’s strikes, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a missile heading towards Riyadh, and Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat has vowed revenge for the latest attacks. Whether Saudi Arabia responds to the accusation, and whether the fighting spreads further, will shape what happens next.

Sources

• bbc.co.uk — reports the toll, the al-Shariya location and the wider war context
• aapnews.aap.com.au — confirms the toll, the accusation against Saudi Arabia and the rescue effort

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