Saudi-led coalition airstrike on Yemen mosque kills five family members

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a mosque where a family had taken shelter, killing five members of the family, according to Houthi-run television.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

23 September, 2019

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Yemen's conflict [Getty]

Five members of a family were killed in an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition jets in Yemen's Amran province, Houthi rebel media reported early on Monday.

The family had sought refuge in a mosque which was bombed by the pro-government coalition, according to Al Masirah TV.

Rescuers searched the building's rubble in search of two children from the same family who were missing, the report added.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the country's government after the Iran-linked Houthi rebels swept out of their northern stronghold to seize Sanaa.

Fighting since then has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Both pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels have been accused of committing war crimes.

The Saudi-led coalition has been blacklisted by the UN for the killing of children, while Riyadh and its allies accuse the Houthis of using civilians as human shields in densely populated areas.

Earlier this month, the Saudi-led coalition sparked further outrage over its war in Yemen when it targeted a Houthi-run prison, killing close to 130 people.

Amid global condemnation of the attack, the coalition denied it had deliberately targeted the prisoners, saying it was unaware that the area was being used as a detention centre.

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