Saudi airstrikes kill 13 civilians in northern Yemen

Officials say that 13 people were killed and 23 injured in an airstrike on a crowded market in northern Yemen.

1 min read

29 July, 2019

Saudi coalition airstrikes have targeted schools and hospitals [Getty Archive]

Yemeni officials and a medical source say an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition hit a crowded market in northern Yemen, killing more than 10 civilians, including children.

They say the strike took place on Monday at the Al Thabet Market in Qataber in Saada province, a stronghold of the rebel Houthi movement which controls most of northern Yemen and is backed by Iran.

The head of the local Al Jumhouri hospital told Reuters 13 people were killed and 23 injured in the strikes.

Speaking to pro-Houthi Al-Masirah TV, the health minister of the Houthis' self-proclaimed government, Taha Mutawakil, said that 10 people were critically injured and that the remains of some of the victims had not yet been identified.

He blamed Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States, which is closely allied with the two Gulf countries, for the massacre.

The coalition has been fighting the Houthis in order to assist an internationally recognised government since 2015. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and Saudi airstrikes have hit residential areas and other civilian targets.

There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition.

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