25 Civilians Killed as Saudi Warplanes Attack Yemeni Capital

Scores of Others Wounded in Airstrikes

At least 25 civilians were killed and scores of others wounded overnight when Saudi Arabian warplanes began attacking the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa, the first target in what they’re vowing will be a nationwide war of regime change. The slain included a small child.

The airstrikes against Sanaa centered on a military airbase in the north of the capital and a missile base in the south, but bombings also strayed into nearby civilian neighborhoods. The death toll is expected to rise, as local rescue teams are still pulling people from the rubble.

The Saudi government announced last night that they were attacking Yemen, with an eye on reinstalling President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who resigned in January.

The airstrikes are just the first of what will likely be a very ugly war, with 150,000 Saudi troops and an unknown number of Egyptian troops massed on the border, planning an invasion with an eye toward attacking the Shi’ite Houthi militias.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.