45 Killed, Including 20 Civilians, as Saudis Attack Yemeni Capital

Airstrikes Targeted Army Headquarters in Sanaa

Medical officials from the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa reported at least 45 people killed today, including 20 civilians, when Saudi Arabia attacked the Yemeni Army Headquarters with a series of airstrikes. Over 100 others were reported wounded.

Locals reported four separate air sorties against the area around the Army Headquarters, which is in the middle of a residential district in Sanaa. Several civilian buildings were destroyed over the course of the strikes, along with the army headquarters.

Saudi officials presented these latest attacks as retaliation for a pair of Scud-B missiles fired at them by the Shi’ite Houthis. The missiles were shot down by Patriot missile batteries, and no casualties were reported.

This is, however, the latest in a long series of Saudi airstrikes against Yemeni cities, many of them focusing on military infrastructure in or near residential areas. Hundreds of Yemeni civilians have been killed over the course of the nearly two month long war.

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.