Saudi warplanes today attacked the area around the home of Ibrahim al-Shami, a political figure with influence in the Shi’ite Houthi movement, destroying his house and some others, and leaving at least nine civilians dead. Shami was not present during the attack.
Many of the slain were reported to have been killed when they arrived at the scene of the first airstrikes, looking to see if there were any survivors, and were immediately hit by more airstrikes. Recent attacks in Sanaa have centered around the homes of Shi’ites.
Yemen’s al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) praised the Saudi-led war to oust the Shi’ites from power, and urged them to install an Islamist government in power after the war is over. The Saudi plan at this point seems to be installing former President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who resigned in January.
Though pro-Saudi forces have predicted taking Sanaa imminently, they are still fighting in the Maarib Province, and will have to go through it and al-Jawf to reach the capital city, which may take quite some time.