Saudi Warplanes Pound Yemen’s Defense Ministry, Food Supply

Humanitarian Situation Worsens as Strikes Escalate

Saudi warplanes pounded several sites across the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa today, including the Defense Ministry building in the center of the city. Also hit were a Republican Guard base in the south of the city, and a major food depot belonging to the military.

The attack on the food depot in particular will worsen the humanitarian situation in Sanaa, which like most of the nation’s major cities is seeing shortages in basic goods.

The choice to attack infrastructure in the capital is also puzzling, given the Saudis’ stated goal of a quick war to reinstall former President Hadi. The strikes have already destroyed the entire Yemeni Air Force and several military facilities.

If the Saudis ultimately succeed in restoring Hadi to power, he is going to return to a nation with major damage done by the airstrikes, and a long road to rebuilding, likely heavily dependent on foreign aid from the US and Saudis who destroyed the infrastructure in the first place.

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.