Saudi Airstrike Kills Five Beekeepers in Yemen’s Port of Hodeidah

Strike hit a family-owned bee yard east of the port

Continuing Saudi Arabia’s policy of airstrikes against the aid port of Hodeidah hitting civilian targets for no apparent reason, a warplane struck a family-owned bee yard in the city on Monday, killing five beekeepers.

Saudi officials have yet to comment on the attack, either as to why they were killing beekeepers, or on what conceivable pretext such strikes would happen. Attacks on obvious civilian targets are alarmingly common across Yemen, but particularly in Hodeidah.

The vital aid port of Hodeidah imports about 70% of all food into Yemen, and is the only aid port still under the control of the Shi’ite Houthis, who control the northern half of the country. This makes the port responsible for feeding millions of civilians.

The Saudi and UAE-led offensive against the port is fueling concerns of an impending humanitarian crisis, as fighting outside the city is already cutting off a lot of routes into and out of the city, risking a famine across much of Yemen.

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.