Saudi Airstrike Kills Six Civilians in Yemen’s Hodeidah Port

Attack destroyed home, killing a man and five children

Continuing the trend of almost daily civilian casualties in Saudi airstrikes against targets in Yemen, a Saudi warplane on Thursday attacked and destroyed a house in the Zabid District of the port city of Hodeidah, killing six.

The airstrike destroyed a family’s home, killing the father and five of his children. The mother survived but was wounded in the attack. Saudi officials have not commented on why the strike happened.

Saudi-backed forces are attacking Hodeidah in recent weeks, trying to seize the vital port through which most of Yemen’s humanitarian aid flows. They’ve taken most of the city’s outskirts, but the Houthis have prevented them entering so far.

This has meant Saudi warships and planes pounding the inside of the city on a daily basis, and many of the strikes seem to be hitting random houses in residential areas. Saudi officials, who previously were defending airstrikes as militarily justified, have had little to say lately, and just aren’t commenting on the deaths.

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.