Saudi Airstrike Hits Plastic Factory in Yemen

Factory located in western Sanaa

Yemen’s Houthis said an airstrike from the US-backed Saudi-led coalition hit a plastic factory in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday. The Houthis’ al-Masirah TV said the factory was located in the western outskirts of the city in the Bani Matar district.

The Saudis have not commented on the attack. The coalition usually keeps quiet about airstrikes that hit civilian infrastructure unless pressured by the UN or western allies, which only happens when there is a large civilian body count.

Earlier in September, the Saudis carried out multiple airstrikes on targets in Sanaa, including an airport. Yemen’s Jawf province has seen heavy fighting this month, with dozens of fighters reported killed in recent skirmishes.

Residential areas in Jawf were pounded by Saudi airstrikes throughout the summer. One of the worst incidents was in July when Saudi bombs struck a circumcision party, killing 25 civilians, many of them children.

The coalition regularly kills civilians, as they have since the war started in March 2015. US officials have found themselves in hot water for facilitating arms sales to the Saudis and fear being arrested overseas for war crimes.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.