Saudi airstrikes in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province killed three civilians, including two children, according to Anees al-Asbahi, spokesman for the Health Ministry within the Ansar Allah-led Yemeni government.
Al-Asbahi said another two people were wounded by the strikes, which he said hit the districts of Dhubab and Maqbanah in Taiz. He didn’t specify what was hit by the airstrikes, and so far the casualties haven’t been confirmed by other sources, but Saudi Arabia has a history of hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure in its bombing campaigns in Yemen.
Separately, Ansar Allah military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree reported dozens of Saudi airstrikes over the past day and accused the Saudis of targeting civilian infrastructure. “Saudi warplanes launched 52 airstrikes in the past 24 hours using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that took off from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases,” he wrote on Telegram.
“These strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, bridges, and roads in Taiz governorate, as well as other civilian targets in the governorates of Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Saada, and Amran. These brutal attacks will not go unanswered, God willing,” Saree added.
The US is backing the Saudi airstrikes by providing targeting and intelligence support, and reportedly has up to 200 troops in Saudi Arabia acting as military advisors to assist in the war, which Riyadh reignited in July by launching airstrikes against the Sanaa International Airport.
Ansar Allah has continued its missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia as it continues fighting Saudi-backed forces on the ground following its rapid gains on the Red Sea Coast. Turki Al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said on Monday night that Ansar Allah attacks on Saudi Arabia hit civilian areas, injuring 13 civilians and damaging seven houses.
The UN Refugee Agency said on Tuesday that the fighting on the ground in Yemen has already displaced more than 100,000 people, and that more than 2,400 civilians have crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to flee to Djibouti.
