Over 40 Yemeni Civilians Killed by Saudi-Led Airstrikes

At least 40 civilians, mainly women and children, have been killed in Yemen as the Saudi-led offensive against the Muslim country continues, media report said.

Reports coming out of Yemen indicate that more than 40 innocent civilians, including women and children, have been killed by the Saudi-led campaign against Yemen since Thursday.

The Saudi regime and its allies have so far claimed the lives of dozens of Yemeni people by bombing the cities of Sana’a, Sa’ada, Lahij and Ta’iz.

Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against Yemen early Thursday, one day after the US-backed Yemeni president fled the country. Riyadh also continued its offensive against the Yemenis on Friday and left dozens of more civilians dead and injured.

Riyadh claimed that it has bombed the positions of the Ansarullah fighters and launched attacks against the Sana’a airport and the Dulaimi airbase.

But despite Riyadh’s claims, Saudi warplanes have flattened a number of homes near Sana’a international airport.Based on early reports, the Saudi airstrikes on Yemen have so far claimed the lives of 25 civilians with more deaths feared, Yemeni sources said.

At least 25 Yemeni civilians were killed and tens of other wounded in the first and 15 more in a second raid of the Saudi-led squadrons of Arab-Israeli coalition fighter jets. Almost all victims have so far been civilians, mostly women and children.

Independent sources said the Israeli air force fighter jets are also taking part in the airstrikes, while sources in Sanaa said the Yemeni troops have shot down two F16 fighter jets of the Saudi Royal Air Force.

Five Arab Gulf States — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait — backed by the US have declared war on Yemen in a joint statement issued earlier Thursday.

The Saudi aggression has received growing international condemnation as it is pushing the region and the world into an unprecedented fast-growing war as its ISIL mercenaries are on the brink of complete annihilation in Iraq and Syria.

Russia expressed “deep concern” over the worsening situation in Yemen.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the Yemen crisis could be solved only through national dialogue.

Beijing also expressed its deep concern over the Saudi aggression with Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying urging all parties to act in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions on Yemen, and to resolve the dispute through dialogue.

Hua told a news conference that China hopes all parties involved will “quickly resolve the dispute through political dialogue, solve the current crisis and restore domestic stability and normality to Yemen at an early date.”

Airstrike on Yemen to backfire on Saudi Arabia, says Boroujerdi

On the other hand in Tehran, Chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi strongly condemned the recent Saudi airstrike on Yemen, and warned that Riyadh’s aggression will backfire on the Al Saud regime soon.

“That Saudi Arabia has started a new war in the region indicates its negligence and irresponsibility towards problems of the Islamic Ummah and this move will backfire on Saudi Arabia because war is not confined to a spot,” Boroujerdi told FNA on Thursday.

The senior legislator called for immediate halt to the Saudi airstrikes on Yemen.

Boroujerdi said that the Yemeni armed forces and people will defend the territorial integrity of their country.

He reiterated the US direct role in the Saudi aggression against Yemen, and said, “The US leads those fueling wars in the region and it has supported this attack …”

Boroujerdi said it goes without saying that Saudi Arabia and the member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council had not been authorized to launch such airstrikes if they hadn’t received the US permission first.

He said the US has once again imposed another crisis on the Muslim world after stirring several crises on Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan for more than a decade.

“Resorting to military acts against Yemen which is entangled in an internal crisis and fighting terrorism will further complicate the situation, spread the range of crisis and destroy opportunities to settle the internal differences in Yemen peacefully,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said.

She underlined the necessity for implementing national agreements among the Yemeni groups and parties as soon as possible, and called for an immediate halt to air strikes and military acts against the Yemeni people and the country.

Afkham expressed concern about the spread of extremism and strengthening terrorism, and said, “This aggression will merely result in the spread of terrorism and extremism and will spread insecurity to the entire region.” 

Yemeni missiles can hit targets 500km inside Saudi Arabia

Yemen has missiles which can destroy targets deep inside Saudi Arabia, senior parliamentary officials in Tehran said.

“Saudi Arabia is well aware that the Yemeni people and armed forces are capable of targeting the military bases of Saudi Arabia at a distance of 500 kilometers inside that country,” member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Hassan Asafari told FNA.

Asafari called on the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council to condemn the Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, and said, “Saudi Arabia would never dare take such grave action alone, and it has surely committed the crime after receiving a green light from the US.”

He also urged the Yemeni people to give a crushing response to the US aggressions in order to prevent recurrence of similar attacks in the future.

 

FNA

R.S