Over 100 die in coalition airstrikes in Yemen

Over 100 people, mostly civilians, died and dozens were wounded in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition against two areas controlled by Houthi rebels in northern and southern Yemen.

According to state news agency Saba, controlled by the Houthis, and witnesses, the strikes on Monday affected two popular markets in the northern Amran province and in the southern Lahesh province.

In Amran, 40 people, mostly buyers and sellers that included women and children, lost their lives in the bombings, said Saba.

A witness told Efe news agency that an airstrike was directed at a vehicle of the Houthi rebels, passing through the region.

Another similar strike in Amran’s Al-Salata killed around a dozen civilians.

Meanwhile, over 50 people died and dozens were wounded in a livestock market in Lahesh province.

Another bombing in destroyed the headquarters of the Houthi political office in Al-Jaraf in the capital Sanaa.

The rebel group had seized control of the capital in January.

Since end-March, coalition aircraft led by Saudi Arabia, have been bombing Houthi positions across Yemen, to check their advance and restore the legitimate government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

On Monday, coalition airstrikes had targeted the main headquarters of the General People’s Congress party, an ally of the Houthis, in Sanaa, along with the houses of several leaders of the party and the rebel movement.

The strikes coincided with the visit of Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN special envoy to Yemen, who was in the capital to mediate for a humanitarian truce. (IANS)