23-04-2024 02:28 PM Jerusalem Timing

Saudi Warplanes Strike Sanaa ahead of OIC Talks

Saudi Warplanes Strike Sanaa ahead of OIC Talks

Warplanes from a Saudi-US aggression coalition bombarded the Yemeni town of Shaa’rat Barazeh in Saada province on Monday, leaving scores of civilians killed or wounded.

Yemen: Saudi warplane strikes Yemeni civilians and infrastructureWarplanes from a Saudi-US aggression coalition bombarded the Yemeni town of Shaa'rat Barazeh in Saada province on Monday, leaving scores of civilians killed or wounded.

Moreover, the capital of Sanaa didn't escape the Saudi aerial strikes overnight Sunday, as the country's warring factions prepared for talks due to start in Geneva on Monday.

Air strikes caused large explosions before dawn and hit locations south and west of the city as part of the Saudi-led coalition's nearly 12-week campaign to target the Yemeni people and national military.

The talks hosted by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are aimed at finding a political solution to the fighting that has caused thousands of deaths in Yemen, but it was not clear if the opposing factions would meet each other.

While Western countries largely backed Riyadh's air campaign as a way of pushing the Ansarullah movement to the negotiating table, they have more recently started to press the kingdom to commence another humanitarian pause to allow aid in, and to negotiate, following the severe blows of the Yemeni army and the Popular Committees against the Saudi border guards and areas.

An existing humanitarian crisis in Yemen was worsened by an air and sea blockade imposed by the Saudi-US aggression, which also cut off access to food, medicine and fuel for many of the country's citizens.

In recent weeks an "alarming" number of dengue fever and measles cases have also been reported in Yemen, contributing to a public health crisis, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a note late on Sunday.

Yemen has been under brutal aggression by Saudi-US coalition since Saudi Arabia launched military strikes against its southern neighbor on March 26 without a UN mandate.

Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 2,600 people have so far lost their lives during the conflict in Yemen. However the death toll released by local authorities puts it much higher at about 4,300.

Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to Yemen’s fugitive president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.