Saudi-led alliance announces fresh ops in Yemen's Sanaa

A Saudi-led military coalition on Friday announced it had struck an airbase and several missile platforms in Sanaa affiliated with Yemen’s Shia Houthi militia, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).  

“The operation targeted ballistic missile launch-and-storage sites, UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] ground stations, bomb-making facilities and affiliated logistical-support sites at Sanaa’s Al-Dailami Airbase,” the SPA quoted coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki as saying.  

“The operation was conducted based on accurate intelligence and surveillance of the… Houthi militia’s activities with the aim of destroying and neutralizing its capabilities, which continue to pose a threat to regional and international security,” al-Malki said.   

Nevertheless, he added, Sanaa’s international airport “remains open to UN and humanitarian aid deliveries”. 

“This operation was carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law,” he said. 

Anadolu Agency has yet to independently verify the spokesman’s assertions. 

Yemen has been wracked by violence and chaos since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa. 

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.  

The ongoing violence has destroyed much of Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as one of “the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.