Yemen: At least 11 people died in Saudi attacks in Sana

Plink 11 people died today in attacks by Saudi Arabia in the Sana region, controlled by the Huthis, reported a communication agency linked to Yemeni rebels.

“ Eleven citizens died as martyrs, including women and children, in Saudi enemy air raids” against residences in the Al-Shariyah area of Sana province, according to the news agency Saba.

The news agency also reported that rescue operations were underway and that “aircraft [audit] targeted rescue teams on two occasions.” The Saudi authorities have not yet commented on this information given by the Yemeni rebels.

On Friday, a bombing of a market in the province of Taiz (west) — where the city with the same name has been surrounded by the Huthis for weeks — resulted in the death of dozens. Yemeni government forces and Huthis rebels blamed each other for the attack.

After four years of relative calm, the conflict in Yemen — started in 2014 with the capture of the capital Sana by Huthis rebels, which is a pro-Iran movement — was resumed in July, opening a new front in the Middle East war.

Since October, the Huthis have intensified their attacks on oil infrastructure and Saudi airports, while the Riyadh-led military coalition — which has supported the internationally recognised Yemeni Government since 2015 — regularly bombards the rebel group’s positions in Yemen.

In September, an offensive by the rebels on the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea allowed them to strengthen their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic crossing point for maritime traffic between Europe and Asia.

According to the Wall Street Journal, ships transiting through the Red Sea — where a blockade has been decreed against the Saudi Arabian fleet, the world's largest exporter of crude oil — now contact the rebels to obtain their endorsement and thus ensure their passage.