Airstrike near Sanaa: Houthis report 22 dead

Strike on a village near Sanaa

Airstrikes on the village of al-Shariya near the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday, November 7, killed at least 22 people and wounded about 30 more, the Houthi health ministry reported. Ministry spokesman Anis Alasbahi told the Associated Press that Saudi Arabia carried out the strikes and wrote on X that they hit several residential buildings. The Houthi-affiliated television channel Al-Masirah showed footage of rubble and wounded people in a hospital. Saudi Arabia initially did not comment on reports of the strikes — as reported by Deutsche Welle.

Context: the war resumed in the summer

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have controlled Sanaa and large territories in the north and west of Yemen since the civil war began in 2014; Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognized government based in Aden. The years-long truce collapsed in the summer: in September, the Houthis went on the offensive and seized new territories on the Red Sea coast, including the port of Mokha and strategic islands in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The rebels also struck targets in Saudi Arabia, including oil and military infrastructure, and attacked Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. According to the UN, more than 1,600 people have been killed since the fighting intensified, and over 300,000 have been forced to flee their homes.

Fighting on the same day

On the same day, pro-government media reported that Yemeni government troops repelled a Houthi attack on the al-Akrud front in the contested province of Taiz in the country's southwest. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition announced it had intercepted a Houthi missile launched toward the Saudi province of Riyadh. The day before, on Friday, an airstrike on a market in southern Yemen killed at least 30 people, according to Houthi officials; the Houthis and government forces traded accusations over responsibility for the strike.