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Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launches airstrikes on Sanaa

Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launches airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in capital
MENA
2 min read
23 November, 2021
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it had taken measures to spare civilians any collateral damage when launching airstrikes on parts of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition described the target as 'secret' and one of 'high-value' [source: Getty]

The Saudi-led military alliance in Yemen said on Tuesday it had destroyed a ballistic missile launch site in overnight airstrikes in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, where residents reported big explosions.

A broadcaster run by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, Al Masirah TV, said three airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition had hit a residential district of the capital.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

In a statement reported by the Saudi state news agency (SPA) on Twitter, the coalition said airstrikes had been conducted against "legitimate military targets" in Sanaa.

It described the ballistic missile sites as "secret" and said one of "high-value" had been destroyed.

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The coalition said it had taken measures to spare civilians any collateral damage, adding that "the secret positions" had used hospitals, organisations and civilians as human shields.

The coalition asked civilians not to gather around or approach the positions that had been attacked.

Residents told Reuters the explosions had rocked the northern neighbourhoods of the city and said two military sites had been attacked.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia using drones and missiles since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015. This came after the movement ousted the Saudi-backed government from the capital.

The Houthi movement said on Saturday it had fired 14 drones at several Saudi cities, including at Saudi Aramco facilities in Jeddah.

The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Houthis are pressing an offensive in Marib, the internationally recognised government's last northern stronghold, as well as in other areas in Yemen.