By Palestine Chronicle Staff
Saudi strikes kill 27 civilians in Yemen as Ansarallah’s leader accuses Washington, Israel and Britain of directing the military campaign.
Key Developments
- Saudi airstrikes kill 27 civilians in Al-Jawf and Taiz and injure 18, most seriously.
- Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi accuses the US, Israel and Britain of directing the war.
- Saudi-backed forces report 982 military operations in 24 hours.
Saudi airstrikes killed 27 civilians and injured 18 others in Yemen’s Al-Jawf and Taiz governorates, the Health Ministry of the Sanaa-based government announced Thursday.
The ministry said women and children were among those killed and that most of the wounded were in serious condition, Al-Mayadeen reported. It described the attacks as two massacres against civilians.
Later Thursday, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Ansarallah-affiliated armed forces, said Saudi warplanes had carried out 116 airstrikes during the preceding 24 hours, targeting civilian sites in Saada, Hajjah, Al-Bayda, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Lahj.
Saree said Saudi F-15 aircraft operated from Khamis Mushait and Taif, alongside missile attacks launched from Najran. He put the cumulative number of Saudi airstrikes and missiles since the latest escalation began at 3,596.
In Taiz, the Sanaa-based Saba news agency reported four airstrikes on Sabir Al-Mawadim and Al-Shamayatayn districts.
It also reported that a woman was killed in a strike on Al-Dabab, in Sabir Al-Mawadim.
Al-Mayadeen’s correspondent reported two additional Saudi strikes on Samea and Al-Misrakh districts, southeast of Taiz.
Al-Houthi Accuses US
Earlier Thursday, Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi accused the United States, Israel and Britain of overseeing the military campaign against Yemen, saying their involvement extended to planning, operational management, intelligence and target selection.
Speaking on the annual commemoration of those killed in the movement’s ranks, Al-Houthi said Yemen had faced war since 2015 under US supervision, with Israeli involvement and British partnership.
He accused Washington of using Saudi Arabia as an Arab and Muslim front to execute and finance the campaign, arguing that the war and blockade sought to subjugate Yemen and deprive its population of the country’s resources.
Al-Houthi said Saudi Arabia had continued targeting the foundations of civilian life despite the reduction in hostilities in 2022, before returning to intensified military operations.
He urged Riyadh to halt its attacks and lift the blockade, warning that continuing the campaign would bring further losses.
Addressing residents of southern Yemen, Al-Houthi said Ansarallah-affiliated forces were targeting “Saudi formations led by Saudi officers.” He also rejected Saudi accusations that his forces were besieging Taiz, calling them “false claims.”
The Ansarallah leader linked his criticism of the war in Yemen to Israeli attacks across the region, accusing Israel of destroying the conditions necessary for civilian life in Gaza and attacking agricultural land, farms and fields in Lebanon.
He reaffirmed the movement’s support for Palestinians and its commitment to the Palestinian cause.
982 Operations
As the air campaign continued, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said Thursday that they had carried out 982 military operations over the previous 24 hours as part of their “Dawn of Yemen” offensive.
Military spokesperson Col. Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili said the operations involved warplanes, drones, field artillery and rocket launchers targeting Ansarallah-affiliated reinforcements, command centers and supply routes, Anadolu reported.
He said 324 fighters and commanders had been “neutralized,” without specifying how many were killed or wounded. The statement also reported that 108 military vehicles and medium and heavy weapons had been destroyed or damaged.
Al-Nuzaili said operations were continuing in Taiz, Marib, Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda, as well as along southern and southwestern fronts.
Missile Alerts
Across the border, the Saudi-led coalition said Thursday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh.
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki announced the interceptions without providing further details, according to Anadolu.
Saudi Civil Defense had earlier issued emergency warnings through the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh, Al-Kharj and Najran. Minutes later, it announced that the danger had passed and instructed residents to follow safety guidance and avoid gathering or filming.
Ansarallah-affiliated forces have repeatedly targeted Saudi airports, oil installations and military sites, describing their operations as a response to Saudi attacks and the blockade on Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 after Ansarallah took control of Sanaa and other areas in 2014. Yemen remains divided between the Ansarallah-led government in Sanaa and the Saudi-backed government, whose affiliated forces control different parts of the country.
Reprinted from Palestine Chronicle
