Over a third of Saudi-led air raids on Yemen have hit civilian sites

“More than a third of all Saudi-led air raids on Yemen have hit civilian sites,” the findings of a survey conducted by the Yemen Data Project and revealed by the Guardian newspaper today show.

The Saudi government, which is backed by the British and the US, has hit school buildings, hospitals, markets and mosques yet has described the findings of the report as “vastly exaggerated”.

Human rights groups have documented and continually drawn attention to the targeting of civilian sites by the Saudi air campaign.

The findings will reignite a debate which began earlier this month when two select committees in the UK accused the Saudi government of obstructing an independent inquiry into breaches of international law in Yemen and said that British arms sales to the Kingdom legitimised Saudi’s actions and should be suspended until the inquiry was complete.

The UK has sold over £3.3 billion ($4.3 billion) worth of arms to Riyadh since the start of the air campaign in March 2015.