Yemen: Houthis report 4 civilians killed in Arab coalition attack in Hajjah 

Yesterday Yemen’s Houthi group accused the Saudi-led coalition of killing four civilians, including a child, in a naval attack on the country’s north-western province of Hajjah.

“Four civilians, including a child, were killed and another child was injured, in an attack by the US-backed Arab coalition in the Abs district, located in the Hajjah governorate,” the Houthi-owned Al-Masirah TV announced yesterday.

There was no immediate comment from the Arab coalition on the accusations.

Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has been backing forces loyal to the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed Houthi militants, who control a number of provinces across the country, including the capital of Sanaa.

READ: Saudi raids destroy Yemen World Heritage sites 

On Wednesday, the coalition renewed its commitment to a recent United Nations (UN)-brokered ceasefire in Yemen. The two rivals usually accuse one another of: “Escalation and a lack of desire to achieve peace in Yemen.”

On 24 April, at the request of the UN, the Arab coalition announced an extension to the ceasefire agreement for an additional month. But the Houthis believe that the coalition is not “abiding by the agreement” and is “continuing its escalations”.

According to the UN, the Yemeni war has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, leaving over 80 per cent of the population in need of humanitarian aid.

The UN also states that the war has collapsed all major sectors across the country, including the health sector which was recently reported to have been suffering amid the spread of the coronavirus.