- The attacks are a continuation of previous strikes aimed at reducing Houthi capabilities
Saudi-led Arab coalition jets targeted Houthi drone sites in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Saturday morning, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Coalition spokesperson, Col. Turki Al-Maliki, said that at 12:40 a.m. (GMT) the Arab coalition carried out the military operation to destroy Houthi drone stores.
The targeted area was in a former Republican Guard camp in the vicinity of the presidential palace that was seized by the Houthi militia in 2014.
Al-Maliki confirmed that the operation was consistent with international humanitarian law. He stated that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition have taken measures to protect civilians and spare them from collateral damage outside the perimeter of the camp.
The Houthi militia uses military camps near residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities as military zones for manufacturing workshops, which include installation of ballistic missiles and drone workshops.
This strategy is an attempt at using civilians as human shields, which is a clear and explicit violation of international humanitarian law, the coalition spokesperson said.
Al-Maliki said that the operation was an extension of the previous military operations that were carried out on Jan. 19, Jan. 31, Feb. 9, March 23 and April 10, to destroy the Iran-backed Houthi militia’s military capabilities.
Earlier this month, five people were injured, including a woman and a child, when two Houthi drones targeting civilian areas in Saudi Arabia were intercepted and destroyed.
While in early March, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Air Defense Force again shot down a Houthi drone that was flying toward the Kingdom.