JEDDAH: The Saudi-led coalition’s Apache helicopters attacked several Houthi targets on Thursday, killing 64 Iran-backed rebels. A number of them were arrested and their weapons seized.
The coalition said it lured the Houthis to attack some border areas near Najran before targeting them.
On Friday, Houthi shelling injured five expats in Tawal, Jazan, according to the Civil Defense. This followed Thursday’s Saudi military action.
Meanwhile, the coalition expressed deep regret over a decision by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to evacuate staff from northern Yemen and said it was trying to set up “urgent meetings” with the medical aid group.
MSF said on Thursday it was evacuating its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen.
“The coalition to support the legitimacy in Yemen expresses its deep regret over MSF decision to evacuate its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen and asserts its appreciation for the work the group is undertaking with the Yemeni people in these difficult circumstances,” the coalition said in a statement to SPA.
The coalition said it was committed to respecting international humanitarian law in all its operations in Yemen and had set up an independent team to investigate incidents in which civilians are killed.
“The coalition is seeking to hold urgent meetings with MSF to find a way on how to jointly find a solution to this situation,” the statement said.
Separately, in the besieged city of Taiz, an eastern neighborhood, which includes a military camp, was liberated on Friday from the Houthi militia, a resident and a TV correspondent reported.
Forces loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi with backing from the coalition freed Sala neighborhood, Mohamed Al-Muntasir, a local resident, said.
Al-Muntasir said the advancement of Yemeni forces has been slow due to density of population and the mountainous terrain.
In another development, Othman Majli, Yemen’s minister of state for parliamentary affairs and Shoura council, told the media that Sanaa, which the rebels seized in a 2014 coup, has fallen militarily.
Majli said tribal elders and local leaders have started siding with the legitimate government amid battles.
MSF leaving Yemen ‘unhelpful’
MSF leaving Yemen ‘unhelpful’
