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The Saudi coalition, which has intervened in the Yemeni conflict since 2015, called on humanitarian workers to evacuate civilians from the Houthi-controlled air terminal, Saudi state media reported. The situation comes a day after the Riyadh military forces intercepted a drone that, according to their statements, was launched against an airport located in southern Saudi Arabia.
According to the Saudi state television channel Al Ijbariya, the attack was aimed at “hitting military sites” at the airport, arguing that this space is being used by the Houthis to launch cross-border attacks.
“Limited and targeted bombardments have been carried out against legitimate military targets at the Sana’a airport,” the coalition said in a statement.
The EFE news agency, which quotes witnesses from Sana’a, reported that at least three attacks were launched against the airport facilities and adds that, for the moment, no information has been made about the damage or possible victims.
“Destroying these targets will have no effect on the operational capacity of the airport and will not affect airspace management, air traffic and ground handling operations,” said Brigadier General Turki al-Malkiel and spokesman. of the coalition, in a statement.
Humanitarian flights suspended after airport attacks
The attacks were carried out shortly after the coalition asked UN agencies, NGOs and civilians to leave the airport. UN agencies in Yemen did not comment on the call to evacuate ahead of the bombing, according to information from the AP news agency.
On December 19, Saudi Arabia reported that it had intercepted a drone with explosives launched from the Sana’a airport and aimed at the King Abdullah Airport, located in the Jizan province of southern Saudi Arabia.
Following the December 20 attacks, the AP news agency notes that the Houthi rebels prohibited two UN humanitarian planes from landing at the airport. A UN official, who testified on condition of anonymity, informed the AP that all humanitarian flights scheduled for the next few days were also canceled.
Escalation of the conflict in Yemen
In recent months, fighting between rebels and internationally recognized government forces has intensified around the central city of Ma’rib and the coastal town of Hodeida. For its part, the coalition has increased airstrikes in Sana’a and other Houthi-controlled areas in recent weeks.
The Houthis, a Shiite group created in the 1990s in opposition to Saudi Arabia’s religious influence in the region and backed by Iran, seized the capital Sana’a in September 2014 and came to control much of the country. country.
For its part, the Saudi coalition broke into the conflict in 2015 by slowing the advance of the Houthis south and with the intention of restoring internationally recognized power and expelling the rebels.
Since then, the war has turned into a regional conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, between combatants and civilians, and has caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN.
With EFE, Reuters and AP
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