Headlines
Saudi-led air forces bomb Yemen's Sanaa, Taiz
Sanaa, March 27
The Saudi-led coalition forces
launched a fresh air strike against military targets in Yemen's capital
Sanaa and the southern province of Taiz on Thursday night, sources told
Xinhua.
The airstrike in Sanaa hit a military base affiliated
with the reserve forces, which is the former elite republican guards
loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a security officer said on
condition of anonymity.
Another struck an infantry base at the western suburb of the capital, which is also affiliated with the reserve forces.
The Houthi fighters responded the air raid with intensified anti-aircraft artillery, which can be heard across the city.
Before
bombing the capital, the Saudi fighter jets raided the southern
province of Taiz, which is under control of the Houthi group.
"The
headquarters of the Tariq military air base was bombed by the Saudi-led
air forces, causing huge damages," the local government official said
on condition of anonymity.
A military source confirmed to Xinhua
by phone "the air strike destroyed some air defenses and missiles inside
the air base of Tariq controlled by the Shiite Houthi group."
There were no immediate reports of casualties till now, according to sources in Sanaa and Taiz.
The
Saudi-led forces started their air raid early Thursday in Yemen,
including the capital Sanaa, the Houthi stronghold of Saada province and
the southern Lahj province.
Warplanes struck the al-Dailamy air
force base in northern Sanaa and destroyed the runway, which is adjacent
to the civil airport, a defense ministry official told Xinhua on
condition of anonymity.
The strikes also targeted weapon depots
at a missile base in the southern part of Sanaa, which is controlled by
the army loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Rescue
personnel who arrived at a civilian compound near the air base on
Thursday morning found at least 15 houses destroyed in the air raid.
They said they have found 25 bodies till Thursday afternoon, and that
there might be more victims found after they removed all wreckage.
Meanwhile,
50 people have been sent to hospitals for treatment, all of them are
civilians living in houses near the air force base.
During a
televised speech on Thursday night, the leader of Shiite Houthi group,
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, called Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries criminals
and become "tools for the United States."
In the southern port city of Aden, the Houthi fighters were fighting pro-Hadi tribal militia on the outskirts on Thursday night.
Yemeni
President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, who was supposed to stay in Aden for
the past two days, arrived in the Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh on
Thursday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Upon arrival at Riyadh
Airbase, Hadi was received by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz,
also the defense minister, the president of the Royal Court and special
advisor to the Saudi King, as well as Khalid bin Ali Al-Humaidan, the
chief of General Intelligence, the report said.
No further
details were reported about the nature of the visit, as Hadi is
supposed to head the delegation of his country to participate in the
Arab League summit which will be held in Egyptian Red Sea resort city of
Sharm el-Shiekh during March 28-29.