Several civilians killed in air raids in Yemen’s Taiz province

Two children are among those killed in a Saudi-UAE-led coalition air attack in the Mawiya district of Taiz.

Damage is seen at a school in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen
Damage is seen at a school in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz [File: Anees Mahyoub/Reuters]

At least nine civilians have been killed in overnight air raids east of Yemen’s third city of Taiz, a medic and rebel forces said on Saturday.

Two children were among the nine killed in the Mawiya district in air raids by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting on the side of the government, a doctor at al-Thawra hospital told AFP news agency.

The doctor, who requested anonymity, said a number of other people were wounded.

The Houthi rebels said the coalition struck a petrol station, according to the rebel-run Saba news agency. 

The city of Taiz is under siege by the Houthi rebels but controlled by pro-government forces, who are supported by the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Funerals in Sanaa

In the capital Sanaa, funerals were held for six people, including four siblings, who were killed last week in a coalition air attack.

Two Russian health workers were injured in the same attack. 

Family, friends and neighbours carried the coffins into the mosque to perform the last Islamic prayers.

“My four siblings were killed,” said Osamah al-Surmi.”My sister Siham, my brothers Abdulrahman, Khaled and Wasim. My father and I are the only survivors. We’re here to bury them. Our home is destroyed.” 

Yemen‘s four-year conflict has triggered what the United Nations terms the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with over 24 million people, more than two-thirds of the population, in need of aid.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed.

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies