The Saudi coalition escalation in Yemen has been made official. According to Anadolu Agency, Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki announced on X late on Friday that the coalition was conducting a “large-scale operation” against the fighters and military capabilities of Ansarullah (the Houthis), claiming that 136 military targets had been destroyed in Ansarullah-controlled areas.
Saudi coalition escalation in Yemen and the bombing of Sanaa
Al-Maliki said the coalition was providing round-the-clock air support to Riyadh-backed Yemeni government forces and working to dismantle Ansarullah’s ballistic missile network. The announcement came as government forces pressed their “Dawn of Yemen” offensive, which aims to seize all Ansarullah-held territory, including the capital Sanaa. Al Jazeera reported that coalition forces heavily bombarded Sanaa on Friday, with several injuries reported, including a child.
Read More: Saudi Aggression on Yemen: Sanaa Airport Hit, Cluster Bombs
Riyadh turns to the Security Council
Saudi Arabia’s UN envoy Abdulaziz Alwasil on Friday called on the Security Council to “assume its responsibilities” and stop Ansarullah’s attacks, warning of threats to shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. At the same meeting, however, UN special envoy Hans Grundberg said Yemen had effectively slid back into “full-scale war”. According to Al Jazeera, UN figures show at least 46 civilians killed and more than 130 injured since August, many of them children, while the UN migration agency says more than 200,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated in September.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera
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