Saudi-led airstrikes hit office of former president Saleh’s son in Sanaa

Published June 8th, 2015 - 04:39 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

A Saudi-led coalition bombed the office of Ahmed Ali Saleh, the son of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the capital Sanaa on Monday, eyewitnesses said.

Ambulance crews were seen taking injured guards for treatment. There was no immediate information as to the numbers hurt.

The former president and his son are both thought to be in Sanaa, but their precise whereabouts are not known.

The raid came hours after local residents said coalition jets destroyed the home of former defence minister Abdul-Malik al-Siani, a supporter of the Houthi rebels who are the main target of the Saudi-led air campaign.

On Sunday the coalition hit the Yemeni army's headquarters, killing 44 soldiers, according to official figures.

Military units loyal to Saleh have played a key role in advances by the mainly Shiite rebels in southern and central Yemen.

They have faced resistance from local fighters and tribesmen in various parts of the country. The rest of the armed forces have mostly remained neutral.

Saudi Arabia and mostly Sunni Arab allies have targeted the Houthis and allied military units since President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi fled the country in late March for the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Hadi's exiled government meanwhile hardened its position ahead of UN-sponsored talks due to start in Geneva on June 14.

Prime Minister Khaled Bahhah, speaking to reporters in Riyadh, noted that the UN described the talks as consultations rather than negotiations.

"We are prepared to go to any negotiations or consultations in order to frustrate the coup project and restore the authority of the state," he said, referring to the Houthi seizure of power in the capital.

Bahhah pointed to April's UN Security Council Resolution 2216 that called on the Houthis to withdraw their forces from Sanaa and other areas they had taken control of.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday said he hoped the meeting would "restart a peaceful, orderly, inclusive and Yemeni-led transition process" based on relevant Security Council resolutions including Resolution 2216.

Lebanese media close to the Houthis have reported that they too will attend the talks.

The UN has warned that some 20 million Yemenis are now in need of humanitarian aid, with existing water, food and fuel shortages exacerbated by the conflict. It says that almost 2300 people have been killed since fighting escalated in March.

By Amal al-Yarisi

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