Yemen’s state news agency Saba, now run by the Houthis, said other airstrikes hit a nearby girls school and damaged several civilian homes.
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Saada is a stronghold of the Houthis, which are fighting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The sorties showed the coalition was determined to use its airpower to push back the Houthis, Yemen’s dominant group, despite charges by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) that coalition bombing destroyed one of its hospitals late on Monday.
“The air raids resulted in the destruction of the entire hospital with all that was inside – devices and medical supplies – and the moderate wounding of several people”, Doctor Ali Mughli said.
At least six people were injured during the airstrikes, according to reports. He said the Saudi attack has completely destroyed the hospital with the exception of the storage rooms.
“This appalling incident underlines our concern that the United Kingdom is a party to awful war crimes in Yemen. We provided (the coalition) with all of our Global Positioning System coordinates about two weeks ago”, he said.
Yemen has been pushed to the verge of a humanitarian crisis, the Iranian official said, adding that Saudi Arabia tries to block the few remaining pathways for delivering humanitarian and medical aid to the Yemeni people. The Saudi-led large-scale campaign has been recently under fire over civilian deaths. It dropped arms and ammunition to pro-government fighters in Taiz, the military said on Wednesday. The main building there was destroyed and the hospital has since been shut down. Hospital staff and two patients managed to escape before subsequent airstrikes occurred over a two hour period. What we do know is that the Saudi-led coalition were aware of the hospital, it was clearly identified with the MSF logo.
The Guardian has more information about the airstrikes, including a statement from the MSF chief in Yemen.
22 people including 12 MSF staff died when a hospital in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan was hit by a U.S. air strike at the start of October.
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United Nations spokesman Stephanie Dujarric said Ban was calling for “a prompt, effective and impartial investigation in order to ensure accountability” and had urged all parties in the conflict to “immediately cease all operations, including air strikes”.
