A Yemeni factory official and two medics say a Saudi-led airstrike killed 14 civilians working on an overnight shift in the capital, Sanaa.
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Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations General Assembly in June to suspend Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council until the military coalition stops killing civilians in Yemen.
Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched fresh air strikes against Shiite rebels across Yemen Wednesday despite worldwide concerns over the escalation after the suspension of peace talks.
Smoke rises from a snack food factory after a Saudi-led air strike hit it in Sanaa, Yemen, August 9, 2016.
Clashes also flared between coalition forces and the insurgents close to the Saudi border, military sources told AFP.
Air strikes were also reported in the northern city of Saada, the western cities of Jouf and Taiz, and the Red Sea ports of Makha and Houdeida.
Peace talks were launched in Kuwait on April 21, but no major breakthrough has ever been made amid sharp differences between the two sides.
According to a separate statement issued by the Yemeni army, Saudi-led coalition warplanes on Wednesday evening struck a facility used by the Houthis and their allies in the northwestern Haja province, killing 12 militants. The previous day, the coalition ended a three-month moratorium and resumed hitting targets around the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is held by rebels.
Although it coincides with the news of Saudi-led air strikes on the Yemeni capital, the announcement does not mention the conflict at all. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Children’s agency UNICEF said Tuesday that “four children were reportedly killed and three were injured” on Sunday in Nihm, northeast of Sanaa. The proposed sale won’t alter the “basic military balance in the region”, the USA agency said.
“The Saudi-led coalition’s campaign in Yemen has been devastating for civilians (and) the USA should be suspending arms sales to Saudi Arabia, not approving more”, said Kristine Beckerle, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.
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Ban had previously gotten in some trouble with the Saudis for noting the large number of civilians, particularly children, that they killed, which forced them to agree to abandon language in an annual report on war crimes against children which mentioned the Saudi war.
