On Saturday, a Saudi child was killed and four people were injured by a missile fired from Yemen, which has been ravaged by civil war since late 2014, when Houthi rebels overran capital Sanaa and forced the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh. While Iran’s foreign minister dismissed the statements as “baseless accusations”, Kerry said he was “deeply troubled” after allegedly viewing Saudi photographs that showed Iranian missiles along the Saudi-Yemeni border, according to AP. Some of the wounded are in critical condition, which may lead to a higher death toll.
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On Thursday, the United Nations human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, called for an worldwide investigation into rights abuses and violence in Yemen’s civil war, insisting that a domestic panel set up to look into violations has not been up to the task. Zeid’s office says an estimated 3,799 civilians have been killed since then.
USA secretary of state John Kerry and Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, held talks in Jeddah on 25 August to discuss options to resume peace talks between warring Yemeni factions.
In releasing the report, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called for an independent, global body to be created to investigate the allegations.
The Arab coalition has also stepped up its air raids in Yemen since the peace talks collapsed.
Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries have been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi’s request.
The overnight strikes came shortly after Secretary of State John Kerry left Saudi Arabia, after announcing a new “peace initiative”, which analysts quickly noted was just him reiterating Saudi demands of an unconditional surrender for the Shi’ite Houthis, and complaining about Iran.
Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country is “extremely careful” in trying to minimize civilian casualties.
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Zarif, speaking from Chile, said Kerry’s remarks show the US government is “an accomplice in Saudi war crimes against the innocent people of Yemen”.
