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Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrikes Kill 65 Civilians in Southwestern Yemen

Al Jazeera’s Hamdi al-Bakari, reporting from Yemen, said at least 33 Houthi fighters were killed in the air strikes and during fighting, while 40 others were injured.

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The countries contributing forces to the Saudi-led war include Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Sudan and Qatar. “It began on March 25, nearly five months ago”. The coalition has deployed American-made laser-guided bombs as well as internationally outlawed cluster munitions.

The coalition has denied targeting civilians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has condemned the occupation of the UAE embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, by the Houthi militia on Sunday.

“Yemen is one of the most terrifying places in the world to be a child”.

For his part, Mouracadeh believes the UN Security Council urged the Houthi fighters to withdraw from the areas they have taken in recent months. “Nearly 10 million children – 80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population – need urgent humanitarian assistance”.

“Yemen is one of the most terrifying places in the world to be a child”.

“Right now, the conflict-driven convergence between the lack of staple food, access to clean water, and a diminished fuel supply create the dawn of a ideal storm for the most vulnerable Yemeni people“, said Ertharin Cousin, WFP Executive Director.

Sources in Hodeida, meanwhile, said the port remained out of action Wednesday because of the damage to its cranes in the airstrikes.

In addition, Lake condemned an air strike on a teachers’ office in Amran, Yemen Tuesday night which killed 13 educators who gathered to prepare exams for thousands of children who had missed the end of their school year because of the brutal conflict across the country.

“Perpetrators of the callous attacks against civilians in Yemen need to know that they will pay the price and will be held responsible for war crimes”, Rovera said.

The subsequent airstrikes killed 35 people and demolished five houses in the eastern neighborhood of Sala, from where the rebels launched their attacks. Amnesty’s researchers found no indications that housing units had been used for any military objective by the Houthis.

The group, also known as Medicins sans Frontieres (MSF), said there are 923 residents who have been injured in the past three days.

Cousin said she had met mothers who were only able to give their children tea in the morning and bread and sugar in the evening. “There was no fighting around here and there were no Houthis, just some unlucky people”. The air strikes reportedly destroyed a number of cranes at the port, bringing operations there to a halt. However, the Saudi alliance has imposed a blockade on imports in an effort to cut off arms supplies to rebel forces.

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Also on Friday, the official news agency in Saudi Arabia said two pilots in the Saudi-led coalition were killed when their Apache helicopter came down on the border with Yemen on Friday.

Yemen on brink of famine due to months of conflict warns UN