30 civilians killed in fresh Saudi airstrikes on Sana’a

Fresh Saudi airstrikes against the Yemeni people have claimed the lives of at least 30 civilians in the capital city of Sana’a.

According to the local Yemeni officials, the Saudi airborne assaults on Friday targeted residential areas in the Sawan district of Sana’a, killing 30 civilians, including nine women and two children.

Several people were also injured following Saudi airstrikes on the Yemeni provinces of Aden, Hajjah, Ma’rib and Jawf.

Residential areas in Malahidh region in the northwestern province of Sa’ada were also targeted by Saudi warplanes. They also pounded two military bases in the capital and the western province of Hudaydah.

A bridge was also reportedly struck by Saudi fighter jets in the Huth district in Amran province.

Meanwhile, overnight clashes between the Saudi army and Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters of the Houthi movement left three Saudi guards dead near the Yemeni border, Riyadh said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Mohammed Badr Bassalma, Yemen’s former transportation minister in the cabinet of the fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, called for “a direct military intervention” to stop the advance of the Ansarullah fighters in the violence-wracked country.

Security Council meeting

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on a Russia-drafted statement demanding a ceasefire in Yemen.

Reports said that the 15 member states of the UN body refused to back Moscow’s proposed statement that called for an immediate ceasefire in a bid to send humanitarian aid to the restive country.

"If you can't agree to a motherhood and apple pie statement, what can you agree on? I don't understand," Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said in reference to the inaction of the Security Council.

Churkin also lashed out at Washington for supporting the Saudi aggression against the Yemeni people.

"Clearly, they [US leaders] need to feel their responsibility since they are supporting the bombing of the coalition, the responsibility of the humanitarian consequences," he added.

The Russian ambassador also expressed Moscow’s serious concern over the escalating tension in Yemen, saying Riyadh shows no interest in resolving the Arab country's conflict through dialog and opts for military operations.

"We support negotiations but we don't see an interest on the part of those who are engaged in bombing, in engaging with the new special representative of the [UN] secretary general," Churkin stated.

Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 - without a UN mandate - in a bid to restore power to Hadi, who is a close ally of Riyadh.

On April 21, Riyadh announced the end of the first phase of its unlawful military operations, which claimed the lives of about 1,000 people, but airstrikes have continued with Saudi bombers targeting different areas across the country in a new phase.

FNR/AS/MHB

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