Red Cross says strike hit bus at market in Dahyan, in rebel-held north of country

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Saudi Arabia is facing an international outcry after at least 29 children were among dozens of civilians killed by a US-backed Saudi-led coalition airstrike that hit a bus in Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held north. An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Thursday morning killed at least 50 people including dozens of children traveling on a bus in the country's Saada Province, local health officials said.The International Committee of the Red Cross said its medical teams received the bodies of 29 children, all under the age of 15. "Following an attack this morning on a bus driving children in Dahyan Market, northern Saada, (an ICRC-supported) hospital has received dozens of dead and wounded," the organisation said on Twitter without giving more details. After this week's airstrike, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for an independent investigation and said all parties must "respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular the fundamental rules of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack." The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, also said the missile was launched “deliberately to target residential and populated areas.”

Al-Malki insisted Thursday’s attack carried out in Saada is a “legitimate military action” and is “in accordance with international humanitarian law and customs.” He also accused the Houthis of recruiting children and using them in the battlefields to cover for their actions.
At least 43 people, mostly children, are killed in an airstrike on a bus at a market in Dahyan, Sa'da, by the Saudi-led coalition, while more than 60 are injured. The coalition calls the strike a "legitimate military action" against the Houthis, accusing them of using children as human shields.