Airstrike in northwest Yemen kills 7 children, 2 women
CGTN

An airstrike in Hajjah province, northwest Yemen, killed seven children and two women, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Yemen reported Monday, the latest escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The Houthi rebels had accused their rivals, the Saudi-led coalition, of striking civilian targets across northwest Yemen late Sunday, killing women and children as young as two years old.

A boy sits among Houthi followers during a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen. /Reuters

A boy sits among Houthi followers during a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen. /Reuters

The Saudi-led coalition has frequently drawn international criticism for errant attacks that have hit schools, hospitals and wedding parties, killing thousands of civilians.

The coalition would investigate the strike to consider the possibility of losses among civilians during the operation and all the documents were transferred to the Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) for consideration," said coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The spokesperson confirmed that the JIAT had been provided with all related documents, citing commitment of the coalition to International Humanitarian Law in its military operations.

After an oil facility was attacked in an industrial complex south of the Saudi Arabian city of Jizan last week, missiles and drones were launched from Yemen's capital Sanaa and directed at civilian target.

Yehia Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, claimed Sunday that the rebels had launched a large-scale attack on Saudi airports and military bases. The coalition said its air defense systems intercepted four ballistic missiles and seven explosive drones.

A woman pauses as she sits next to her mother who is being treated at an intensive care unit last week in Yemen. /Reuters

A woman pauses as she sits next to her mother who is being treated at an intensive care unit last week in Yemen. /Reuters

The coronavirus pandemic, which has surged across war-torn Yemen and overwhelmed its deficient health system, has created new urgency for peace efforts.

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Since the truce prompted by the COVID-19 expired in late May, cross-border attacks by the Houthi rebels have escalated then.Meanwhile, the coalition has stepped up airstrikes, including on the capital, Sanaa, and the Houthis have escalated their cross-border attacks on the kingdom.

"Yemen can't take much more," said Lise Grande, humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, with each month bringing some new measure of civilian misery. "Health and water programs are shutting, famine is stalking the country again, and people all across the country are being hit hard by COVID."

(With input from agencies)