Saudi-led airstrikes on markets in Yemen kill at least 6

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At least six people were killed and dozens of others wounded when Saudi-led coalition warplanes separately struck two popular markets in Yemen on Saturday, residents and medics said.

One of the targets, Khalakah market, is located in Nehm district, about 30 km northeast of the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa. The airstrikes there killed at least five people, injured dozens of other shoppers, and burned three cars, according to a medic in the district.

The medic told reporters that there were over 20 people wounded in the attack. Residents said the market was very crowded at noon when the airstrikes hit.

The other targeted market is located in Zabid district south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, where one person was killed and more than 15 others injured, according to a provincial medic there, who also said the airstrikes took place at noon.

People mourn their relative during funerals of Houthi fighters who were killed during recent clashes in Sanaa, Yemen, December 7, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Many shops were destroyed in the attacks, the medic added.

Earlier in the day, Houthi-run Saba news agency and residents said another two airstrikes overnight targeted the headquarters of Yemen's state satellite television station in Sanaa, killing four journalists and injuring a bodyguard at the station's gate.

Residents said part of the TV building was destroyed.

These are the latest of a series of airstrikes by the Saudi-led military coalition fighting dominant Houthi militants in a war of more than two and a half years.

The recent escalation of airstrikes came six days after Houthis killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh who had switched sides and made overtures to Riyadh.

The security situation has calmed after Houthis completely took control of the capital and defeated Saleh's armed supporters.

A Houthi fighter mans a checkpoint on a street where Houthis have recently clashed with forces loyal to slain former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, December 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The capital's residents gradually began to crowd in markets and streets, and state employees also headed back to work.

The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 to back President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi whom the Houthis forced into exile in the Saudi capital.

The war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and displaced three million, according to UN agencies.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency