Saudi-led air strikes killed at
least 44 people during an air raid on the main headquarters of the
Yemeni army in central Sanaa on Sunday, the Houthi-run state news agency
Saba said.
Children shout slogans during an anti-Saudi protest in Sanaa, Yemen, June 6, 2015. Photo: Reuters
The agency said that more than 100
people, including civilians, were also wounded in the attack which also
destroyed private houses in Tahrir district in central Sanaa.
Residents had earlier said that four
explosions shook the compound, where soldiers allied with the
Iranian-backed Houthi group that dominates Yemen had gathered since
Saturday evening to get their pay cheques.
"More than 44 citizens were martyred and
100 others including women and children, according to preliminary
figures," the agency said.
The agency quoted a source at the Health
Ministry as saying that rescue teams where working to find people
believed to be still under the rubble of houses destroyed by the raids.
The escalation of the violence came
despite progress toward convening United Nations-backed peace talks this
month in Geneva. The exiled Yemeni government in Riyadh and the Houthis
have agreed to attend the talks which start on June 14.
United Nations special envoy to Yemen,
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was in Oman for talks with the Omani minister
of state for foreign affairs aimed at preparing for the Geneva meeting,
Omani state news agency ONA reported on Saturday. Oman had been
mediating efforts to convene the Geneva talks.
Saudi-led forces have been pounding the
Houthi group since March 26 in a campaign aimed at restoring President
Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.
Residents said Saudi-led aircraft also
targeted other military camps east and west of the capital but there was
no immediate word on casualties.
On Saturday, the Houthis and their army allies fired a Scud missile into Saudi Arabia which the kingdom said it shot down.
It was the first reported use of a
ballistic missile in the conflict. The Saudi military said it had
targeted the city of Khamees Mushait in the kingdom's southwest and was
intercepted by two Patriot missiles.
Arab air strikes and shelling after the
attack killed 38 Yemenis in provinces near Saudi Arabia, according to
Saba reports which could not be immediately confirmed.
Source: Reuters