Saudi-led coalition jets on Thursday pounded Iran-backed Houthi militia positions in and around Sanaa for a third consecutive day, as shelling from Yemen killed a woman in Saudi Arabia.
Military sources loyal to the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said the air raids targeted only military positions held by the Houthis and their allies, supporters of deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Also on Thursday a Saudi woman was killed and seven other people wounded by shelling from Yemen, the Civil Defense said. It came hours after a civilian was killed and seven others wounded late Wednesday in Jazan also in shelling from Yemen, it added.
Meanwhile, 10 fighters from a pro-government militia have been killed when suspected Al-Qaeda militants targeted their convoy with two car bombs.
Yemeni officials said the attack took place in the Yafea area in Lahj, where Al-Qaeda controls several areas, including a large base in which it has stockpiled heavy weapons looted from army depots elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Houthi militias in Yemen are suffering great losses, coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri has announced.
“The legitimate forces now control 80 percent of Yemeni territories while in March 2015, they had no control on the ground. Also, a large number of Houthis were killed and their military powers destroyed,” he said.
Al-Assiri said calls from Houthis to hold a Parliament session next Saturday is evidence of their “bankruptcy” and their continuous miserable antics.
“What they are trying to do is an attempt to delude the international community that they are keen on filling the political vacuum in Yemen.” He said a large number of Houthis killed during the past weeks were children who had participated in the fighting operations.
Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran Sanaa and other parts of the country, forcing President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and his Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh. Saudi soldiers
The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign against Iran-backed Houthi militias in March 2015. It sides with the President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, while the Houthis are aligned with ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted after Yemen revolution in 2012. Saudi Arabia
