Airstrike killed 22 children in Yemen

International Desk: Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed 30 people, including 22 children, in a rebel-held area in northwestern Yemen, according to the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry.

Four families were evacuating their homes in a vehicle when the airstrikes hit, according to Houthi-owned media. Earlier coalition airstrikes on Wednesday killed four people and injured two, according to two surviving family members who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons.

"Four people were killed in the strike before, that's why they fled. They wanted to save their lives, their children's lives. Is nowhere safe for us?"  one survivor said.

Both sources did not want to be named out of fear for their safety, reports CNN.

Thursday's airstrikes hit al-Duraihmi district, some 20 kilometers from the Red Sea city of Hodeidah, the latest flashpoint in Yemen's ongoing war. The International Rescue Committee said airstrikes in al-Duraihmi city on Wednesday killed 13 people.

"Anything that moves dies," one resident of al-Duraihmi who didn't want to be named for security reasons told CNN. The area's proximity to the strategic city of Hodeidah has turned it into a major battleground, sustaining repeated airstrikes in recent days.

Houthi-held Hodeidah city, considered a humanitarian lifeline to millions of Yemenis, is a main rebel gateway to the Red Sea. Coalition-backed forces have sought to wrest control of it since June.

Earlier this month, a Saudi-led airstrike hit a school bus carrying scores of boys in Yemen. The attack killed 51 people, including 40 children, according to the Houthi-held Health Ministry. CNN has established that the bomb used in the attack was a 500-pound (227 kilogram) laser-guided MK 82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of the top US defense contractors.

Agencies


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