Dozens of horses were killed in a Saudi-led coalition air strike on Yemen’s capital on Monday, local media reported, in an attack slammed by animal rights activists as a “horse massacre”.
Around 70 Arabian horses and one civilian died in the attack in the strike on a stable at a military college in Sanaa, the rebels’ Al Masirah news channel reported.
Graphic images emerged online shortly after, showing dead and wounded horses strewn across the area.
The attack prompted Yemenis and animal rights activists to call for greater accountability in the conflict, where more than 100,000 have been killed – half of them civilians.
The Saudi-led military coalition on Monday said it carried out multiple air strikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa in retaliation for missile strikes on the kingdom.
The operation was aimed at destroying “legitimate military targets” including Houthi ballistic capabilities which “threaten civilian lives”, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Residents in Sanaa reported multiple explosions after the coalition’s bombing campaign began.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported at least 19 air strikes on a number of targets in Sanaa, including military bases and the military academy, where the horses were sheltered.
The operation comes after Saudi air defences intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles over Riyadh and the border city of Jizan, late Saturday.
The attacks left two civilians wounded in Riyadh, which is under a 15-hour curfew to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to Saudi state media.
It was the first major assault on Saudi Arabia since Houthi rebels last September offered to halt attacks on the kingdom, after devastating twin strikes on Saudi oil installations.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
