Sat 05 February 2022:
On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition launched a new military operation in Yemen against Houthi militants.
“Legitimate military targets” in the capital Sanaa and other provinces are the focus of the operation, a coalition statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA said.
“The military operation comes in response to the threat… to protect civilians from hostile attacks,” it added.
The pro-Houthi Al-Masirah channel said Saudi-led coalition warplanes carried out four air raids on the Sanaa airport, without giving any further details.
Houthi rebels have escalated drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks, saying the attacks were in response to the coalition assault on Yemen.
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks on the UAE, although a little-known Iraqi group claimed it was behind a drone attack on Wednesday – suggesting the UAE is now being targeted from its north and south.
The Houthis have over the years launched multiple missile and drone attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia. But until this month, the last Houthi-claimed attack on the UAE had been back in 2018.
UAE-backed forces largely avoided engaging the Houthis in battle since 2018. But in recent weeks, Emirati-backed groups have pushed into Houthi territory, causing the group to launch attacks against the UAE.
The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthis since 2015, one year after the Iran-aligned rebels overran much of Yemen, including Sanaa.
The seven-year conflict has created one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of the country, or about 30 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.
More than 13 million are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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