Saudi strikes kill over 40 civilians in Yemen, Houthi health ministry says

RABAT, September 11. /TASS/. More than 40 civilians have been killed in Saudi strikes on Houthi-controlled Yemeni territories over the week, according to the health ministry established by the Houthis in the country’s official capital city of Sanaa.

"Forty-four civilians, including five children, died after Saudi Arabia’s bombardments in the Al-Jawf, Hodeidah, Taiz, Saada, Sanaa, and Hajjah governorates," it said, adding that eighty-two civilians have been wounded in these governorates since September 3.

The armed confrontation between the Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi rebels has been continuing in Yemen since August 2014. The situation deteriorated dramatically this summer. The Houthi rebels delivered a massive missile strike on the Red Sea port of Mokha on August 14, resulting in the port’s complete halt. In early September, the Houthis launched and offensive in the southwest of the country. Along with ground operations, the Houthis began delivering missile and drones strikes on the Red Sea coastal areas and the vicinity of the city of Taiz, seeking to cut off approaches to Mokha and advance toward areas adjacent to the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.