Saudi-led coalition attacks Houthi sites in Sanaa

SANAA, Yemen

Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck Houthi positions in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The attacks targeted a plastics factory north of Sanaa, triggering a huge fire, local residents said.

No injuries were reported.

The Houthi-linked Al-Masira television said a house was also struck by the coalition planes north of Sanaa, but without giving any details about casualties.

Citing the Saudi-led coalition, the Saudi Al Ekhbariya television said the raids targeted a drone workshop in the area.

The coalition accused the Houthi group of "using residential neighborhoods and workshops for installing and assembling ballistic missiles and drones".

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen in hopes of rolling back Houthi gains.

The violence has destroyed much of Yemen’s basic infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times.

* Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg