SAUDI ARABIALED AIR STRIKES HITS YEMEN HOTEL, KILLING AT LEAST 41

CAIRO: An air strike by a Saudi-led coalition struck a hotel near Yemen’s capital on Wednesday, killing at least 41 people as the alliance stepped up air strikes against the Houthi rebels and their allies in and around Sanaa. There were conflicting reports on the identity of the victims of the hotel strike, with doctors saying they were farmers and officials and witnesses saying they included rebels. The coalition has been battling the rebels, who control Sanaa, since early 2015. The fighter jets targeted a two-story hotel in the town of Arhab, about 35 km north of the capital, Sanaa, officials said. Another air strike hit a checkpoint manned by the Houthis a few kilometers from the hotel, witnesses said.