Airstrikes target airport in Yemen

Sanaa, Aug. 28: Heavy air strikes targeted the international airport in Yemen's rebel- held capital and an adjacent airbase on Tuesday, residents said, with rebels blaming the Saudi- led coalition fighting on the side of the government. The raids began at around midnight and lasted half an hour, according to a resident in Sanaa, who reported more than a dozen strikes. While the largely disused airport and the nearby AlDailami base are often targeted by coalition air strikes, the latest raids were particularly intense, residents said.

The Huthi rebels accused the coalition of conducting multiple overnight raids on the airport, which is closed except for occasional UN flights, via their Al Masirah TV. They did not report any casualties. The strikes came hours after the Huthis said they had targeted Dubai airport with a drone attack, which was denied by the United Arab Emirates, a leading member of the coalition. Saudi Arabia and its allies have fought the Iran- backed Huthis since 2015 in an attempt to restore Yemen's internationally recognised government to power and push back the rebels.

The coalition has faced growing criticism over civilian casualties in a war that has left nearly 10,000 people dead and unleashed what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

K am el Jendoubi, a Tunisian human rights advocate who chaired the group of experts, said they compiled a “confidential list” of people suspected of committing international crimes, which was being handed over to the office of the UN human rights chief on Tuesday. His team refused to indicate how many or which people or groups were on the list — whether on the government or rebel sides. “Despite the gravity of the situation, we still note a total disdain for the suffering of the Yemeni people,” Mr Jendoubi said in a briefing on the report Tuesday.

Huthi rebels accused the coalition of conducting multiple overnight raids on the airport, which is closed except for occasional UN flights. The intense raids lasted for anout half- an- hour.