Saudi-led airstrikes hit hotel in Yemen, killing at least 41
CAIRO — An airstrike by a Saudi-led coalition struck a hotel near Yemen’s capital on Wednesday, killing at least 41 people as the alliance stepped up airstrikes against rebels and their allies in and around Sanaa.
The escalation comes amid a standoff in Sanaa between the two main components of the rebel alliance, Shiite fighters from the north known as Houthis and loyalists of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh. There are mounting fears of street violence.
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 Arhab, about 20 miles north of Sanaa, officials said.
Bodies were still being retrieved from the rubble, witnesses said. Another airstrike hit a checkpoint manned by the Houthis a few miles from the hotel, they added. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The witnesses requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
A Houthi-run satellite news network said 41 civilians were killed and that the death toll was expected to rise. Officials and witnesses told The Associated Press that the death toll had reached 60 and that the majority of those killed were Houthis rebels.
Physician Ali al-Rakmi, who was helping with rescue efforts, said there were more than 100 people inside at the time of the attack, all qat farmers. The plant’s leaves are chewed for a stimulant effect, a widespread tradition among Yemeni men.
There was no immediate comment from the coalition.
The Saudi-led coalition is waging an extensive air campaign against the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh, which together control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa. The coalition is trying to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and markets, killing thousands of civilians and prompting rights groups to accuse the coalition of war crimes. Activists have called upon Western countries, including the United States and Britain, to cease their military support for the coalition.
The conflict has killed over 10,000 civilians, displaced 3 million people and pushed the impoverished nation to the brink of famine.
Meanwhile, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East got a first-hand look Wednesday at the fight, visiting the border area.
Gen. Joseph Votel’s trip to the Saudi-Yemeni border area comes as the U.S. presses on with a campaign targeting al-Qaida-linked militants in Yemen and tries to determine its level of support for key allies engaged in the civil war.
Votel never crossed into Yemeni territory during the visit, said Air Force Col. John Thomas.