Airstrikes kill at least 19 in Yemen

Blasts rock capital as rebel weapons caches targeted

SANAA, Yemen — Saudi- led airstrikes hit weapons caches held by Iran- backed Shiite rebels, touching off massive explosions Monday in Yemen’s capital that killed at least 19 people and buried scores of others under the rubble of flattened homes.

After the coalition airstrikes, mushroom clouds rose over the mountainous outskirts of Sanaa, where the arms depots are located. The Fag Atan area has been targeted several times since March 26, the start of the air campaign against the rebels known as Houthis.

“It was like the doors of hell opened all of a sudden,” said Mohammed Sarhan, whose home is less than 1 mile from the site. “I felt the house lift up and fall.”

The blasts — among the most powerful in Sanaa since the airstrikes began — deposited a layer of soot on the top floors of buildings in the Yemeni capital and left streets littered with glass.

Anti- aircraft fire rattled in response.

One bomb hit near the Iranian Embassy in Sanaa, drawing a sharp rebuke from Tehran. The Houthis and Saleh’s troops have also advanced on the southern port of Aden, Yemen’s main sea hub, forcing President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee the impoverished but strategic country last month. The Houthis and their allies have been trying to take over Aden for weeks.

The airstrike that hit dangerously close to the Iranian Embassy shattered windows but caused no casualties among the staff, the Iranian state TV reported. Iran summoned the kingdom’s envoy in Tehran in protest.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned the Saudis to abide by their international obligations and respect diplomatic missions, the report said, adding that it held Riyadh responsible for the safety of its mission in Sanaa.