7th June, 2015
Over 44 soldiers were killed on Sunday in a series of airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on the headquarters of the Yemeni army in the rebel-held capital Sana’a, a health official said.
The official at the rebel-controlled Health Ministry told newsmen that over 180 people, mostly civilians living nearby, were injured in the bombardment of the building located in the Tahrir district.
“The number of the casualties is on the rise because the air raids are continuing against the headquarters and other military positions in Sana’a,” the official added on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, local residents said they heard sounds of powerful explosions caused by allied airstrikes targeting a Houthi military camp in the district of Sarf in northern Sana’a.
The attacks came a day after the UN announced that peace talks on Yemen would start in Geneva on June 14.
Yemen’s government, exiled in Saudi Arabia, and the Iran-backed Shiite Houthis have said they would attend.
According to the UN, no fewer than 2,300 people, half of them civilians, have been killed in Yemen’s conflict since mid-March.
Saudi Arabia and mostly Sunni partners started an air campaign in Yemen on March 26 against the mostly Shiite rebels after the rebels forced Sunni President AbdRabu Hadi to flee the country.