At least 46 people have been killed and over a 300 other seriously injured in Yemen after Saudi-led airstrikes targeted at Scud missile base. The air strikes were aimed at the weapons which are believed to be held by the Houthi rebel fighters.
The large number of fatalities was as a result of a series of explosions that were triggered by the air strikes at the Scud missile base in Faj Attan in western Sanaa. Eye witness recounted that very thick smokes was seen enveloping the city as nearby houses and cars were destroyed leaving debris on the streets.
The explosion which is the largest that has been experienced in Sanaa has left thousands homeless. Several countries have come out to condemn the strikes among the Iran and Indonesia whose embassy staff were injured and cars damaged.
The base that was targeted belonged to the elite missile brigade of the Republican Guard unit which was loyal to former president Ali Adullah Saleh. It was mainly a target as army units in Yemen that were loyal to the former president have allied themselves with the Houthi rebels.
The Saudi Arabia justified the strike on the missile base saying that if the scud missiles are modified they can be used to target their kingdom as they can be readjusted to increase their range to hundreds of kilometers.
Iran has become a commonly mentioned player in the war in Yemen as it is believed that Tehran funds the Houthi rebels but she has vehemently denied the said involvement. Iran has however denounced the Saudi-led coalition terming it as ‘major crime’ and ‘genocide’.
The US has joined the fight against the Houthis by dispatching USS Theodore Roosevelt into the waters with the aim of intercepting any Iranian Vessels suspected to carry weapons to the Houthi off of Yemeni waters.
The weapons interception will hopefully soon weaken the rebels and restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into power and bringing back stability to the Gulf nation.
