In Yemen, scores of people are dead after the U.S.-supported, Saudi-led coalition launched a heavy aerial assault on territory controlled by Houthi rebels. One attack on Friday destroyed a prison in northern Yemen near the Saudi border, with reports of 82 killed and dozens more trapped under rubble. Among the dead are African migrants who had been detained while attempting to cross Yemen to seek work in Saudi Arabia. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the bombings and called for an investigation, as did families of prisoners who visited the site.
Salman Badi: “We came from Amran province on a visit to find out that the prison has been hit by warplanes. This is a crime to be added to their crimes, and this makes us more determined to face their aggression. And we want concerned bodies to investigate this.”
Another Saudi-led coalition airstrike on Friday severed internet service across all of Yemen. Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates says it thwarted an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, intercepting two ballistic missiles fired at Abu Dhabi. This comes a week after Houthi drones and missiles killed three Emirati civilians.