An Airstrike On A Funeral Has Become The Latest In A Line Of Horrors In Yemen
An already bloody war saw the stakes raised as 140 were killed in an airstrike on a funeral home and missiles fired into Saudi Arabia.
An airstrike on a funeral home in Yemen on Saturday left more than 100 people dead and an already horrific conflict set to escalate even further.
Yemen has been reeling since 2015, when a group of rebels known as the Houthis took control of the country's capital, Sana. In response, and inspired by fears that the Houthis were puppets of Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states banded together to push back the Houthis. That's taken the form of a punishing bombing campaign that has lasted for over a year and a half, destroying several cultural sites and killing thousands of civilians.
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The Saudi-led airstrikes have been widely condemned for their indiscriminate nature, but the strike on a reception hall filled with mourners had the effect of being damaging both for civilians and the hopes for a settlement.
The funeral home was packed with local politicians and members of important tribes from throughout Yemen, including some who wished to move the stalled peace process forward. The airstrike left several of them dead.
“They killed and injured several important moderate leaders who were working with them, who wanted a deal,” April Longley Alley, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told the New York Times. “Now the desire for revenge is high, and militants will be empowered, which puts us in a situation where a compromise might not be possible.”
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The United Nations on Saturday said that at least 140 people had died in the attack. The Yemen Health Ministry put the number injured at over 600.
Mohammed Huwais / AFP / Getty Images