AIR strikes by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Shiite rebels have targeted the presidency building in the heart of the Yemeni capital, leaving at least six people dead and 30 wounded.
Health officials said the six killed were all civilians. It was not known if there were any Houthi rebel leaders inside the presidency at the time of the strikes in Sanaa and if there were any casualties among them.
The three-storey presidency building was completely flattened while surrounding buildings in the city’s busy Tahrir district – including the famous five-star Sheba Hotel – were heavily damaged.
Cars were charred and pools of blood covered the pavement, and many were believed to have been buried under the rubble.
The Saudi-led coalition has been at war with the Houthis since 2015. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, with three million driven from their homes.
The coalition has been criticised over alleged humans rights breaches, and has been accused of war crimes.
Last month, the coalition killed a top Houthi leader, Saleh al-Sammad, in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.
He was the acting president of the territory under rebel control while the Houthis’ leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, has mostly kept out of the public eye.
These air strikes appeared to have targeted al-Sammad’s successor, Mahdi al-Mashat.
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