Yemeni missile hits gathering of Saudi-backed forces

A ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Army and popular Houthi Ansarullah movement has hit a gathering of Saudi-backed militants in Sana'a province, the country's Military Information Center said on Sunday. 

The Zelzal-2 missile was fired at a military base in the Harib area of Nihm District early Sunday, "precisely" hitting its target. 

"A number of militias were killed or injured and some of their military vehicles were destroyed in the missile attack," the Military Information Center said.     

The missile attack came a day after Saudi warplanes targeted two buses in the town of Jabal Rass in Yemen’s al-Hudaidah Province.

Yemen’s Health Ministry put the death toll at 19, including women and children, up from 15 reported earlier by Yemen’s al-Masirah television network.

Thirty others were reported wounded after the attack hit the vehicles, which were carrying refugees.

Saudi Arabia has launched thousands of airstrikes on Yemen in the past three years, some of which have hit hospitals, schools and markets, killing hundreds of civilians while bringing Riyadh little closer to military victory.

Hundreds of Saudi soldiers have been killed in Yemen's



retaliatory mortar and missile attacks across the rugged southern border.

As many as 15,000 people have died in the conflict so far, and millions face potential famine and disease because of disruption to food and medical supplies as a result a Saudi-led blockade.

Around 22 million civilians, or 75 percent of Yemen's population, require humanitarian aid, according to latest UN data. The conflict has caused the worst cholera outbreak in modern history, with over 1 million reported cases.

The Houthi movement and its allies in the Army that control northern Yemen have vowed to fire more missiles into Saudi Arabia unless it stops bombing the impoverished country.

Last year, the Houthis fired missiles at Riyadh in retaliation. Saudi Arabia responded by shutting Yemen's airports and ports, a blockade that the United Nations said raised the prospect of mass starvation.

The Houthis and their allies control the north of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a. Saudi Arabia and its proxies have been fighting on behalf of a former government with a foothold in the south. 

Western countries support Saudi Arabia which depends on service contracts with US and British arms companies to keep its planes flying.