Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Visalia Crash Sends Car Into Marie Callender’s After Driver Runs Red Light

11 hours ago

Gifford Fire Expands to 83,933 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

12 hours ago

S&P 500 and Nasdaq Lifted by Earnings, Fed Hopes

13 hours ago

Israeli Military Chief Opposes Gaza War Expansion, Raising Pressure on Netanyahu

13 hours ago

Israel Considers Full Gaza Takeover as More Die of Hunger

2 days ago

US to Initially Impose ‘Small Tariff’ on Pharma Imports, Trump Says

2 days ago

Cruz Criticizes Hochul for Wearing Headscarf at Slain Officer’s Funeral

2 days ago

Trump Says Banks Discriminate Against His Supporters While White House Prepares Order

2 days ago
UN: Death Toll From Saudi Airstrike in Yemen at 21
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
October 25, 2018

Share

SANAA, Yemen — A Saudi-led coalition airstrike at a fruit-and-vegetable market near Yemen’s flashpoint Red Sea port of Hodeida killed at least 21 civilians, including children, the U.N. humanitarian aid agency said Thursday.
Wednesday’s attack came amid mounting fears of a fresh coalition assault on Hodeida — a city that has been the lifeline for international aid deliveries to Yemen, ravaged by a brutal 3 ½-year war between the Saudi-led alliance and Shite rebels known as Houthis.
The coalition has been trying to wrest Hodeida from the Iran-backed rebels but the campaign, like the rest of Yemen’s war, had fallen into a stalemate.
The airstrike, which hit a vegetable packaging facility in the outdoor market in the town of Bayt el-Faqih, just south of Hodeida, also wounded 10 people. Initial reports had five dead but the death toll steadily climbed overnight.
The director of the Bayt el-Faqih hospital, Abdullah Shahawi, said all the victims were civilians and that at least two children were among the dead.

Civilians Are Paying a Shocking Price

In the capital, Saana, the rebel-run Al Masirah TV reported a lower casualty figure, saying at least 20 people died and 10 were wounded. The different death tolls could not immediately be resolved.

“Civilians are paying a shocking price because of this conflict. This is the third time this month that fighting has caused mass casualties in Hodeida.” Lise Grande, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen
Also on Wednesday, three more people were killed and six injured when strikes hit three vehicles on July 7 road in Al Hali District in Hodeida province, the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Thursday.
“Civilians are paying a shocking price because of this conflict,” said U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande. “This is the third time this month that fighting has caused mass casualties in Hodeida.”
Video footage obtained by The Associated Press showed the aftermath of the strike, with body parts lying scattered across the market and coffins lined up in the hospital. The video could not be independently confirmed but it corresponded to events reported by the AP. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition did not respond to multiple phone calls and messages seeking comment.
Journalists have been barred from visiting rebel-held areas in Hodeida, including where Wednesday’s airstrike took place. Yemeni security officials confirmed the strike but didn’t know what the intended target was.
It’s not uncommon for coalition jets to hit civilians and wedding parties, funerals, residential homes and hospitals have been bombed in the past. In August, an airstrike hit a bus carrying children on their way to school in northern Yemen, killing more than 40.

Calling for the Suspension of Arms Sales

The growing number of civilian casualties in the war has prompted right groups to call for the suspension of the multibillion-dollar U.S. and European arms sales to Saudi Arabia, for decades among the world’s largest buyers of weapons.

“The economic collapse is Yemen’s silent killer; many Yemenis are struggling just to survive.”Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children’s Yemen director
Save the Children said Thursday the cost of basic food items such as flour, rice, salt, sugar and cooking oil has nearly doubled since the conflict erupted in March 2015. The average income in Yemen has more than halved, meanwhile, falling to just $3.39 a day. The organization also said that 52 percent of the population lives under the international poverty line — up from 30 percent in 2014.
“The economic collapse is Yemen’s silent killer; many Yemenis are struggling just to survive,” said Tamer Kirolos, the group’s Yemen director.
Saudi Arabia and its powerful young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been leading the coalition campaign in Yemen, have been facing international outrage over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi earlier this month inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey. Kashoggi’s slaying has also sparked widespread condemnation of the crown prince and marred his international standing after Turkish reports alleged that a member of his entourage was involved in the killing.
The Saudi-led coalition recently sent reinforcements to Yemen’s west coast for what many fear would be an intensified battle for Hodeida.

Keeping Millions of Starving Yemenis Alive

The city’s port literally keeps millions of starving Yemenis alive, as it serves as entry point for 70 percent of food imports and international aid. A protracted siege of Hodeida by the coalition could cut off that lifeline.
Yemeni officials said Wednesday that reinforcements had arrived in tanks and armored vehicles provided by the United Arab Emirates, a key coalition member. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
The assault to retake rebel-held Hodeida first began in June, then paused in August as the U.N. envoy for Yemen tried to cobble together peace talks, the first in two years. That attempt fell apart, and the offensive resumed in mid-September. Hodeida fighting has already killed hundreds of civilians and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
Citing humanitarian partners, the U.N. humanitarian aid agency said more than 170 people were killed, at least 1,700 were injured and more than 570,000 people have been forced to flee their homes across Hodeida province since fighting escalated in June.
An estimated 10,000 people have been killed so far and the conflict has devastated Yemen and pushed it to the brink of famine. The war has also left around two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 27 million relying on aid, and over 8 million at risk of starvation.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Who Drugged and Sexually Abused Minors Sentenced to 53 Years to Life

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Four in Narcotics Bust After Five-Month Investigation

DON'T MISS

Overturned Big Rig Backs Up Highway 99 Traffic in Fresno

DON'T MISS

California Reveals 5th State Prison to Close Because of Falling Inmate Population

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Search for Robbery Suspect Near Blackstone Avenue

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US Will Charge Tariff of About 100% on Semiconductor Imports

DON'T MISS

Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor Race

DON'T MISS

Apple Commits Additional $100 Billion to US Investments

DON'T MISS

Fresno Taken Off Federal Sanctuary City List After DHS Reversal

DON'T MISS

Trita Parsi Shares Ex-Green Beret’s Account of Deadly Gaza Aid Sites

UP NEXT

Switzerland Facing 39% US Tariff as President Leaves Washington Empty-Handed

UP NEXT

Global Insured Catastrophe Losses Hit $80 Billion in First Half of 2025, Report Shows

UP NEXT

Israeli Settlers Attacked Gaza-Bound Aid Convoy, Jordan Says

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Chief Opposes Gaza War Expansion, Raising Pressure on Netanyahu

UP NEXT

Trump Order Imposes Additional 25% Tariff on Goods From India

UP NEXT

Slovenia Becomes First EU Nation to Ban Weapons Trade with Israel

UP NEXT

Trump to Host Armenia, Azerbaijan Leaders for Peace Talks on Friday, US Official Says

UP NEXT

Senators Ask US to Probe Data Security Issues With DeepSeek

UP NEXT

Hezbollah Chief Says Missiles Will Fall on Israel if It Resumes War on Lebanon

UP NEXT

Israel Considers Full Gaza Takeover as More Die of Hunger

California Reveals 5th State Prison to Close Because of Falling Inmate Population

6 hours ago

Fresno Police Search for Robbery Suspect Near Blackstone Avenue

6 hours ago

Trump Says US Will Charge Tariff of About 100% on Semiconductor Imports

6 hours ago

Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor Race

7 hours ago

Apple Commits Additional $100 Billion to US Investments

7 hours ago

Fresno Taken Off Federal Sanctuary City List After DHS Reversal

7 hours ago

Trita Parsi Shares Ex-Green Beret’s Account of Deadly Gaza Aid Sites

7 hours ago

First Date Turns Into DUI High-Speed Pursuit on Highway 99, CHP Fresno Says

7 hours ago

Tulare Co. Sends 86 to Drug Treatment Under Prop 36. Fresno Sends Only 3

7 hours ago

US Army Sergeant Suspected of Shooting, Wounding Five Fellow Soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia

7 hours ago

Fresno Man Who Drugged and Sexually Abused Minors Sentenced to 53 Years to Life

A Fresno man was sentenced Wednesday to 53 years to life in state prison for committing lewd acts involving three minors over a six-year spa...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

Fresno Man Who Drugged and Sexually Abused Minors Sentenced to 53 Years to Life

Clovis Police arrested Jeremiah Gonzalez (top left), 25, Jonathan Simmavong (bottom left), 27, both of Clovis, Gursimran Mahal (top right), 25, and Zackary Torres, 26, both of Fresno, in a narcotics investigation that led to the seizure of drugs, a firearm, and illegal vape products. (Clovis PD)
5 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Four in Narcotics Bust After Five-Month Investigation

An overturned big rig on Highway 99 at Clinton Avenue caused major traffic backups in both directions Wednesday, August 6, 2025, afternoon in Fresno. (Fresno County SO)
6 hours ago

Overturned Big Rig Backs Up Highway 99 Traffic in Fresno

6 hours ago

California Reveals 5th State Prison to Close Because of Falling Inmate Population

Fresno police are searching for a suspect who robbed a person near Blackstone and Garland avenues and fled in a white Chevrolet sedan. (Fresno PD)
6 hours ago

Fresno Police Search for Robbery Suspect Near Blackstone Avenue

Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Trump Says US Will Charge Tariff of About 100% on Semiconductor Imports

President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters at the White House in Washington, July 30, 2025. The conversation between President Trump and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo came at a time when Cuomo was publicly pushing Mayor Eric Adams and other rivals to drop out of the race in hopes of consolidating the support of voters who oppose the frontrunner, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
7 hours ago

Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor Race

7 hours ago

Apple Commits Additional $100 Billion to US Investments

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend