Cairo: At least 17 people, including a five-year-old girl, were killed in a missile attack Saturday by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting a government-held city. A US ambassador to the country accused the rebels of sabotaging peace efforts in the war-torn country. According to Ali al-Gulisi, press secretary to the provincial governor, the missile hit a gas station in the Rawdha area of Marib city.
Information Minister Moammar al-Iryani said 17 people were killed and five were injured in the attack. These are all ordinary citizens. He called on the United Nations and the United States to condemn the attack, calling it a war crime. However, there was no immediate statement from the Houthis regarding the incident. The rebels also attacked an explosive-laden drone soon after the missile strike, state news agency Sabah reported.
Two ambulances were damaged in the drone attack. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attempting to capture the internationally recognized government-owned Marib since February with the intention of taking control of the northern part of Yemen. Saturday’s attack on Marib comes a day after US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking condemned the rebels and accused them of failing to reach an urgent ceasefire.
