Yemen – Houthi rebels allegedly admitted Sunday targeted a military base in northern Yemen, near which fourteen civilians were killed on Saturday, according to the government, and called for an independent investigation into the attack.
The government’s official news agency on Saturday accused the Houthis of bombing a gas station in Marib, the last stronghold of government forces in warring northern Yemen, killing 14 civilians.
In a tweet, a senior Houthi rebel official, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, promised “compensation” if his organization was held accountable. It is rare for Iranian-backed rebels to admit attempting to strike a site near a place where civilians have died.
“We asked the Ministry of Defense (of the unrecognized Houthi government, ed) and they said they only bombed the base, “said Mohamed Ali al-Houthi.” We ask that an independent commission investigate the matter, “he added. According to two locals, this gas station is about a kilometer away. from the military base and often soldiers go there with their families to refuel.
The rebels “will be obliged to pay compensation” if investigations establish that they are responsible for the deaths of the 14 civilians, Al-Houthi said. Supported by Iran, the Houthis have been trying since February to wrest Marib, a region rich in oil, from loyalist forces, backed by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
The conflict, triggered in 2014 by the capture of Sana’a by the Houthis, has caused tens of thousands of victims, according to humanitarian organizations, and millions of displaced persons. More than two thirds of the 30 million inhabitants, faced with greater risks of epidemics and famines, depend on international aid. It is, according to the UN, currently the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
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