Over 140 people died and over 500 were wounded in a series of air strike in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a. Fighter jets of a Saudi-led coalition struck three times, destroying a hall which held a funeral of the father of one of Houthi leaders. Though a few of the victims were Houthi military officers and politicians, the number of dead suggests that many civilians were killed as well. Saudis initially denied any responsibility, but acquiesced on Sunday to demands for an immediate investigation under pressure from the UN and US, which condemned the air strikes.

Since 2014, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war between forces loyal to president Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement. Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in March 2015 on Hadi’s side. Since then, a coalition of Saudi Arabia and several other Arab states conduct air strikes on Houthi positions with varying intensity. Sana’a, which was hit on Saturday by coalition planes, is under Houthi control and has already seen several strikes targeting civilian buildings.

The recent air strikes were condemned by the UN, which demanded an immediate investigation and declared that the international community has to exert pressure to ensure protection of civilian population in the conflict. The US, which remains Saudi Arabia’s primary ally and the largest military supplier, expressed “genuine concern” and announced a review of military support provided for the coalition.

The Yemen conflict has become a part of a Saudi-Iranian proxy war. Houthis are largely of Zaidi background (Zaidism being and offshoot of Shi’a Islam), receive aid from Shi’a Iran and are allied with forces loyal to the ousted president, Ali Adb Allah Salih. Fears over increasing Iranian influence in Yemen were the main reason behind Saudi decision to intervene militarily.

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