Saudi-Led Coalition Jets Bomb Houthis In Yemeni Capital: Residents

SANAA (Reuters) - Saudi-led coalition jets on Sunday bombed a Houthi military position and army bases in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in what appeared to be more retaliation against Yemen's dominant group for the killing of dozens of coalition soldiers two days ago.

The air strikes targeted troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, an ally of the Houthis, and a Houthi base in what was the al-Imam University, a religious school affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood in northern Sanaa.

Residents said explosions could be heard all night and buildings had been leveled but there were no immediate reports of casualties as most people in the area had been evacuated.

"The sounds of explosions had not stopped since 1:15 a.m. (2215 GMT)," one resident told Reuters.

On Saturday, at least 24 members of two families were killed in Sanaa by air strikes targeting Houthi positions in the city, according to local medical sources. Hospital officials said on Sunday the death toll had risen to 27.

On Friday, the Iranian-allied Houthis had attacked a weapons storage facility in Marib, exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's supporters had been massing troops andmilitary hardware in preparation for an assault on Sanaa.

The attack killed 45 Emirati soldiers, five Bahrainis, 10 Saudis and four Yemenis.

It was the heaviest toll suffered by the Saudi-led alliance since air strikes began in March to try to restore Hadi to power after the Houthis began advancing on his main base in the southern port city of Aden.

United Arab Emirates forces were important in helping Hadi's supporters drive the Houthis and their allies out of Aden, a big win for the Arab coalition.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Louise Ireland)