Yemen Wedding Attack: Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrikes Kill At Least 13 People In Rebel-Held Town, Reports Say

At least 13 people were killed and 38 injured in airstrikes by a Saudi-led military coalition at a wedding in a rebel-held town in Yemen, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, citing a medical source. The strikes came even as the United Nations announced Wednesday that Houthi rebels had accepted a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.

The bombing targeted a house in Sanban, in Dhamar province, about 70 miles southeast of capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Houthis, a Shiite group that took over Sanaa last year, a medical source and witnesses reportedly said. According to reports, the wedding was hosted by a tribal leader known to support Houthi rebels. The number of casualties remains unclear as the New York Times reported that at least 23 people have died.

This was the second airstrike on a wedding in Yemen in just over a week. Saudi-led airstrikes struck a wedding in Taiz province, 160 miles south of Sanaa, last Monday, killing 131 people, including at least 80 women. However, the coalition has denied that its warplanes bombed the wedding near the Red Sea city of Mokha.

In March, a pro-government Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The coalition has been accused of carrying out several deadly attacks that have hit civilians. According to the United Nations, about 5,000 people have been killed and 25,000 wounded in Yemen over the past seven months.

Hadi had fled the country in March after the Houthis gained prominence in Yemen. The rebels have since been targeted by a Saudi-led coalition that has pushed them back from some areas, including Aden. But the Houthis still remain in control of Sanaa. The United States supports the Saudi-led coalition, which includes Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Sudan.