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DUBAI (Reuters) – The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen on Wednesday denied that an air strike it carried out earlier this week in Saada province had killed civilians, as alleged by Houthi authorities.
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The coalition that has been battling the Iran-aligned movement for five years said in a statement that it had targeted armed members of the group. The Houthi health minister had said 13 civilians, including four children, were killed in Monday\\\’s air strike.
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Both sides have released footage as proof. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos or when or where they were taken.
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The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, said in a statement on Tuesday that initial field reports indicated that at least 12 civilians, including four children, were killed in strikes on a vehicle in Saada.
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“We share our deepest condolences with the bereaved families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in this terrible, unjustified attack,” Grande said.
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The coalition statement said the vehicle was carrying armed Houthi combatants near the Saudi-Yemeni border and that the air strike was “legitimate”.
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The United Nations on Monday removed the Western-backed coalition from a U.N. blacklist several years after it was first accused of killing and injuring children in Yemen.
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Violence has surged between the two sides after a six-week ceasefire prompted by the coronavirus pandemic expired last month.
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The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system.
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(Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Writing by Lisa Barrington and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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