Three brothers were among at least 13 people killed in a rocket attack that hit their wedding party in a village in southwestern Yemen on Thursday that residents said was most likely to have been carried out by Saudi-led coalition jets.
If confirmed, this would be third attack in recent weeks that has killed civilians and drawn international rebuke for the Arab alliance fighting Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. More than one hundred people were killed at a wedding party on Sept. 28.
Residents in the village of Sanban said the brothers were waiting for the brides' party to arrive when the missile hit their house. At least 10 other people were killed, they said.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
A coalition spokesman could not be reached for comment, but the Arab alliance says it does not target civilians.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that a coalition air raid in Sanban had killed or wounded dozens of people at a wedding celebration and the toll might rise to more than 30.
Rights group Amnesty International on Wednesday called for countries including the United States and Britain to stop arming the Saudi-led coalition. In a report, Amnesty said there was an urgent need for an independent investigation of violations.
The Arab coalition began air strikes against the Houthis and their allies, forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, in late March after a push from their northern stronghold towards the southern port of Aden.
The Saudi-led coalition, which says the Houthis are allied with Iran, stepped up air strikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and other Houthi-held areas after a Houthi missile killed more than 60 Gulf Arab troops stationed in Marib province on Sept. 4.
Reuters
