Saudi Arabia says it intercepted rocket fired from Yemen
Cross-border skirmishes continue despite ceasefire, peace talks between US-backed coalition and Houthi rebels
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen says Saudi air defense units have intercepted a rocket fired from inside Yemen in the southwest border city of Jazan.
A statement by the coalition said the rocket, which was fired early Monday, did not cause injuries or material damage and that the Saudi Air Force reacted immediately and destroyed the launching pad inside Yemen.
The Yemen conflict pits the internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led, US-supported coalition against the rebels, known as Houthis, who are allied with a former president. Local affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have exploited the chaos to grab land and exercise influence.
Cross-border shelling has killed Saudi border guards and soldiers amid the campaign.
Also on Monday, Human Rights Watch reported that the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes in residential areas in the capital Sanaa killed 60 civilians in September and October.
“How many civilians will die in unlawful airstrikes in Yemen before the coalition and its US ally investigate what went wrong and who is responsible,” said Joe Stork, the group’s deputy Middle East director. “Their disregard for the safety of civilians is appalling.”
“Human Rights Watch found no evidence of any military target in an airstrike on the Old City and on al-Asbahi neighborhood in September,” the group said, adding that homes in several other areas were hit “200 meters or more from possible military objectives.”
The group said Houthi forces also put civilians at risk in at least two of the attacks in densely populated neighborhoods.
According to UN figures, the war in Yemen has killed at least 5,884 people since March, when fighting escalated after the Saudi-led coalition began launching airstrikes targeting the rebels.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.