A man stands on the rubble of a house destroyed by the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
"The air raids will be intensified during the upcoming hours, and won't be ceased till eradicating the threats of the Houthi militia," said a Yemeni military official.
ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people on Tuesday were killed and 11 others injured during air raids by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen, the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported.
The coalition conducted an intensified bombardment campaign against various Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, a local military official told Xinhua.
"The aerial operations continued striking many Houthi-held military locations throughout the country," the source said on condition of anonymity, adding that several middle-ranking Houthi commanders were killed during the past hours.
People search among the rubble of houses destroyed by the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
He said that several Houthi military leaders, including Abdullah Qassim Junaid, who was in charge of the rebel group's ballistic missile unit and attack drones, were killed in the airstrikes.
Meanwhile, the coalition continued bombing the Houthi militia across the country's southern provinces.
Local sources said that a series of airstrikes hit the Houthis reinforcements near the country's southern province of Dhalea, which is witnessing sporadic fighting.
An anonymous official of Yemen's government confirmed to Xinhua that "the air raids will be intensified during the upcoming hours, and won't be ceased till eradicating the threats of the Houthi militia."
A man stands on the rubble of a house destroyed by the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
In the early hours of the day, the Saudi-led coalition launched an airstrike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, with F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
The coalition announced that it would launch air operations against Sanaa over the next 24 hours, targeting Houthi leaders and commanders in the city's northern districts.
On Monday, Yemen's Houthi militia claimed responsibility for launching airstrikes with missiles and drones that struck areas inside the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an active member of the Saudi-led military coalition. At least three people were killed in the raids.
The Houthi claim came just after three petroleum tankers exploded in a fire near the storage facilities of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the Musaffah industrial district.
A man searches among the rubble of a house destroyed by the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
Regional and global leaders issued statements condemning the Houthi attack that targeted Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.
Yemen's government condemned the attack and reaffirmed its support for the UAE, as well as any actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to "confront these despicable terrorist acts, preserve the safety of their citizens and residents on their lands, and protect vital facilities."
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that has intervened in Yemen's conflict since 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthis forced him into exile. ■