Saudi-led Coalition Bombs Yemeni Homes in Sana’a: HRW
Local Editor
Human Rights Watch said Monday that the Saudi-led coalition, launching an aggression against Yemen, carried out unlawful airstrikes in residential areas in Sanaa, causing civilian deaths.
The organization also slammed the coalition members and the United States, saying they were "required under the laws of war to investigate such attacks, but they have not."
The organization stated Monday in an article on its website: "HRW found no evidence of any military target in an airstrike on the Old City and on al-Asbahi neighborhood in September."
"Airstrikes that caused civilian casualties on homes on Ma’rib Street and in the neighborhoods of Hadda, al-Hassaba, and Thabwa hit 200 meters or more from possible military objectives. These attacks failed to distinguish civilians from military objectives or caused disproportionate civilian loss," the statement further added.
Joe Stork, HRW’s Deputy Middle East Director wondered: "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?"
"Their disregard for the safety of civilians is appalling." Stork added.
HRW informed that one coalition attack struck a house in Sana’a’s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the night of September 13, killing 18 civilians and wounding many others.
For its part, the United Nations reported that most of the 2,500 civilian deaths, since the coalition began its military campaign in late March, have been from coalition airstrikes.
In parallel, the organization accused the US of coordinating and directly assisting coalition military operations, considering it "a party to the conflict and as such is obligated to investigate allegedly unlawful attacks in which it took part."
The coalition repeatedly used aerial bombs with wide-area effect in populated areas, creating the likelihood of civilian casualties even when a military target is hit, Human Rights Watch said.
The attacks documented by HRW used large air-dropped bombs, weighing from 250 kilograms to as much as 1,000 kilograms. These would have blast, thermal, and fragmentation effects in a radius of dozens or hundreds of meters of impact.
