A home for the blind and the Chamber of Commerce in Sanaa are among the sites that have been destroyed by the latest round of Saudi Arabia-led airstrikes in Yemen. The conflict between Iranian-backed Houthi fighters and the Saudi-led coalition has re-intensified after a short ceasefire ended on 2 January.
Airstrikes on Tuesday 5 January damaged a number of military and civilian sites, although no casualties were reported.
Abdullah Ahmed Banyan, a patient at the Noor Centre for the Blind, said: People with disabilities are being struck in their residence. Around 1.30am, two missiles hit the live-in quarters of a home for the blind. Can you imagine they are striking the blind? What is this criminality? Why? Is it the blind that are fighting the war?
A ceasefire was announced on 15 December 2015 between the forces. However, it was broken by both sides and formally ended less than a month later amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Since the Saudi-led coalition entered the Yemen conflict in March 2015 around 6,000 people have been killed in the fighting.
The chamber of commerce was targeted last night by an air strike. For what reason? This kind of air strike is not justified and we hope that all sides refrain from targeting commercial and civilian sites and civilians, said Abdel Hakim Naser, head of legal at the Chamber of Commerce.
A party hall for weddings in Sanaa was also destroyed in the bombings. Saudi forces first entered the conflict against Houthi fighters in an attempt to quell what it saw as Irans growing influence in the region.
In recent days the tension between the countries has escalated after Saudi Arabia executed a dissident Shiite cleric convicted of terrorism. This sparked widespread protests throughout Iran. Since then, Saudi Arabia has severed ties with Tehran.
The Yemen conflict has also worsened hunger in the region, with a recent report suggesting much of the Middle Eastern country is one step away from famine.
