Saudis strike in response to Houthi Scud attack as forgotten war rages on

Airstrikes target launchers after missile struck close to Saudi airbase, as UN says there is ‘desperate need’ to end to conflict that has killed 5,300 Yemenis

Saudi warplanes bombed targets in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Thursday after Houthi rebels fired a Scud missile at an airbase across the border in a sudden escalation of a war that is taking a mounting toll on civilians.

Reports from Sana’a said airstrikes targeted missile launchers after a Scud impacted near Khamis Mushayt, close to a major Saudi air force base. The UN deputy secretary general, Jan Eliasson, said there was a “desperate need” to end the conflict and hoped peace talks could resume by the end of the month.

Seven months of strikes by the Saudi-led coalition and fighting on the ground have killed 5,300 Yemenis including at least 2,400 civilians, according to the WHO. The coalition is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis to drive them from Sana’a and other areas they captured last year, and to restore the internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.