44 Yemeni soldiers killed in air strike

Yemen_535607998At least 44 Yemeni soldiers have been killed and more than a hundred injured in an air strike at Yemeni army headquarters in the capital Sanaa,

They were killed while waiting to collect salaries, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.

Earlier on Sunday, army officials said that four explosions shook the compound in central Sanaa, where the soldiers allied with the Houthi group that dominates Yemen had gathered since Saturday evening to get their pay cheques, reports the Aljazeera.

“More than 44 citizens were martyred and 100 others including women and children, according to preliminary figures,” Saba said, adding the air strikes targeted the armed forces high command building in the Tahrir area in central Sanaa.

An Arab coalition has been bombarding Houthi rebels and allied army units since March 26 in a campaign aimed at restoring President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.

Residents said coalition aircraft also targeted other military camps east and west of the capital but there was no immediate word on casualties, the Reuters news agency reported.

On Saturday, the Houthis and their allies in the army fired a Scud missile into Saudi Arabia which the kingdom said it shot down, in a major escalation after two months of war.