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Saudi airstrike kills two at Houthi film set in western Yemen

Thursday, 12 April 2018 4:56 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 12 April 2018 4:58 PM ]

Yemenis check the damage in the aftermath of a Saudi airstrike in Sana'a, Yemen, March 8, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

At least two people have lost their lives in a Saudi air raid on western Yemen targeting the set of a TV series for the al-Masirah channel that is run by the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The airstrike hit the Marawi'ah district in the Yemeni province of Hudaydah on Thursday during the filming of the TV series for the fasting month of Ramadan.

A Yemeni photographer said the victims were the series' set designer and finance director. Multiple military vehicles, including two tanks, were at the site of the attack, informed sources told AFP.

Meanwhile, a security source said Thursday's attack was one of a string of the Saudi strikes on Hudaydah.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the war in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s former Riyadh-friendly government and against the Houthis, who are currently running state affairs.

The military campaign has killed and injured over 600,000 civilians, according to the latest figures released by the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights.

Several Western countries, the US and the UK in particular, are accused of being complicit in the aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment.

Sudan govt. under pressure over Yemen war role

Additionally on Thursday, opposition leaders and analysts mounted pressure on the Sudanese government to end its involvement in the Saudi-led war on Yemen and withdraw its troops from the conflict-ridden country.

The criticism came after dozens of Sudanese mercenaries were killed in a Houthi ambush on the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajjah on Saturday.

PressTV-Yemeni forces ambush Sudanese mercenary convoy

Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters have killed dozens of Sudanese mercenaries hired by Saudi-the led coalition which is waging war against its war-torn neighbor.

The casualties were said to be one of the heaviest suffered by Sudan since it joined the Saudi aggression.

Saturday's incident triggered online outrage, with Sudanese activists and citizens urging Khartoum to pull out troops from Yemen.

Aactivist Islam Saleh wrote on Facebook, "Bring back our sons and brothers! Why are we fighting a war that is not ours?"

"People ask... 'What benefit have we got from this major decision?' -- and they have no answer," said Ghazi Salaheddin, an ex-Sudanese minister for foreign affairs turned opposition leader.

"We didn't have a single drop of bloodshed between them and Sudanese ... Now Sudanese are involved in combat with Yemenis," he added.

He further noted that the deployment of Sudanese troops to Yemen lacked "parliamentary support and ... clear political objectives."

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