An air strike by a Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday hit a two-story motel north of the capital, killing at least 46 people, the latest in an escalating barrage of air assaults in war-torn Yemen this year, witnesses and officials said.
“I saw a few bodies hanging out from the windows,” said Mohammed Aluraiji, 34, a seller of khat, the narcotic leaf chewed by many Yemenis. “Bodies were completely burned. I was completely shocked.”
The assault comes as the alliance between the rebel Houthi movement and loyalists of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who together control the capital and much of northern Yemen, shows signs of splintering. In recent months, sharp differences have emerged over UN initiatives, the control of ministries, and military and political decisions.
Saleh’s supporters are planning a major rally in the capital on Thursday to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the founding of the General People’s Congress, Saleh’s political party that controlled the Middle East nation for more than three decades. Residents fear possible violence as armed factions from both sides are positioned in the capital.
Wednesday’s air strikes, which occurred around 3:30am, may have been intended to exploit the divisions. There were other air strikes targeting areas around the capital, Yemeni officials said.
Some local media reports suggested that Houthi rebels were killed in the attack on the motel, which was near a Houthi checkpoint on the main road about 19 miles north of the capital. Health ministry officials and witnesses said most of the victims were khat farmers who were staying at the motel.
