Saudi-led coalition kills seven children in Yemen attack - UNICEF
UNICEF said that militias allied with the Saudi-led coalition fired at Houthi-held positions in the hills surrounding the Yemeni city of Taiz, killing at least seven children.
People gather at the site of an air strike launched by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen May 16, 2019.
Seven children were killed in an attack on the city of Taiz last week, the United Nations' agency for children said in a statement on Sunday.
The victims, aged between 4 and 14, were killed on Friday in an attack on the Mawiyah district, UNICEF said.
Taiz, in southern Yemen, is under siege by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels but controlled by pro-government forces, who are supported by the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Seven children between the ages of 4 and 14 were killed on Friday in an attack on the Mawiyah district, in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz.
— Henrietta H. Fore (@unicefchief) May 26, 2019
Nowhere is safe for children in Yemen. The conflict is haunting them in their homes, schools and playgrounds. https://t.co/bLkAvS3TX4
"This attack brings to 27 the number of children killed and injured in a recent escalation of violence near Sana and in Taiz over the past 10 days," UNICEF said, warning the toll could be higher.
Yemen's four-year conflict has triggered what the UN says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with over 24 million people, more than two-thirds of the population, in need of aid.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
Clashes near Taiz
Militias allied with the Saudi-led coalition fired at Houthi-held positions in the hills surrounding the Yemeni city of Taiz.
It was the latest fighting outside the contested city, where militias allied with the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's internationally recognised government have been battling for years.
Coalition forces say they've made advances in taking Houthi-held positions.
The fighting over the past couple of days has killed at least ten coalition fighters and injured a dozen more, according to coalition-allied fighters.
On Friday, security officials in Houthi-controlled territory said a Saudi-led air raid had killed eight civilians and wounded at least four in the southwestern province of Taiz.