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Agence France-Presse

The Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen yesterday said
it will investigate an air raid that killed more than 140 people at a ­funeral, after Washington announced it was reviewing support for the alliance.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels blamed the coalition for Saturday’s attack, one of the deadliest since it launched a military campaign against the Shiite insurgents in March 2015.
The attack could further sour US-Saudi ties already strained over the coalition’s military intervention which is suspected of causing almost half of the more than 4,000 civilian deaths in Yemen’s conflict.


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It also risks embarrassing Washington, which has vehemently criticised Moscow over
the heavy civilian death toll from Russian air raids in support of Syria’s regime in Aleppo city.
In its initial statement, the ­Saudi-led coalition insisted it had no oper­ations at the location and “other causes” for the incident must be considered. However, in a subsequent statement, the coalition said it was ready to launch a probe into the “regrett­able and painful” strike, which the UN said also wounded more than 525 people.
A “horrified and extremely disturbed” UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien called for a prompt and “impartial” probe into the attacks.
“I also call on all parties to protect civilians and stop using explosive weapons or conducting aerial bombardments in civilian-populated places in Yemen. Surely enough is enough,” he added.
“This horrendous and heinous attack displayed an utter disregard for human life.”
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon called for a “prompt and impartial” probe, insisting that:“Those ­responsible for the attack must be brought to justice.”


In September 2015, a suspected coalition air strike killed at least 131 civilians at a wedding near the Red Sea city of Mokha. The Saudi-led alliance then also denied any involvement.
And in March this year, Saudi-led air strikes on a market killed at least 119 people, including 106 civilians, of which 24 were children, in the northern rebel-held province of Hajja.
On Saturday, emergency workers pulled out at least 20 charred remains and body parts from the gutted building in southern Sanaa as others scoured the wreckage for survivors.
Some of the wounded had their legs torn off and were being treated on the spot by volunteers, he said.
In a statement, the Saudi-led coalition said it had no operations at the location and “other causes” for the incident must be considered.
The coalition “has in the past avoided such gatherings and (they) have never been a subject of targeting”, it said.

This horrendous and heinous attack displayed an utter disregard for human life
UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Stephen O'Brien
The insurgent-controlled news site sabanews.net said coalition planes hit after hundreds had gathered to mourn the death of the father of rebel interior minister Jalal al-Rowaishan and denounced the “massacre.”
The Huthis did not say if Rowaishan was present in the building at the time of the attack, nor did they indicate if other senior figures were attending the funeral.
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Almasirah said Sanaa mayor Abdel Qader Hilal was among those killed.
The attack could further sour already strained US-Saudi ties.
“We are deeply disturbed by reports of today’s air strike on a funeral hall in Yemen, which, if confirmed, would continue the troubling series of attacks striking Yemeni civilians,” White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

“In light of this and other recent incidents, we have initiated an immediate review of our already significantly reduced support to the Saudi-led Coalition and are prepared to adjust our support so as to better align with US principles, values and interests, including achieving an immediate and durable end to Yemen’s tragic conflict.”
Price stressed that “US security cooperation with Saudi Arabia is not a blank check,” and called on all sides to implement an “immediate” ceasefire.
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The Iran-backed Huthis swept into Sanaa in September 2014 and advanced across much of Yemen, forcing the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee.
More than 6,700 people - most of them civilians - have been killed in Yemen since the coalition intervened in support of Hadi, according to the United Nations.
Fighting has flared since UN-brokered peace talks between the government and insurgents collapsed in August.

People had come from all over Sanaa to attend the funeral, said Mulatif al-Mojani, who witnessed the latest air strikes.
“A plane fired a missile and minutes later another plane hit” the building where they had gathered, he said.
Another witness, who declined to give his name, angrily described the attack as a “war crime.”
“This was a funeral for one man in Sanaa and now it has turned into a funeral for tens of Yemenis,” he said.
Ambulance sirens blared as they transported the wounded away and residents said local hospitals had issued an appeal for blood donations.

The coalition has come under mounting international criticism in recent months over the civilian death toll in its aerial campaign.
A diplomatic source said that intensified coalition bombing aims “to break” the rebels but warned that “this will not work.”
A UN report in August said coalition air strikes are suspected of causing around half of all civilian deaths in Yemen.
It called for an independent international body to investigate an array of serious violations by all sides, after 4,000 civilians have been killed.
European states led by the Netherlands were defeated last week in a push to establish that inquiry.
The coalition has said it uses highly accurate laser- and GPS-guided weapons and verifies targets many times to avoid civilian casualties.

The so-called supreme political council set up by the Huthis and their allies - supporters of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh- vowed to “use all means to respond to this crime” and urged Yemenis to protest outside UN offices in Sanaa on Sunday.
In addition to the mounting death toll, Yemenis are facing twin health and hunger crises.
The UN’s children agency UNICEF estimates that three million people are in need of immediate food supplies, while 1.5 million children suffer malnutrition.
On Friday, it also reported cases of cholera in Sanaa and third city Taez.


Saudi-led coalition blamed after air strikes kill more than 140 at Yemen funeral

Yemenis inspect the site of Saudi-led airstrikes that hit a funeral ceremony in Sanaa, Yemen. Photo: EPA

epa05566924 Armed pro-Houthi Yemenis attend a gathering to mobilize more fighters into several battlefronts as smoke rises after Saudi-led airstrikes targeted a Houthi-held military position in Sana'a, Yemen, 02 October 2016. According to reports, the Saudi-led military coalition intensified airstrikes against several Houthi-held positions across Yemen. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

epa05576814 An armed Yemeni inspects the site of Saudi-led airstrikes hit a funeral ceremony in Sana’a, Yemen, 08 October 2016. According to reports, at least 82 Yemenis were killed and more than 534 injured when Saudi-led airstrikes hit a funeral hall filled with mourners in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

epa05567331 Balls of fire rise from a Houthi-held military position after it was hit by Saudi-led air strikes in Sana'a, Yemen, 02 October 2016. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

epa05570057 UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Stephen O'Brien speaks to reporters during a news conference in Sana'a, Yemen, 04 October 2016. O'Brien visited Yemen for three days to see the catastrophic humanitarian impact of the 18-month conflict in the war-affected Arab country and assess measures needed to ensure aid agencies can scale up and meet people's growing needs. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

epa05576803 Yemenis carry the body of a victim of Saudi-led airstrikes that hit a funeral ceremony in Sana’a, Yemen, 08 October 2016. According to reports, at least 82 Yemenis were killed and more than 534 injured when Saudi-led airstrikes hit a funeral hall filled with mourners in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

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Washington reviews support for Saudi ally after one of the deadliest attacks since the coalition launched a bombing campaign against the Shiite Huthis in March 2015


Saudi-led coalition blamed after air strikes kill more than 140 at Yemen funeral

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Washington reviews support for Saudi ally after one of the deadliest attacks since the coalition launched a bombing campaign against the Shiite Huthis in March 2015

Washington reviews support for Saudi ally after one of the deadliest attacks since the coalition launched a bombing campaign against the Shiite Huthis in March 2015