Saudi-led coalition says it seized Iran arms bound for Yemen

Among other arms, 18 armor-piercing shells, 54 anti-tank missiles, 15 battery kits designed for military projectiles and weapons guidance systems were found. The coalition says in a statement released Wednesday that the seizure took place on Saturday a few 241 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of the Omani port of Salalah.

Saudi officials figured out by Tuesday this huge toll was a problem, and followed the well-tested strategy of simply claiming it didn’t happen, but the reality is that with massive civilian killings by Saudi aircraft a near daily occurrence, the denials are less credible than ever, and claims by the Saudi Foreign Ministry of their care in avoiding civilian deaths ring insultingly hollow.

The announcement came a day after tribal fighters backed by the coalition won control of a strategic dam in central Yemen from Houthi forces following weeks of fighting east of the capital Sana’a. In May, an Iranian boat headed to the rebel-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeida with 2,500 tonnes of aid was diverted to Djibouti following warnings from the coalition and the United States. It is also fighting to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.Yemen descended into chaos after the 2012 ouster of longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, and security has broken down since Houthi militiamen swept into the capital unopposed past year. The coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the rebels and their allies since March.

Six months of civil war and hundreds of coalition air strikes have killed more than 5,400 people in Yemen, according to the United Nations, and exacerbated already widespread hunger and suffering. The U.S.is providing logistical support to the coalition.

Residents in the village of al-Wahijah said that two missiles blasted through tents where a local man affiliated with the Houthi group was holding his wedding reception.