Aid Agency Says 1 of Its Yemen Facilities Hit by Airstrike

MSF hit headlines earlier this month after one of its hospitals in the Afghanistan region of Kunduz was struck by a U.S. aerial bombardment.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March to try and restore the government after it was toppled by Houthi forces believed to be loyal to Iran.

“MSF facility in Saada [sic] Yemen was hit by several airstrikes last night with patients and staff inside the facility”, the group said in a tweet on Tuesday.

According to Yemeni Saba news, the target was Heedan hospital. Several people were injured in the airstrikes. USA forces in Afghanistan said the hospital was bombed by mistake after Afghan forces requested an air strike, and President Barack Obama apologized. Hospital staff and patients were still inside when the attack took place.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries intevened in a civil war in Yemen in late March, but seven months of air attacks to restore the Saudi-based Yemeni government to power have yet to loosen the Houthis’ grip over the capital Sanaa.

The United States and Britain are supporting the coalition with intelligence and both are long-time arms suppliers to their Gulf Arab allies.

Human rights groups have repeatedly expressed concern over a mounting humanitarian crisis caused by the airstrike campaign. The strike left 30 dead and forced the hospital to be shut down.

Sadaa is the most important metropolis in Sadaa province, northwestern Yemen.