Yemeni govt cuts relations with Iran

Saudi Arabia, which was totally opposed to such a probe, introduced its own watered-down proposal on Yemen, which instead supported a domestic probe.

The toll stands at 131 people after “more bodies were taken overnight to hospital and numerous wounded succumbed to their injuries”, a local health official told AFP requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile United Nations said it was trying to verify the death toll. The Saudi-led coalition denies abuses and says it will acknowledge mistakes if and when it makes them. This attack marks the deadliest day in the war in Yemen, which has now gone on for over half a year.

On Saturday, Arab coalition intercepted an Iranian fishing boat a few 150 miles (241 kilometers) off the Omani city of Salalah carrying weapons meant for the insurgent group. Further, roughly 21 million of Yemen’s population of 25 million have been impacted by the conflict.

Government forces in Yemen now control the key Bab al-Mandab Strait through which much of the world’s maritime traffic passes after retaking it from Shiite rebels, a general said Friday.

Mr. Hadi said that Yemen had appealed to neighbouring countries for assistance in tackling the Houthi militias, and that the response was a “courageous one”, particularly from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which, he said, had “acted with utter determination”.

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which includes the UAE, intervened in a bid to restore Yemen’s internationally recognised president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to power.

The intervention comes amid concerns over what Gulf Arab states see as Iran’s growing influence in the region. Saudi authorities dismissed this report as “totally false” too, while United Nations rights spokesman Colville said the details were being checked.

Pro-coalition Yemeni media said the destruction of the Aqd Asfara bridge, a few 20 km west of Sanaa, is part of the Arab alliance’s efforts to cut supply routes to the Houthis ahead of any ground advance on the capital.

The strait was cleared of Shia Houthi rebels loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who overthrew the government in 2014 and overran the cities of Sanaa, the capital, and Aden.