Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri gives a press conference at the Riyadh Airbase, Saudi Arabia, on March 4, 2015. (Saudi Press Agency)
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Saudi-led coalition targeting the Houthis in Yemen has denied its warplanes bombed the home of the Omani ambassador in Yemen’s capital Sana’a on Saturday, and accused Houthi militias of carrying out the attack.
“The home of the Omani ambassador was not targeted [by the coalition],” spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. He said coalition warplanes had instead targeted the Interior Ministry building in Sana’a on Saturday.
He said the ministry building was being used as a military operations center by the Houthis and followers of ousted former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who alongside Iran is the Houthis’ main ally.
“There has been no change in the coalition’s strategy since the beginning of Operation Decisive Storm [the Saudi-led coalition’s anti-Houthi campaign] in late March. It is not in our interests to target homes. Instead we target operations centers used by the Houthis and [forces] loyal to Saleh, as well as weapons depots,” Asiri said.
Oman’s state news agency ONA said Saturday’s airstrikes on Sana’a had targeted the home of the ambassador, and reported that the Omani Foreign Ministry had summoned the Saudi ambassador to Oman in the capital Muscat on Saturday following the allegations.
Asiri said the coalition welcomed an investigation into the matter and accused the Houthis of targeting the home of the ambassador in Sana’a. He said it “should be easy to distinguish between targets hit by mortar strikes and those hit from planes,” making reference to the Houthi militias who have targeted civilian areas with mortars and missiles across the country.
This comes as the coalition said its warplanes bombed a number of Houthi targets in the Yemeni capital, including conducting 10 airstrikes targeting the Interior Ministry building.
The Saudi-led campaign targeting the Houthis in Yemen began on March 26 following a request by the country’s internationally recognized President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, after he and his cabinet were deposed in a Houthi coup in February.