Hospital hit in air strike as Yemenis mark four years of war

An air strike killed seven people at a charity-supported hospital on Tuesday, as supporters of the Houthi movement rallied on the fourth anniversary of the Yemeni Civil War that has killed thousands, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.

A missile struck a gas station near the entrance to a rural hospital 60 miles (100 km) from the city of Saada in the northwestern part of the country at 9:30 a.m. local time, killing seven people including four children, UK-based Save the Children said in a statement.

It also showed support for a health workerwho was killed in the strike along with his two children. Two more children and a security guard were among the other dead, and eight people were wounded, the group said.

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebels attend a rally marking the fourth anniversary of the Yemeni Civil War, in the capital Sana'a on March 26, 2019. /VCG Photo

In the capital Sana'a, people of different ages marched waving the red, white and black national colors, and chanted slogans against the Saudi-led coalition which is backed by the U.S. The Iran-alignedHouthishave controlled the capital andYemen's largest populated areas since 2014 when they ousted the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen began in March 2015, with a bombing campaign aimed at ousting the Houthi rebels which had seized control of the Yemeni government and capital Sana'a. Since then, the conflict has turned into what the United Nations called the world's worst man-made humanitarian disaster. The UN is also pushing tough talks with the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government to find a political solution to the conflict.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed Saudi Arabia and its allies for rejecting peace.

"On the eve of the war's shameful fifth year, a reminder that it's not too late to stop the nightmare that this war has become," Zarif said on Tuesday.

Last year, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with arms, including drones and missiles. Iran and the Houthis denied the accusations.

At least 29 children under the age of 15 were killed on a school bus last August, in one of the worst airstrikes in recent years. The attack led efforts in U.S. Congress to halt American support for Saudi Arabia's military operations.

(With inputs from agencies)

(Cover image: Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebels attend a rally marking the fourth anniversary of the Yemeni Civil War, in the capital Sana'a on March 26, 2019. /VCG Photo)

(CGTN)