A boy waits for his father in front of a damaged factory
IN PHOTO: A boy waits for his father in front of a damaged factory after an air strike by a Saudi-led coalition struck a nearby missile base, in Yemen's capital Sanaa April 27, 2015. Saudi-led aircraft pounded Iran-allied Houthi militiamen and rebel army units in central Yemen and the capital Sanaa on Monday despite a formal end to the air strikes, residents said, and a humanitarian crisis worsened as both sides blocked aid. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi

Death toll in Yemen as of Monday, April 27 reached more than a thousand including 551 civilian and 115 children since the March 26 clash between Yemen’s allies and Iran-backed Houthi militants and rebels, according to UNICEF. Saudi’s attack against the rebels in Sana’a and central Yemen continued on Monday, worsening situation in the war-torn country as humanitarian aids were blocked by both sides.

Reports say that navy ships steered by a coalition headed by Saudi have intercepted boats in search for weapons that may be supplied to Houthi rebels by Iran. Earlier last week, the United States deployed two more war ships to the waters in Yemen to strengthen military presence following Iran’s dispatch of vessels to supply weapons and provisions to Houthi rebels. A sea blockade has been established to deny entry to non-combat ships. Houthi rebels, meanwhile, blocked truck convoys attempting to enter Aden. Both troops were delaying delivery of food and other assistance.

Fears of telecommunication outage ensued as besides exhaustion of food provisions, fuel supply in Yemen is also running out. Reuters reports that fuel shortages prevented merchants from transporting food commodities to markets.

Nightmares And Trauma

Despite Saudi’s word of formally winding up its bombing spree in Yemen to crush Houthi rebels and loyalists of Yemen’s previous leader, on Thursday, Riyadh launched 20 airstrikes throughout Yemen pounding targets and another 10 the following day. Saudi-led coalition deployed jets on Sunday after midnight and launched five airstrikes against positions controlled by Houthi close to the presidential compound in Sana’a capital. A military base has been reportedly hit at the outskirts of the capital. Ground battle erupted in the southern portion of Aden city.

But on Monday, General Mohammad Ali Ja-fari from Iran’s elite Guards Force slammed Saudi’s efforts, calling it “declining.” “Today, the Saudi dynasty is on the verge of decline and fall. We hope this will be realised quickly,” the general was quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

The current situation in Yemen is mortifying with hospitals having no electricity, homes being crushed and thousands fleeing for their lives. Even water is scarce. In only a month of being caught in a war, Yemen has become a disaster.

For comments and feedback on the article, contact the writer at kizmet@ymail.com.

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