Fear and uncertainty for civilians as Yemen’s capital comes under attack

Sanaa, Yemen – At midnight on Tuesday, air strikes rattled the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a city that has been mostly spared bombing since a truce was announced between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis in 2023. The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashid al-Alimi, had recently announced a new military offensive was being launched, named Operation Dawn of Yemen, to take Sanaa from the Houthis, who have held the city since September 2014. Government ground forces remain hundreds of miles away from the capital and embroiled in fighting with the Houthis on Yemen’s west coast and around Taiz. This means attacks on Houthi positions in Sanaa must come from the air, but the air campaign has caused civilian casualties.