SANAA
Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition have carried out a fresh round of airstrikes on sites associated with Yemen's Shiite Houthi group in capital Sanaa, eyewitnesses said Monday.
According to the witnesses, explosions caused by air raids were heard near the presidential palace in southern Sanaa as well as the Sanaa International Airport, which indicates that the jet fighters were targeting the nearby Al-Dailami airbase.
The coalition warplanes also struck Houthi sites in Noqm Moutanin region in eastern Sanaa and rocket launching sites in Fag Attan district near the center, the witnesses told The Anadolu Agency.
Anti-aircraft guns deployed by the Houthi militants responded to the airstrikes, the witnesses added, without saying whether the airstrikes caused any damage.
Several Arab states have joined the Saudi-led offensive which kicked off late Wednesday with a string of airstrikes against the positions of the Houthi group in Yemen, including some in capital Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to calls by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for military intervention to "save the people from the Houthi militias."
Fractious Yemen has been in turmoil since last September, when the Shiite militants overran capital Sanaa, from which they have sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country as well.
Some Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting the Houthi insurgency.
