SANAA
At least 40 people were killed Monday in an airstrike carried out by a Saudi-led coalition on a refugee camp in Yemen's western Hajjah province, a security source has said.
"Saudi warplanes targeted one of four refugee camps in the Harad district, which led to the death and injury of several of its residents," the source was quoted as saying on a website associated with Yemen's Defense Ministry, which is under the control of the Shiite Houthi group.
"The airstrike targeted camp 1 in the Al-Mazriq region, which houses around 4,000 refugees, leaving over 40 people dead – including women and children – and over 250 others injured," the source added.
Earlier Monday, a pro-Houthi TV channel reported that Saudi-led airstrikes had struck a refugee camp in the Harad district of the northwestern Hajjah province, leaving a number of dead and injured.
"The Saudi-American aerial raid targeted a refugee camp in the Al-Mazriq region of the Hajjan province, leaving dozens of martyrs and injured refugees," the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel reported.
The Al-Mazriq region is administratively part of the Harad district, which is located near Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia.
The camp in question houses displaced families from Yemen's northern Saada province who fled due to earlier fighting between the Houthis and government forces.
Spokesmen for the Saudi-led coalition could not be reached for immediate comment on the TV channel's assertions.
On Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama authorized "the provision of logistical and intelligence support to GCC-led military operations," National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement, in reference to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
Earlier Monday, eyewitnesses said the Saudi-led coalition had carried out airstrikes against Houthi-controlled military sites near Mount Nuqum in eastern Sanaa.
The Houthis had responded to the airstrikes with anti-aircraft fire, witnesses said.
For the fifth consecutive day on Monday, a joint Arab offensive led by Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions, including some in Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to appeals by embattled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to "save the [Yemeni] people from the Houthi militias."
Some Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's Houthi insurgency.
