News of Saudi strikes on Yemen schools, hospitals ‘mistranslated'

The spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition targeting Houthi militias in Yemen said on Sunday he had been mistranslated in a news report by the Saudi Press Agency this week.

Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri had been quoted by SPA’s English platform as saying the Saudi-led coalition had launched strikes on hospitals and schools in Yemen.

But Asiri told CNN Arabic he was mistranslated, adding that the Saudi-led coalition was not targeting civilian areas.

“We have asked them (civilians) since day one not to approach areas where there are Houthi warehouses and command centers. We also recommended that they stay away from areas where Houthi weapons are kept.

“We are only targeting command centers in which the Houthis are leading operations against Jizan and Najran,” in reference to southern Saudi areas bordering Yemen which have been attacked from Yemeni territories in recent days.

Asiri added that Houthis targeted Jizan and Najran “using Katyusha rockets four days ago and for three consecutive days, killing Saudis and foreigners. Nine people were killed during the three days of shelling. This is why we launched the operation against Yemen’s Saada province.”

Asiri also told CNN that the house of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was targeted on Sunday because it has also been turned into a militia command center.

The Saudi-led coalition has led an air campaign against Houthis and militias allied to Saleh since March 26, following a plea from legitimate President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi for intervention.