Saudi-led Airstrike Kills Nine in Northern Yemen

A Saudi-led military coalition airstrike on October 18 killed nine members of the al-Qahm family, including five children under 10, and wounded 19 others in Saada province, northern Yemen. The attack utilized a U.S.-supplied 500-pound MK-82 bomb with a Paveway II guidance kit, a precision weapon that suggests the home was a specific target.

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the coalition, defended the operation by stating the site was located in an agricultural area that supported the Houthi militia through counter-electronic operations. However, relatives of the victims deny any ties to the Houthis, and satellite imagery showed no military fortifications in the vicinity of the home.

The United States provides weaponry and intelligence sharing to Saudi Arabia, but the Pentagon declined to comment on the specific intelligence used for this strike. An American official stated that the U.S. does not select or validate the targets chosen by the kingdom.