Govt calls for ground troops
Dozens of civilians were reported killed yesterday after a dairy plant was bombed in Yemen as the war-torn country's foreign minister called for a Saudi-led military coalition targeting Shia rebels in his country to send ground troops.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of Arab states since last Thursday in an air campaign against the Shia Houthis, who emerged as the most powerful force in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country when they seized Yemen's capital last year.
The Saudis say their aim is to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who left the country last week. The Houthis are allied with Saudi Arabia's regional foe Iran, and backed by army units loyal to longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was pushed out three years ago after "Arab Spring" demonstrations.
"Yes I'm calling for this (ground forces) because I think at some stage air strikes will be ineffective," Riyadh Yassin told AFP during an interview in the Saudi capital where he has taken refuge along with President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
His appeal coincided with warnings from aid groups about a brewing humanitarian crisis and civilian casualties in Yemen, where the coalition began air strikes a week ago.
Yassin said ground forces would cause "less civilian casualties" but added the main reason he proposes a land operation is to enable aid deliveries.
On Tuesday the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman, Brigadier General Ahmed Assiri, said that "so far there is no need for land intervention" in Yemen but the need might arise "at any time".
At least 37 workers were killed and 80 wounded overnight at the dairy in the port of Hodeida, provincial Governor Hasan al-Hai said, without specifying whether the factory was hit by an air strike or rebel shelling.
Part of the factory was destroyed and rescue teams were looking for survivors under the rubble, according to a medic at a Hodeida hospital that received the casualties.
The circumstances of the bombing were unclear, with some witnesses saying the dairy was hit by a coalition air strike and others blaming rebel forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Since Friday at least 93 civilians have been killed and 364 wounded in the conflict, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday.
The crisis is also becoming a threat to the Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. It is a vital energy gateway for more than 3 million barrels of oil passing daily to Europe, Asia and the United States.
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday night evacuated first batch of its stranded citizens. 344 Indians and 40 other nationals were rescued from Aden, around 450km from Yemen's capital Sana'a.
The vessel is sailing to Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, where they will board a flight to India. However, the exact number of those on board the vessel was not confirmed by authorities.
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