Houthis Announce Killing of Political Leader in US-Led Coalition Strike in Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in a conflict-torn Yemen since March 2015. The latest raid on Sunday claimed lives of at least 33 civilians and injured 55 others in the Bani Qais district in Hajjah province, according to local media.

Saleh Sammad, head of Yemen's Supreme Political Council and one of the leaders of Ansar Allah group was killed last week in a coalition airstrike, Houthi-run Al Masirah television reported on Monday.

READ MORE: WATCH Graphic Footage of Victims of Saudi Coalition Strike in Southwest Yemen

"The head of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, Saleh Sammad, was killed during an enemy raid last Thursday," the Houthis said in a statement circulated by Al Masirah.

Saleh al-Samad of Houthis' Supreme political council has killed by Saudi led coalition airstrikes.#Yemen #Supreme_political_council pic.twitter.com/QLXqhe0mzk

— Fatik Al-Rodaini (@Fatikr) April 23, 2018

Yemen has been engulfed in a brutal civil war since 2015, when Houthi rebels allied with the ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh began to clash with Mansur Hadi's government forces, with each faction claiming to be the official government.

Since March 2015, the coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been conducting airstrikes in the region, attempting to restore the government of Hadi and denouncing the Houthis' takeover as unconstitutional. The military conflict in Yemen has further escalated since November 2017 when tensions between the former allies, the Houthis and Saleh's forces, mounted in Sanaa. The conflict resulted in the killing of Saleh by the Yemeni rebels in December 2017, soon after he had reiterated the termination of the alliance.