Riyadh Secretly Recognizes Coalition Plane Bombed Funeral in Yemen's Sanaa

Saudi Arabia has unofficially accepted the fact that one of its coalition aircraft was behind a recent deadly bombing at a funeral in Yemeni capital of Sanaa, UK media reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, an airstrike hit the funeral ceremony in Sanaa. The attack claimed at least 140 lives leaving over 500 of people injured. The Saudi-led Arab coalition denied allegations of the Houthi rebels that it was involved in the incident.

According to The BBC, Saudi Arabia approved the UK request to participate in the investigation of the incident. Investigators will determine whether the airstrike was pilot's personal decision or an order of the command.

The broadcaster reported, citing a Saudi official, that the would be no official statement unless the probe is over.

Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi rebels since 2014. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the opposition Houthis at the request of Hadi.

In August, the United Nations said that more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Yemen since March 2015.