Yemen’s Houthis hold mass funeral as they call for action to protect civilians

On Wednesday, a mass funeral took place in Yemen's capital Sanaa for 43 individuals who were reportedly killed in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition. The victims, including 21 children and 10 women, succumbed to injuries sustained on Saturday during an attack on six homes in Al-Shariya, a village east of Sanaa. Footage from Houthi-run Masirah TV depicted a large gathering at a graveyard, with men armed with rifles digging graves.

Prior to the ceremony, the TV aired distressing images of children lying motionless, which Houthi authorities claimed were casualties of the strike. The attack involved three consecutive raids, which also targeted ambulance crews and rescue workers. The conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition escalated in July, following a 2022 UN-brokered ceasefire, after Saudi-backed forces targeted Sanaa Airport in an attempt to prevent a Houthi plane from arriving from Iran.

The Houthi militia, backed by Iran, retaliated by launching an offensive, capturing areas along Yemen's western coast and near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital trade route. The intensifying violence has led to a severe humanitarian crisis in the country, with the World Health Organization reporting over 2,025 deaths and injuries between October 31 and November 8 alone.

In response, the UN Security Council unanimously extended its Yemen sanctions regime for another year, condemning the Houthis' military offensive and their missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping. The British-drafted resolution also broadens the UN monitoring panel to include maritime security experts and reaffirms that arbitrarily detaining UN and humanitarian workers constitutes grounds for sanctions.