Fear and uncertainty for civilians as Yemen’s capital comes under attack

Sanaa has come under intense bombing since the Yemeni government announced a campaign to take the capital from the Houthis. Save Share Sanaa, Yemen –At midnight on Tuesday, air strikes rattled the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a city that has been mostly spared bombing since a truce was announced between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis in 2023. The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashid al-Alimi, had recentlyannounceda new military offensive was being launched, named Operation Dawn of Yemen, to take Sanaa from the Houthis, who have held the city since September 2014. Government ground forces remain hundreds of miles away from the capital and embroiled in fighting with the Houthis on Yemen’s west coast and around Taiz. This means attacks on Houthi positions in Sanaa must come from the air, but the air campaign has caused civilian casualties. An air strike on Monday hit a location in the Sa’wan area of Sanaa governorate, killing a child and wounding seven other civilians. The Yemeni government has pledged to continue its attacks until it achieves its objectives, notably the recapture of Sanaa. Regardless of the political opinions of Yemenis in the capital, most fear their city, far from the front lines, will become a war zone once again. Strong memories remain of the Saudi-led coalition’s OperationDecisive Storm, launched against the Houthis in March 2015, which saw hundreds of civilians in Sanaa killed in air strikes. Since the start of the new Yemeni government offensive, dozens of strikes have hit the capital, including an attack on Sanaa’s international airport, which killed two workers. Both operations were aimed at Houthi sites. Ghamadan Abood, a 30-year-old courier and Sanaa resident, said the new wave of attacks on the city has heightened fear among residents. “When I learned about the new operation on Sunday, my feeling of security shrank,” he told Al Jazeera. “At any time and anywhere, air strikes may hit, and civilians could become the next casualties.” On Monday, Abood was travelling on his bike when air strikes hit Sa’wan, just two kilometres from where he was. With Houthi military facilities believed to be positioned in the city, and the government sometimes hitting residential areas, the bombing highlights the vulnerability of civilians in Sanaa. “The strikes could be aimed at missile launch pads, military equipment or facilities, but some of these facilities could be near neighbourhoods, farms or roads....