Houthi missile depot explodes in Yemen capital

A Houthi missile depot exploded, triggering several blasts near the Sanaa University, Yemen, blowing up windows, raging fire and smoke for hours across the region.

Sanaa: A missile depot belonging to the Houthi militia exploded in Yemen's capital Sanaa, residents said. The explosion on Thursday triggered a series of other huge blasts in the military camp near the Sanaa University in the city centre, a news agency reported. Windows of houses were blown out and heavy smoke and fire continued for hours, according to the residents.

This is the second arms depot blast in the city in nearly two months after the previous one in an al-Jiraf neighbourhood near the Sanaa International Airport. However, the Saudi-led coalition denied that it carried out an airstrike on Sanaa, the news agency reported. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.

On June 5, an Omani high-level delegation arrived in Sanaa as part of international diplomatic efforts to convince the Houthi group to accept a recent UN-proposed ceasefire between the Yemeni warring sides.

(IANS)