Yemen:  On December 23, Yemen marks another tragic anniversary of deliberate war crimes committed by the US-Saudi aggression. 

Over the years 2015, 2016, and 2017, airstrikes targeted civilians in football fields, tribal gatherings, markets, streets, funeral halls, schools, and communication networks across Sana’a, Sa'adah, and Taiz provinces, leaving a combined toll of 72 victims, including children and women, alongside widespread destruction of homes, property, vehicles, and businesses.

In 2015, Saudi-US airstrikes hit a popular market and vehicles in the Yakhtal area of Al-Mokha district, killing 10 civilians and injuring 9, including children, while destroying property and terrorizing residents.

In 2016, the aggression struck Al-Salem area in Kitaf district, Sa'adah, targeting Abu Faras Al-Hamdani School and communication networks, depriving hundreds of students of education.

In 2017, a tribal gathering marking 1,000 days of aggression in Arhab district, Sana’a, was hit, leaving 5 dead and 23 wounded, while terrorizing attendees, their families, nearby markets, and the wider community. 

On the same day, children playing football in Arhab were targeted, killing 5 and injuring 15, spreading fear among residents and deepening grief in every household.

Also in 2017, Saudi-US airstrikes targeted five women returning from a funeral in Ghamar, Razih district, killing three and wounding two in what officials described as a deliberate and premeditated act, violating all norms of humanity and targeting innocent women. Human rights observers classify these acts as intentional war crimes against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Officials warn that these crimes will not be forgotten, calling on the international community and the United Nations to act immediately to end the aggression and blockade, hold war criminals accountable, or face the expansion of Yemen’s defensive capabilities to reclaim its people’s rights.

December 23 stands as a grim reminder of the systematic targeting of civilians by the Saudi-US coalition. Beyond the immediate loss of life, repeated attacks on schools, markets, and public spaces have entrenched fear, disrupted education, and amplified humanitarian suffering.

Despite international condemnation, these attacks illustrate the impunity with which the Israeli enemy–backed coalition continues operations, making global intervention and accountability a pressing necessity to prevent further escalation and safeguard Yemeni civilians.