‘Terrible’ attack thought to be Saudi-led reprisal for the shooting down of one of its planes that was claimed by Houthi rebels

Thirty-one people were killed in air strikes on Yemen on Saturday, the United Nations says, the victims of an apparent Saudi-led retaliation after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down one of Riyadh’s jets.

The Tornado aircraft came down on Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, a rare shooting down that prompted operations in the area by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels.

Tornado aircraft came down in al-Jawf during operation to assist Yemeni forces

A Saudi fighter jet has crashed in Yemen, the Riyadh-led military coalition supporting the government said.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had downed the plane.

Special envoy calls for emergency meeting of security council as violence flares

The sudden surge in violence in Yemen could scupper fragile moves towards a peace settlement, the UN’s special envoy for the country has said.

“We have to get the genie back in the bottle,” said Martin Griffiths. “Whoever started this renewed violence, it is unequivocally the case that there has been a huge rupture of confidence and a huge loss of life for the sake of uncertain territorial gains.”