Saudi warplanes attacked a mosque in northern Yemen’s Amran Province early Monday, according to local media, killing at least five civilians. All the slain were members of the same family.



It’s not entirely clear why the mosque was attacked, though the Saudis have been bombing northern Yemen with increased frequency over the past several days, and most of the strikes don’t seem to be hitting anything military-related.



If anything, Friday’s proposal for a truce by Yemen’s Houthi movement seems to be driving the Saudis to carry out even more aggressive and frequent attacks, so as to remove any doubt that they are not on board with it.



And while the airstrikes in north Yemen are causing civilian casualties, the real problem is likely yet to come, as the Saudis have begun a new offensive against the port city of Hodeidah. The last working port in north Yemen and the source of food imports for 70% of Yemenis, any damage in fighting over the port could tilt Yemen into a full-scale famine, after years of being on the brink of mass starvation.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz