UN Yemen envoy condemns missile attack on MP's home

Two children were killed in the attack by rebels in Marib province

UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths speaks at the UN Security Council. AFP

A Houthi missile attack on the home of a Yemeni MP killed his granddaughter and daughter-in-law, authorities said on Thursday, drawing condemnation from the UN.

The attack followed a recent strike in the area that killed more than 100 people.

Wednesday night's strike hit the home of Mossad Al Sawadi in Marib province, east of the capital, killing his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, 16, the official Saba news agency reported.

"Sawadi was seriously injured along with three other members of his family," said Hussein Al Huleissi, director of the Criminal Investigation Department in Marib.

"The strike destroyed the home completely and caused panic in the neighbourhood."

The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, condemned the attack and called for a halt to the recent escalation in Yemen, which comes after several months of relative peace.

"Targeting MPs and civilian areas is unacceptable and against international law," Mr Griffiths said in a tweet.

The Iran-backed rebels launched a missile at a mosque in a military camp in Marib on Saturday, killing 116 people.

The civil war began when the rebels overran most of north Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, pushing out the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

Saudi Arabia and coalition partners intervened in the conflict a year later.

The UAE strongly condemned the Houthi missile attack. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation affirmed the country's "utter condemnation of the criminal act and its firm rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism".

The ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of the attack and its wishes for a speedy recovery for all injured.

On Thursday, authorities in Marib said they dismantled two Houthi-linked cells that took part in planning the strike.

The attack on the mosque, one of the bloodiest single incidents since the war erupted, came a day after coalition-backed government forces launched a large-scale operation against the Houthis in the Nihm region, north of Sanaa.

Army spokesman Abdullah Al Shandaki told AFP on Tuesday that 72 Houthis had been killed in the fighting.