CAIRO — An airstrike by a Saudi-led coalition struck a hotel near Yemen’s capital Wednesday, killing at least 41 people as the alliance stepped up airstrikes against the Houthi rebels and their allies in and around Sanaa.
The escalation comes during a standoff in Sanaa between the two main components of the rebel alliance, Shiite fighters from the north known as Houthis and loyalists of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh. There are mounting fears of street violence.
There were conflicting reports about the victims of the hotel strike, with doctors saying they were farmers and officials and with witnesses saying they included rebels. The coalition has been battling the rebels, who control Sanaa, since early 2015.
The fighter jets targeted a two-story hotel in the town of Arhab, about 22 miles north of Sanaa, officials said.
Bodies were still being recovered from the rubble, witnesses said. Another airstrike hit a checkpoint manned by the Houthis a few miles from the hotel, they added. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The witnesses requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
Al-Masirah TV, a Houthirun satellite news channel, said 41 civilians were killed and that the death toll was expected to rise further. Officials and witnesses said the death toll had reached 60 and that the majority of those killed were Houthi rebels.
Physician Ali al-Rakmi, who was helping with rescue efforts, said there were more than 100 people inside at the time of the attack, all qat farmers. The plant’s leaves are chewed for a stimulant effect, a widespread tradition among Yemeni men.
Al-Rakmi said 35 bodies had been recovered so far.
Fahd Marhab, head of the Umrah hospital, about 6 miles from the site of the airstrike, said there were no wounded and that all the people in the hotel were killed in the 3 a.m. airstrike. He also said that they were mostly farmers.
The Saudi-led coalition is waging an extensive air campaign against the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh, which together control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa. The coalition is trying to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Man-sour Hadi.