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# Three Children Reportedly Killed in Saudi Airstrike on Yemen
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/three-children-reportedly-killed-in-saudi-airstrike-on-yemen/
- Published: 2026-10-17T12:23:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-17T12:23:45.000Z
- Description: Three children aged eight and ten were reportedly killed when an airstrike struck homes in Yemen's Dhamar province. Houthi authorities blamed Saudi Arabia and alleged the use of cluster munitions, claims that remain unverified as fighting intensifies.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Houthis, Dhamar, Civilian Casualties, Middle East, Armed Conflict, Humanitarian Crisis, The Day So Far, Live Wire, has-audio

Three children from the same family were reportedly killed when an airstrike hit homes in Yemen's Dhamar province on Friday, October 16\. The Houthi-controlled health ministry accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attack, which also wounded several civilians, but Riyadh has not publicly acknowledged responsibility.

The children, one aged eight and two aged ten, died in Al-Ar village in the Dhuran Anis district, according to the ministry. The attack reportedly struck residential buildings in the area, leaving families among the casualties. The ministry's initial statement recorded nine people injured, although subsequent accounts indicated that the number of wounded had risen.

The [official account carried by Yemen's Houthi-controlled Saba News Agency](https://saba.ye/en/news3811471.htm?cid=14&ref=theglobalvoice.com) also alleged that cluster munitions were used against the houses. That allegation has not been independently verified. No publicly available assessment has established the type of weapon used, the intended target or whether military personnel were present nearby.

Saudi authorities had not commented on the incident as of Saturday. Without an independent investigation or confirmation from the coalition, responsibility for the strike remains attributed to the Houthi authorities.

The deaths were reported during a week in which coalition aircraft have struck Houthi-controlled areas and the Houthis have continued missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. Earlier operations included [airstrikes on a petroleum facility outside Sanaa](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/saudi-led-coalition-strikes-sanaa-as-houthis-threaten-saudi-oil-facilities/), followed by Houthi threats against Saudi airports and energy installations.

> And who will campaign for the WOMAN AND CHILDREN of Yemen 🇾🇪 now that Saudi 🇸🇦 is dropping bombs indiscriminately on them in defense of its people and oil facilities? https://t.co/taDrrgU3pQ
> 
> — Gal G., Adv 🇮🇱 (@ICK\_GalG) [October 13, 2026](https://x.com/ICK%5FGalG/status/2110029763872014417?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theglobalvoice.com)

For communities caught between the two sides, the renewed fighting has brought the danger back into homes, roads and public facilities already weakened by years of conflict.

Yemen's children were facing a severe humanitarian emergency before the latest military operations. In a [September 25 briefing](https://www.unicef.org/yemen/press-releases/hunger-and-malnutrition-stalking-yemens-children-violence-escalates?ref=theglobalvoice.com), UNICEF said it had verified at least 15 children killed and 14 injured since September 3\. More than 2.2 million children under five were projected to suffer acute malnutrition during 2026, while fighting had forced hundreds of schools to close or suspend classes.

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UNICEF's figures cover verified cases and predate Friday's reported deaths in Dhamar. They cannot be combined with the Houthi authorities' casualty count without accounting for different reporting periods and verification standards.

The Houthi-controlled health ministry has separately claimed that 124 people have been killed in territories under the movement's control since hostilities resumed in September. That cumulative toll has not been independently confirmed.

At the United Nations, diplomatic efforts to contain the fighting have made little visible progress. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the [Security Council on October 9](https://dppa.un.org/en/node/136980?ref=theglobalvoice.com) that Yemen had returned to full-scale war, with hostilities spreading from the Red Sea coast into several inland provinces. He urged the parties to protect civilians and return to a political process.

The immediate questions in Dhamar concern the strike itself: what was targeted, which weapons were used and why residential buildings were hit. Those answers will determine whether the deaths can be attributed to a particular military operation and whether the attack warrants investigation for possible violations of international humanitarian law.