CAIRO �� The Saudi-led coalition's air attack on a funeral in Yemen's capital Sanaa Oct. 8, which killed more than 100 people, was caused by wrong information provided by the Yemeni army, a Saudi-led investigation team said.
A party affiliated to the Yemeni Presidency of the General Chief of Staff wrongly passed information that there was a gathering of armed Houthi rebel leaders in a location in Sanaa that led to the attack strikes, Saudi state-run news agency SPA reported, citing a statement by the investigators. An aircraft was directed to the location without getting approval from the coalition command, it said.
Saudi Arabia has drawn international condemnation over the Yemen war. It faced bipartisan criticism in the U.S. Congress for using American weapons in Yemen, though the Senate blocked a measure to prevent a $1.15 billion arms sale last month.
The investigatiors team called for "appropriate action" against those responsible and for the review of rules of engagement to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Saudi Arabia, the champion of Sunni Islam in the Middle East, assembled a military coalition in March of last year to help restore the rule of Yemeni President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi. The campaign began with airstrikes, followed by the deployment of troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
