The Shi’ites say they were innocent civilians. The government says they were Shi’ite rebels hiding out in the hospital. There is no way to tell who is telling the truth. “War is deceit,” after all. Sunni/Shi’ite Jihad Update: “Yemen says soldiers kill 44 Shiite rebels in air attacks near Saudi border,” by Ahmed Al-Haj for the Canadian Press, October 19 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
SAN’A, Yemen — Yemeni warplanes killed at least 44 Shiite rebels in a series air strikes [sic] near the Saudi border, a senior government official said Sunday. The insurgents, however, claim the dead were civilians.
Mohammed Abdelallah al-Qawsi, deputy interior minister, said 27 of the rebels were killed by a strike on a rebel hideout in an abandoned hospital in the small town of Razeh.
The rebels, however, said the hospital was still functional and those killed inside were civilians.
“This is another lie by the government, all those who were killed were innocent civilians,” said rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam by telephone.
The Yemeni army maintained rebels were shooting at the army from the hospital.
The international aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres, said Razeh hospital was a fully functioning facility when they evacuated their staff from it Thursday….