State Department applauds Saudi-led coalition’s admission of ‘mistakes’ in deadly Yemen strike

The State Department on Sunday applauded the Saudi-led coalition’s admission that it made mistakes in conducting an airstrike in Yemen in which children were killed.

“The United States regards the Saudi-led Coalition’s ‎announcement that it will review their rules of engagement, hold those at fault accountable, and compensate victims following the Joint Incident Assessment Team’s finding that last month’s Sa’ada air strikes lacked justification as an important first step toward full transparency and accountability,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert wrote in a statement.

“We continue to call on all sides to abide by the Law of Armed Conflict, to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, and thoroughly investigate and ensure accountability for any violations,” she added.{mosads}

The Saudi-led coalition admitted Saturday that an airstrike that killed dozens of people, mainly children, was unjustified and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.

The bomb used in the strike was reportedly supplied by the U.S., which is part of the coalition.

Dana White, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, also expressed appreciation for the coalition’s admission on Twitter Saturday.

Defense Secretary James Mattis pressed Saudi Arabia to look into the airstrike earlier this month and sent a U.S. general to Riyadh to urge officials to conduct a probe.

A bipartisan group of senators also asked the U.S. government to force Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to comply with humanitarian standards in the Yemen conflict, as it continues into its fourth year of war.  

“It is imperative that all parties work toward a comprehensive political solution to avoid further harm to the Yemeni people,” Nauert said on Sunday. “We fully support UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths as he prepares to convene parties in Geneva. All sides must engage constructively and in good faith in order to work toward a secure, stable, and peaceful Yemen.”