Coalition strike kills Yemen judge and 7 family members

A Saudi-led coalition strike killed a senior Yemeni judge and seven members of his family at their home in the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa, one of his relatives said Monday.

"Judge Yehia Mohammed Rubaid, his son, three women, and three children where killed when a missile hit their home," his nephew Ahmed Mohammed told reporters.

Speaking in front of the debris of the destroyed house in central Sanaa, Mohammed said the attack was carried out overnight by coalition jets, which have been pounding rebels almost daily since March last year.

He said his uncle had presided over a court specialised in "terrorism cases" which tries suspects accused of links to Al-Qaeda.

The Iran-backed Huthi rebels have controlled Sanaa since September 2014, when they swept down from their northern highlands unopposed before expanding across other parts of the country.

They have been met by resistance from local pro-government militiamen and loyalist troops backed by coalition weapons and forces.

More than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen since last March, about half of them civilians, according to the United Nations.

Photo: A view of the house of court judge Yahya Rubaid after a Saudi-led air strike destroyed it, killing him, his wife and five other family members, in Yemen (Reuters)