Casualties reported after air strike hits presidential palace in Yemen

Residents of Yemen’s capital say Saudi-led air strikes have hit the presidential palace in Sanaa, causing casualties.

Eyewitnesses said fighter jets bombed Sanaa several times around midday on Monday, with some strikes hitting the presidency, located in the busy commercial district of Tahrir.

It is not known if there were rebel leaders inside the palace at the time.

Images on social media showed bloodied faces of the wounded and columns of smoke rising over Sanaa.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014 when rebels took over the capital city of Sanaa.

The city remains in the hands of Yemen's Shi'ite rebels known as Houthis, who are at war with the coalition.

The Saudi-led coalition has been waging a war against the Houthis to restore the country's internationally recognised government to power.

Saudi Arabia is the main player in a coalition supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthi rebels in a war which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.

Between March 2015 and December 2017, it is estimated that between 8,670 and 13,600 people have been killed in the civil war, including more than 5,200 civilians.