On the market day of April 26, 1937, at the bequest of Spanish Gen. Francisco Franco, a bombing of the Basque town of Guernica took place. It was carried out by Spain's nationalistic government allies, the Nazi German Luftwaffe's Condor Legion and the Fascist Italian Aviazione Legionaria. The attack, under the code name Operation Rugen, in which hundreds of people died, became a rallying cry against the brutal killing of innocent civilians.
Eighty years later, however, an even more criminal action is being carried out against Yemeni civilians mainly by Saudi Arabia, with the complicity of the United States.
The Yemeni civil war began in 2015 between two factions that claim to represent the Yemeni government. Houthi soldiers allied with forces loyal to the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, clashed with forces loyal to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched military operations against the Houthis, and the U.S. provided logistical and military support for the campaign.