Saudi-led coalition denies bombing Yemen wedding

RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition denied Tuesday its warplanes were behind the bombing of a wedding in southwestern Yemen in which 131 people were killed.

"The coalition did not conduct any air strikes in the area over the past three days," coalition spokesman Brigadier-General Ahmed al-Assiri told AFP, referring to the deadly bombing Monday near the Red Sea city of Mokha.

"This is completely false," he said.

Residents accused the Arab coalition, which launched an air war on the Huthi Shiite rebels in late March, of carrying out a strike that hit the wedding hall.

The coalition called for an independent investigation into the incident. "We can prove by satellite that we did not fly over that zone," a coalition source said.

Read: Read: 131 dead in suspected coalition strike on Yemen wedding

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Monday's bombing, saying intentional attacks on civilians were considered a "serious violation of international humanitarian law".

Human rights watchdogs have repeatedly criticised the coalition's aerial bombardment of Yemen, saying they have struck areas without any military targets.