World News for Students of English

11-05-2015 07:00

Fighter jets from the Saudi-led coalition pounding Yemen’s main airport in the capital Sanaa left an aircraft burning on the runway. The heavy Saudi-led airstrikes targeted several airports across Yemen, as the foreign minister said officials were considering a cease-fire to allow aid into the Arab world’s poorest country.

A black cloud of smoke could be seen rising over the airport where Iran-allied Houthi rebels are stationed. One plane seen fully engulfed in flames was later doused with water from local fire trucks.

The air strikes come just a day after coalition jets struck Sanaa’s al Dulaimi military airbase, destroying the last remaining landing strips in the war-torn country. The coalition has been carrying out airstrikes in Yemen since March against the Houthis and their allies.

However, the Saudi foreign minister said on Monday they’re considering calling truces in specific areas to allow humanitarian supplies to reach the country. The United Nations says the humanitarian situation has grown desperate after weeks of airstrikes.

Difficult words: pound (to hit heavily and repeatedly), target (to select something for an attack), cease-fire (stopping the fighting for some time), engulfed (surrounded), douse (to pour), coalition (a group that works together to fight something), truce (an agreement to stop fighting).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com