An Amnesty International report concluded that most of the fatalities in the ongoing conflict in Yemen have resulted from Houthi anti-aircraft fire, The Guardian reported today. The Houthis are backed by Iran.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have caused the majority of civilian casualties in the nation’s capital Sana’a by firing anti-aircraft munitions that explode after landing in populated areas, a leading human rights watchdog has said in a report published two months into a Saudi-led air war.

Amnesty International said anti-aircraft weapons “were the leading cause of casualties in the capital” in a report released on Thursday, which also blamed the Saudi-led coalition for contributing to the number of civilian casualties by bombing weapons depots near residential areas.

The report’s findings, gleaned from a week-long visit to Sana’a and interviews with hospital staff, challenge the conventional wisdom that the air strikes are the direct cause of the high civilian toll of the conflict. But Amnesty urged both sides to take precautions to avoid civilian casualties and respect international humanitarian law.

The Houthis blocked the formation of a national government last October. Shortly afterwards, Iran acknowledged its support of the rebels. In November, Iranian officials boasted that with the capture of much of Sana’a, Iran had control of its fourth Arab capital. In January, Yemen’s government resigned after the Houthis reneged on a power-sharing deal. At the end of March, Saudi Arabia launched an air campaign to force the Houthis to retreat.

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