Saudi Arabia, the second largest Arab World, has pledged to provide $274 million to Yemen as a humanitarian aid for the chaos-wracked country. Saudi Arabia is leading a war against rebel forces in Yemen. The pledge was ordered by King Salman following the United Nations appeal for $274 million to provide emergency assistance to the millions of people affected by the conflict. The people of Yemen has been ransacked by fighting between Houthi rebels and government troops. According to the UN estimate, more than 150,000 people have been displaced by fighting. The report also says 12 million are short of food.

A Saudi-led coalition has been launching air strikes against the rebels in 18 of Yemen’s 22 provinces. The United Nations said 731 people had been killed and 2,754 injured – many of them civilians (between March and April).  Saudi-led coalition has been attacking Shiite rebels known as Houthis and allied fighters loyal to Yemen’s ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani has criticized Saudi Arabia, warning that the Saudi royal family in Riyadh will harvest the hatred it is sowing in Yemen through its airstrike campaign. Rohani also accused Saudi Arabia of providing weapons and funding to terrorist groups in the Middle East. He criticized Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen “genocide” and a “major crime.”