BOTH the current Syrian and Yemeni conflicts have been marked by blatant disregard for human life on the part of all belligerents. In particular, civilians have been mowed down by all sides with little remorse. On Saturday, a funeral ceremony in Sana`a for the father of a senior Houthi rebel leader was bombed with devastating consequences; the Saudi-led coalition which launched its offensive in support of Yemeni President Hadi in March last year is believed to be behind the atrocity. Over 140 people were killed, while more than 500 have been injured in the attack that UN officials have termed `heinous`. While the Saudis initially denied any knowledge of the raid, the coalition later said it will investigate the `painful` strike. Even Riyadh`s American allies, who have been playing a key supporting role in the Yemeni aggression, have said they will `review` cooperation with the coalition. This is not the first time the Saudi-led force has been accused of targeting civilians. Hundreds of non-combatants have been killed as wedding ceremonies, along with markets and hospitals, have been hit in different Yemeni cities.

Meanwhile in Syria, the government continues its relentless assault to retake Aleppo, particularly the rebel-held eastern portion of what was once Syria`s commercial capital. The Syrian state has applied brutal methods in its campaign, as nearly 300 civilians have been killed in the offensive that began over two weeks ago.

Reclaiming Aleppo has been a priority for Bashar al-Assad`s forces as around 1,000 Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Al Nusra) militants are believed to be holed up in the city. However, the Syrian state`s scorched-earth policy to flush out the terrorists is unacceptable, considering the high civilian casualties. Efforts to halt the fighting have failed as Russia, which backs Mr Assad, and the Western bloc, which supports Syria`s rebels, have sparred over details at the UN.

Yemen`s situation is critical. Millions are reportedly to be foodinsecure; in fact, the UN says the impoverished state is on the brink of famine. However, the bombing of the funeral is likely to make any negotiated settlement to the crisis highly improbable, as the Houthis and their allies have vowed to strike back and `mobilise`. Perhaps the first salvo came on Sunday, when the rebels fired a missile across the border targeting a Saudi military facility in Taif reportedly the deepest attack inside the kingdom so far. Moreover, a number of those murdered in the Sana`a raid were reportedly in favour of opening channels of communication with Mr Hadi and his foreign backers; now, the affected Yemeni tribes will likely support calls for a more martial response. As for Syria, the future looks equally grim.

Mr Assad is convinced he can retake the entire country by force, regardless of the `collateral damage`, while the rebels -including the extremists within their ranks have seemingly dug in for a long, bloody fight.