The Saudi-led air strikes on a market in Norther Yemen killed 119 people, nearly three times the number previously reported, the United Nations said Thursday. The UNICEF children’s agency said that among those killed in the Mastaba district on Tuesday were 22 children, while another 47 people were wounded. Press TV reports: The UN children’s agency in a statement strongly denounced the deadly airstrikes. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also on Wednesday described the Saudi aerial raids as “one of the deadliest “ since Riyadh launched a military campaign against the impoverished Arab country in March last year. The UN chief also demanded a probe into the deadly incident. The world body has already warned of a “human catastrophe unfolding in Yemen.” Meanwhile, General Ahmed al-Asiri, a Saudi military spokesman, said on Thursday that Riyadh will scale down combat operations in Yemen in an apparent bid to divert mounting criticism of the military aggression. However, al-Asiri stressed that the kingdom will continue to provide air support to Yemen’s former regime loyalists battling Houthi Ansarullah fighters and allied army units on the ground. Riyadh has been under fire by international organizations and rights groups over the rising number of civilian casualties in Yemen.