Mahottari, Oct. 28 -- On Monday evening, the courtyard of a home at Dhekaha in ward 1 of Pipara Rural Municipality, Mahottari, was crowded with neighbours. A pall of grief hung over the gathering. Sitting quietly and struggling to steady herself was 41-year-old Indrika Devi Mahato.

Her husband Bharat Mahato, 45, who had been working as a labourer in Saudi Arabia, was killed in a drone attack on October 21. The strike was part of an escalating series of attacks launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting locations in Saudi Arabia-a tragic blow for an impoverished Nepali family entirely unconnected to the conflict.

Relatives attempted to revive Indira, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, by sprinkling water on her face. Her ...