A rare legal action has been launched against Italian government officials and a major European arms manufacturer over alleged involvement in the aerial bombardment of Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians.  A coalition of human rights organisations from Germany, Italy and Yemen filed a complaint on Tuesday with the prosecutors’ office in Rome against officials from the Italian foreign ministry and the local subsidiary of the German conglomerate Rheinmetall, RWM Italia, over arms sales to Saudi Arabia...Saudi Arabia leads a coalition conducting a bombing campaign of Yemen, aided by UK military advisers, against Houthi rebels...The groups mounting the legal challenge in Italy hope that by focussing on a specific incident – a well-documented bombing on 8 October 2016 that left a family of six dead, including four children – they will increase their chances of success.  The legal challenge was lodged jointly by the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Yemen-based Mwatana Organisation for Human Rights and the Italian Rete Italiana per il Disarmo.  The groups have asked prosecutors to investigate whether there is liability on the part of Italian foreign ministry officials tasked with authorising arms exports and RWM Italia directors over alleged arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition.  Attempts by the Guardian to contact Rheinmetall for a response proved unsuccessful...According to the complaint, the serial number on the lug identified it as part of a batch manufactured in June 2014 by RWM Italia...