The U.S. bombed a detention center for African migrants in the city of Saada, Yemen, according to the Houthis, killing 68 people and injuring 47. [1], [2], [3]
The rebel group stated that the facility was under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration and the Red Cross, and that its targeting constitutes a “war crime.”
The Houthis began targeting Israeli and Western ships in the Red Sea in October 2023, in solidarity with Palestine. Their most recent attack, on Saturday, targeted Israel’s Negev Airbase with a hypersonic ballistic missile, Palestine-2. The missile was intercepted by Israeli defense systems.
Yemen is a transit country for migrants from Africa, primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, attempting to reach Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. attack was part of their decision to intensify strikes against the Houthis in mid-March, surpassing 750 attacks since then.
The Houthis, for their part, claim to have downed seven American drones in less than six weeks, resulting in over $200 million in damages to the U.S.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia carried out an attack in the same area, killing 66 detainees and injuring 113. The Houthis also killed 16 detainees who escaped after the strike and injured another 50, according to the UN. Saudi Arabia tried to justify the attack by claiming that the Houthis were manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles there, but the UN stated that it was known to be a detention center.
