SANAA: Houthi media outlets in Yemen on Monday said that US strikes hit a migrant detention centre in the movement’s stronghold of Saada, killing at least 68 people.
The United States military has hammered the Houthis with near-daily strikes since March 15 in an operation dubbed “Rough Rider”, seeking to end the threat they pose to vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis launched strikes targeting Israel and Western vessels in the Red Sea, in what they describe as solidarity with the Palestinians, since Hamas conducted an unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023.
On Sunday, the US said it had hit more than 800 targets in Yemen since mid-March, killing hundreds of Houthi rebels, including members of the group’s leadership.
Just hours later, Houthi media said the latest barrage by US forces had hit a migrant detention centre.
“The civil defence has announced that 68 African migrants were killed and 47 others wounded in the US attack targeting a centre for illegal migrants in the city of Saada,” the Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV said.
AFP could not independently confirm the veracity of Al-Masirah’s claim that the strikes had hit a migrant detention centre, or the toll.
AFP has contacted the US military for comment.
According to a statement cited by Al-Masirah from the Houthi administration’s interior ministry, the centre housed “115 migrants, all from Africa”.
The broadcaster showed footage of bodies stuck under the rubble and of rescuers working to help the casualties.
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants brave the Eastern Route from the Horn of Africa, seeking to escape conflict, natural disasters and poor economic prospects by sailing across the Red Sea towards the oil-rich Gulf.
Many hope for employment as labourers or domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries, though they face a perilous journey through war-torn Yemen.
The UN migration agency (IOM) said it was closely monitoring the situation following the latest strike, but said the facility in question was not being managed by their personnel.
“It is imperative that all efforts are made to avoid harm to civilians and to protect those most vulnerable in these challenging circumstances,” the IOM said in a statement.
The Houthis began targeting shipping in late 2023, preventing ships from passing through the Suez Canal — a vital route that normally carries about 12 per cent of global trade — forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.
In a statement that provided its most detailed accounting of the operation so far, the US military command responsible for the Middle East said: “Since the start of Operation Rough Rider, USCENTCOM has struck over 800 targets.
“These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders. The strikes have destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defence systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations,” Centcom (US Central Command) said.
Despite the strikes, the Houthis, who control large swaths of Yemen, have continued to claim attacks against both US vessels and Israel.
Centcom said that “while the Houthis have continued to attack our vessels, our operations have degraded the pace and effectiveness of their attacks. Ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69pc. Additionally, attacks from one-way attack drones have decreased by 55pc.
“Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis. The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime,” the military command said.
“We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” it added.
Al-Masirah TV on Sunday reported that US strikes on the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa had killed at least eight people and wounded others.
The channel also broadcast footage of the rubble of destroyed homes and cars, as well as blood stains on the ground, while rescuers collected what appeared to be human remains in white cloth.
Also on Sunday, Houthi media said earlier strikes on Sanaa had killed two people and wounded several more.
The United States first began conducting strikes against the Houthis under Joe Biden’s administration, and President Donald Trump has vowed that military action against the rebels will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
