Representational.
Sanaa/Gaza City: Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people. The US military had no immediate comment, reports the Associated Press.
The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decade-long war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme.
The US military's Central Command, in a statement early Monday, before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign.
“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach but will not reveal specifics about what we've done or what we will do.” It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada.
Graphic footage shows the aftermath of the explosion.
Graphic footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. An al-Masirah correspondent said some 100 migrants had been detained at the site. The channel later said at least 30 people had been killed. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the death toll.
Footage from the site analysed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.
A woman's voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.
African migrants caught in the middle of Yemen's war
Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border. Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the UN said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.” Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Medics say Israeli forces have killed 23 Palestinians in predawn attacks, a day after killing at least 53 people across the Strip, Al Jazeera reported.
This is when the International Court of Justice is set to begin hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians amid warnings of famine in Gaza.
At least 52,243 Palestinians have been confirmed killed and 117,639 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since it began 18 months ago. The Gaza Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.