Yemen’s Houthi rebels have accused Saudi Arabia of conducting an air strike on a prison in the northern city of al-Hazm, an attack they claim resulted in seven deaths. Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, stated on Monday that the strike targeted the Central Corrective Facility in al-Jawf province, located near the Saudi border. In addition to the fatalities, at least seven other individuals, including a woman, were reported wounded in the incident.
Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV broadcast footage purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike, featuring a collapsed structure and search efforts within the debris. Meanwhile, the network also released video content claiming to show Houthi forces utilizing ballistic missiles to strike Saudi military supply trucks at a border crossing in Hadramout province.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree condemned the incident, accusing Saudi Arabia of “committing massacres” in al-Jawf. He further alleged that Saudi forces have been deploying reconnaissance drones and providing weaponry to mercenaries. Saree warned that the “ongoing Saudi aggression against Yemen will not go unpunished,” asserting that the Saudi leadership must face the consequences of these actions.
Beyond the prison strike, Saree claimed that Houthi forces successfully downed four Saudi reconnaissance drones within the last 24 hours. This included a CH-4 drone that he stated was engaged in “hostile missions” over al-Jawf. According to Saree, this specific aircraft was the second of its kind destroyed within a 12-hour window.
Saudi Arabia has not issued a formal response to the allegations regarding the prison strike or the drone claims. The accusations emerge amid a recent surge in hostilities between the Houthi movement and the internationally recognized Yemeni government. On Sunday, government forces reported significant territorial advances in the provinces of al-Jawf, Bayda, Dahle, and Marib.
The conflict has intensified as government-aligned units launched counterattacks in Taiz and Hodeidah following a major Houthi offensive aimed at securing control over the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait. Reports indicate that hundreds of people have been killed in these clashes over the past 24 hours.
In response to the escalating violence, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg issued an urgent appeal on Monday, calling on all warring parties to cease hostilities and exercise maximum restraint to prevent the situation from spiraling into a full-scale war.
This incident marks another instance of detention facilities being struck during the decade-long conflict. Similar events occurred in 2022, when a Saudi-led coalition strike on a prison in Saada province killed at least 87 people and wounded 266 others, and in 2019, when a strike on a facility in Dhamar resulted in over 100 fatalities. The report also notes that “This aircraft is the second of this type that was shot down during the past 12 hours, and the fourth during the past 24 hours,” he added.