Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia over alleged Yemen prison air strike

Houthi authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out an air strike on the Central Corrective Facility in al-Jawf province, Yemen, claiming seven people were killed and at least seven wounded.

A Houthi-run Health Ministry spokesperson said a woman was among the injured. Houthi-run Al Masirah TV broadcast footage it said showed a collapsed building and people searching through rubble, but the footage and casualty claims have not been independently verified.

Saudi Arabia had not commented on the allegations, according to Al Jazeera Global News. Other claims by Houthi officials, including attacks on Saudi supply trucks and the destruction of four reconnaissance drones, also remained unverified.

The alleged strike came amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Government-aligned forces have reported territorial gains in several provinces, while the Houthis have launched operations in an effort to control the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has urged the warring parties to halt hostilities and exercise restraint, warning that the escalation could develop into a full-scale war. Saudi-led coalition strikes on Houthi-run detention facilities in Saada in 2022 and Dhamar in 2019 also caused significant casualties.