The United Kingdom and the United States have conducted a joint airstrike near Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, targeting facilities used by Houthi rebels for drone production. According to British authorities, the strike aimed to dismantle infrastructure involved in manufacturing drones used for attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The UK Ministry of Defence reported that several such facilities, located about 24 kilometers south of Sanaa, were destroyed in the night-time operation. The ministry stated that the operation was carefully planned to minimize civilian casualties but did not disclose any casualty figures.
Since mid-March, the United States has conducted over a hundred strikes on Houthi targets. However, it has issued limited public statements on these operations. On March 15, U.S. President Donald Trump authorized the attacks, declaring they would continue until Houthi assaults on Red Sea vessels cease. The Pentagon later revealed that over 1,000 targets across Yemen had been hit, resulting in the deaths of Houthi fighters and leaders, and degrading their military capabilities. Still, concerns over rising civilian casualties have grown.
Houthi-aligned media reported that a recent strike on Monday destroyed a detention center holding African migrants, killing 68 people. The Sanaa-based human rights group, Mwatana for Human Rights, confirmed that over a hundred civilians have been killed or injured in recent U.S. strikes.
Radia Al-Mutawakel, chairperson of the organization, said Yemeni civilians have suffered from indiscriminate attacks by warring factions for over a decade. She expressed concern that civilians are now being targeted by U.S. airstrikes.
A U.S. defense official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, acknowledged civilian casualty allegations from Monday’s strike and confirmed that the Pentagon is investigating.
The Houthis have controlled large parts of Yemen for nearly a decade. Since November 2023, they have launched missile and drone attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, claiming they are Israeli-linked, disrupting global supply chains.