Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people.
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, Huthi 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.
The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring 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 program.
The US military's Central Command in a statement early on 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 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.
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.
Meanwhile, US airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen's capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign.
The overnight statement from Central Command also said "Operation Roughrider” had "killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials.
"Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. "The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.”
"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.
Associated Press