According to Yemen’s ministry of the interior, the detention centre was housing 115 African migrants.

The American administration had committed a “brutal crime” by bombing the Saada detention centre which held more than 100 undocumented African migrants, Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said on X.

Why is the US targeting the Houthis?

The Houthis, who have seized significant territory in Yemen over the past decade, have launched numerous drone and missile attacks on Red Sea vessels since November 2023, claiming they are targeting ships associated with Israel in support of Palestinians amid the conflict in Gaza.

US Central Command defends policy

“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.”