Yemeni Forces Warn Saudi Arabia Over Deadly Prison Airstrike

By Staff, Agencies

Saudi Arabia will not be able to escape accountability for an airstrike on a central prison in Yemen’s al-Jawf Governorate, the Yemeni Armed Forces said Wednesday, as the reported death toll from the attack rose to 23.

Yemeni Civil Defense said the casualties resulted from Saudi bombing of the al-Hazm District Correctional Facility in northeastern Yemen. Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yehya Saree said the attack was carried out at 16:30 by an F-15SA fighter aircraft that took off from King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait.

According to Saree, the aircraft conducted two airstrikes against the prison before returning to the same base at 16:45. He said the strikes caused a large number of casualties among inmates and also affected visitors, including women and children.

“Saudi attempts to disclaim responsibility for its crimes and aggression against our country will not absolve it from the repercussions of this aggression and criminality,” Saree said.

The attack came amid a wider escalation, with 43 airstrikes reportedly targeting several Yemeni provinces on Wednesday, including Marib, al-Jawf, Taiz, and Hodeidah.

Earlier, Yemeni Military Media released footage showing what it said was a ballistic missile strike on trucks carrying military equipment from Saudi territory at the al-Wadi'a military camp in eastern Yemen.

The latest escalation follows the Yemeni Armed Forces’ announcement in July that the 2022 truce with Saudi Arabia had collapsed following Saudi attacks on Sanaa International Airport.

In response, Yemeni forces said they targeted Saudi economic facilities, including Aramco oil refineries and Abha Airport, and imposed a maritime ban on vessels arriving in or departing from Saudi Arabia.

The Yemeni Armed Forces said the latest Saudi attacks would not go unanswered, warning that Riyadh would bear the consequences of what Sanaa described as continued aggression against the Yemeni people.