US Says Blast near Yemen UNESCO World Heritage Site Caused by Houthi Missile
SMA NEWS – SANA’A
The US military said on Thursday a blast on Sunday near a UNESCO world heritage site in Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa was caused by a Houthi missile and not an American airstrike.
The Houthi-run health ministry said a dozen people were killed in the US strike in a neighborhood of Sanaa. The Old City of Sanaa is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site, Reuters said.
President Donald Trump ordered the intensification of US strikes on Yemen last month, with his administration saying they will continue assaulting Iran-backed Houthi group until they stop attacking Red Sea shipping.
A US Central Command spokesperson said the damage and casualties described by Yemen’s Houthi officials “likely did occur” but they were not caused by a US attack. The closest US strike that night was more than three miles (5 km) away, the spokesperson said.
The US military assessed that the damage was caused by a “Houthi air defense missile” based on a review of “local reporting, including videos documenting Arabic writing on the missile’s fragments at the market,” the spokesperson said, adding the Houthis subsequently arrested Yemenis. He did not provide evidence.
A Houthi official was quoted by the New York Times as saying the American denial was an attempt to smear the Houthis.
Recent US strikes have killed dozens, including 74 at an oil terminal on Thursday in what was the deadliest strike in Yemen under Trump so far, according to the local health ministry.
The US military says the strikes aim to cut off the Houthi militant group’s military and economic capabilities.
