US Strike on Yemen Detention Center Kills Dozens of African Migrants

A suspected US strike targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels has killed dozens of African migrants held in a detention center in the city of Saada. The Houthis claimed the strike killed 68 people and injured 47, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said many migrants were believed to have been killed or injured.

The IOM described the loss of life as a tragedy and called for efforts to protect civilians. The US military had no immediate comment on the strike. The attack has sparked concerns about the safety of civilians in Yemen, where a 10-year civil war has devastated the country.

The Houthis have vowed to continue attacks in the Red and Arabian seas, despite the US strikes. The rebel group has been targeting Israeli and western vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023, in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The latest Houthi attack targeted Israel's Nevatim airbase with a hypersonic ballistic missile, which was shot down by Israeli defenses. The US has been conducting near-daily strikes against the Houthis since March, in an operation known as "Rough Rider," seeking to end the threat posed by the group to vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The US military has shifted tactics since the arrival of the Trump administration, which declared the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization in January. The effectiveness of the US strikes is disputed, and the Houthis have shown an ability to withstand bombardment in the past.

The UK has been involved in the latest US military operations, with the bulk of the US strikes launched from the USS Harry S Truman in the Red Sea. More than 750 strikes have been authorized since mid-March. The Houthis claim to have downed seven US Reaper drones in less than six weeks, at a cost of over $200m to the Pentagon.

The value of the US attacks on the Houthi leadership is disputed, with some claiming the movement would not be disrupted if its leader was assassinated. The Houthis are Zaydi Shia, a branch that believes leadership should be limited to descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, a senior researcher at Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, argued that without a respected local Zaydi authority figure, the dispute would likely remain unresolved without external intervention, and Iran's role would be key in shaping the group's future direction.