At least 68 people have been killed following a US air strike on a detention facility for African migrants in Yemen's north-western Saada province, Houthi-run media reported.

According to Al Masirah TV, the attack also left 47 others critically wounded. The channel broadcast graphic footage showing bodies buried under the rubble of the destroyed building.

The US military has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.

The reported strike came just hours after US Central Command (Centcom) announced it had targeted over 800 sites since President Donald Trump ordered an escalation of operations against the Houthis on 15 March. 

Centcom said the strikes had "eliminated hundreds of Houthi fighters and several high-ranking officials" responsible for overseeing missile and drone programmes.

While Houthi authorities have claimed that dozens of civilians have been killed in recent US strikes, they have acknowledged relatively few casualties among their fighters.

Earlier this month, the Houthi-controlled health ministry reported that US air strikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea coast resulted in at least 74 deaths and injured 171 others. Centcom stated that the attack crippled Ras Isa’s fuel-handling capabilities, significantly reducing the Houthis' capacity to fund their operations.

Last month, President Trump authorized widespread strikes against Houthi-controlled regions and warned that the group could face "total annihilation" if attacks on international shipping persisted. He also cautioned Iran against supplying arms to the Houthis, a charge Tehran has consistently denied.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sinking two ships, seizing another, and killing four crew members. They claim their actions are in support of Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, though many of their targets have no direct links to Israel, the US, or the UK.

Despite the presence of Western naval forces and repeated air strikes under former President Joe Biden, Houthi attacks have continued. In January, Trump reclassified the Houthis as a "Foreign Terrorist Organisation," a designation previously lifted by Biden to facilitate humanitarian efforts.

Yemen's ongoing civil war, now in its second decade, has claimed more than 150,000 lives and displaced millions, pushing half of the population into dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Sources: BBC

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