On April 24, 2025, U.S. Central Command clarified that a deadly explosion in Yemen’s capital was the result of a Houthi missile and not an American airstrike, rejecting earlier assertions from local health authorities. The blast, reported to have killed 12 individuals and injured many more, occurred near Sana's UNESCO world heritage site on Sunday. Spokesman Dave Eastburn stated that while casualties occurred, the strike was over three miles distant from the nearest U.S. operation that night.
U.S. Denies Airstrike Blame for Deadly Yemen Blast, Attributes It to Houthi Missile
U.S. Denies Airstrike Blame for Deadly Yemen Blast, Attributes It to Houthi Missile
US Central Command clarifies that a recent explosion in Yemen was due to Houthi missile fire rather than an American airstrike, rejecting claims from local health officials.
Health officials had initially blamed U.S. military action, but the Pentagon's assessment pointed to a "Houthi Air Defense missile." Despite their claims, the Pentagon did not furnish evidence of this assessment. Early reports, including video evidence from social media, showed a missile fragment with Arabic writing but indicated it was from a different location. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, part of the Houthis' Politburo, criticized the U.S. response as an effort to delegitimize the group, asserting prior incidents where he claims American forces targeted civilian areas resulted in numerous casualties.
