Rabat – In one of its latest rounds of aggression against Yemen, the United States has bombed an immigration detention center, raising the death toll to over 250 since the escalation of its campaign in mid-March.
Local media broadcasted harrowing footage from the US strike on the immigration detention center in Saada, northwest Yemen, where 68 people were killed — most of them being among the 100 Ethiopian and other African migrants detained while crossing Yemen seeking work in Saudi Arabia.
Another US airstrike early Monday morning targeted the Bani al-Harith district in northern Sanaa, killing eight more civilians, including women and children.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which has previously claimed that its operations are not aimed at civilians despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, admitted to launching over 800 airstrikes on Yemen since mid-March, with reports indicating Washington has spent over $1 billion in just a few weeks fueling its assault.
While CENTCOM withheld details about its recent bombings under the campaign branded “Operation Rough Rider,” it claimed responsibility for killing “hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders.”
CENTCOM reiterated that US attacks will continue in an effort to “degrade” Houthi capabilities and deter further resistance against US and Israeli ships in the Red Sea, declaring, “we will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region.” This is a regurgitation of the same colonial rhetoric the US has used for decades to justify its wars and plunder across the Middle East.
Despite the brutal US campaign, Houthi forces continue to launch missiles toward Israel and target US and Israeli ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza, where Israel’s ongoing genocide and blockade have plunged Palestinians into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
