20 civilians killed, injured in Houthi missile attack on health center in Yemen: Media

Missile strike targets Al-Suqya health center in Lahj province, according to state-run Saba satellite channel

At least 20 civilians were killed and injured Monday in a Houthi missile attack on a health center in Yemen’s southwestern Lahj province, according to government-run media. State-run Saba satellite channel reported that a missile strike targeted the Al-Suqya health center in the Al-Mudaribah and Al-Arah district of Lahj province. The broadcaster did not provide a breakdown of the fatalities and injuries or further details about the attack. The Houthi group did not immediately comment on the report. Lahj province borders Yemen’s temporary capital, Aden, to the north and west, making it a strategically important area connecting the city with other provinces. The province also borders Taiz, Al-Dhale, Abyan and Al-Bayda, while some of its districts lie near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden. Government forces and the Houthis have engaged in repeated clashes in Lahj’s Al-Mudaribah district in recent weeks, with neither side securing a decisive victory. Government forces control most of Lahj, while the Houthis maintain positions in parts of Al-Mudaribah, Al-Qubaytah and Al-Maqatirah districts near the border with Taiz. Since Oct. 5, government forces have continued Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” which Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said aims to restore state institutions and regain control of the capital, Sanaa, from the Houthis. Fighting between government forces and the Houthis intensified in July, leaving thousands dead or injured and displacing more than 250,000 people, according to UN reports. The escalation ended a period of relative calm that had prevailed since April 2022, further worsening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government. ​​​​​​​The Houthis currently control most northern and western provinces, including Sanaa, Saada, Amran, Dhamar and Al-Hudaydah, while government forces and their allies control Aden and most southern and eastern provinces.