At least 20 civilians have been killed and wounded in a Houthi militia attack on a health centre 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 centre in the Al-Mudaribah and Al-Arah districts of Lahj province on Monday.
The broadcaster did not provide a breakdown of the fatalities and injuries or further details about the attack.
The Houthi militia 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.
Ongoing clashes in Lahj
Government forces and the Houthi militia 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 militia maintains positions in parts of Al-Mudaribah, Al-Qubaytah and Al-Maqatirah districts near the border with Taiz.
Since October 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 militia.
Fighting between government forces and the Houthi militia 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 Houthi militia 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 recognised government.
The Houthi militia 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.
