Airwars assessment
Around midnight on May 30th-May 31st, 2024, at least two civilians were killed and up to 18 civilians were injured, including journalists, as a result of declared US-UK airstrikes on the Hudaydah Radio building located in front of Al-Thawra Hospital in Al Hudayah, Yemen. Four attacks that had been allegedly perpetrated on the building destroyed it completely.
Although the attack happened on Thursday, the first reports about casualties appeared on Friday morning. According to the Twitter/X user @mnslmbwlsn23185 who was referring to Yemeni media, the airstrikes took the lives of five people and injured 17. The same casualty estimation was provided in the tweets by @zakaria_sharabi, @Snd_pal, @PalinfoAr and others. However, these sources did not specify whether the casualties occurred at the radio station or sea post (USYEMBi020).
At 12:37 PM on Friday, the Twitter/X account @AlMayadeenLive reported about 16 killed civilians and 41 injured in the raids on Al Hudaydah, referring to the statement by Yemeni Armed Forces. However, this figure also included the casualties in the attack on the Al Sulayf seaport (USYEMBi020) on the same day.
According to the information provided by the General Corporation for Radio and Television in Sanaa, eight civilians were killed and more than 17 were injured in the attack on the Hudaydah Radio building as reported by the security protection of the building and citizens.
However, the Yemen Data Project reported that the strike on the radio broadcast building resulted in “at least” two civilians killed and 10 others injured. Al Mayadeen provided similar casualty information, quoting the director of Al Mayadeen’s office in Yemen who reported that the strikes resulted in two deaths and several injuries, including “injuries among journalists”.
The attack on the building of the radio presumably took the life of the combatant, First Lieutenant Waseem Abdul Karim Al Kashif, according to the social media posts by Salim Al Hamdi and Mansoor Al Osami. Three other combatants, including Captain Nawaf Omar Bassa, Captain Naji Hassan Hadi, and First Lieutenant Najeeb Mohammed Al-Rashidi were potentially killed in this attack according to the social media reports.
Al Mayadeen quoted Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, who stated that “this represents a clear targeting of civilian structures, a blatant violation of all international laws and a full-fledged war crime.” AP and the Washington Post both referred to videos posted by the Houthi-run Al Masirah satellite news channel which “aired images of one bloodied man being carried down stairs and others in the hospital, receiving aid”.
The UK Ministry of Defense released a statement that “On Thursday 30 May, UK forces participated in a joint operation with US forces against Houthi military facilities to degrade their ability to persist with their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden…Intelligence had confirmed two locations near Hudaydah as being involved with the Houthi anti-shipping attacks, with a number of buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long range drones, as well as surface to air weapons used to impede coalition operations to safeguard shipping in the region. Furthermore, a set of Houthi facilities at Ghulayfiqah, further south on the Yemeni coast, had also been identified as being involved in the command and control of their anti-shipping campaign. Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s therefore conducted strikes on the target buildings at these three locations, using Paveway IV guided bombs.”
US CENTCOM released a statement that ” USCENTCOM forces alongside UK Armed Forces conducted strikes against 13 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. It was determined that these UAVs and sites presented a threat to U.S. and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region.” US officials told AP that the strikes hit “a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities” and that “F/A-18 fighter jets involved in the strikes took off from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Red Sea”.
The incident occured around midnight.
Summary
Sources (24) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]
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Source: Mansoor Al Osami
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Source: Mansoor Al Osami
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Source: Salim Al Hamdi
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Source: Abu Al Izz Sadan
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UK Military Assessment:
Original strike reports
On Thursday 30 May, UK forces participated in a joint operation with US forces against Houthi military facilities to degrade their ability to persist with their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which have thus far killed innocent merchant mariners from Vietnam and the Philippines, damaged several merchant ships, and sunk the bulk carrier Rubymar.
Intelligence had confirmed two locations near Hudaydah as being involved with the Houthi anti-shipping attacks, with a number of buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long range drones, as well as surface to air weapons used to impede coalition operations to safeguard shipping in the region. Furthermore, a set of Houthi facilities at Ghulayfiqah, further south on the Yemeni coast, had also been identified as being involved in the command and control of their anti-shipping campaign.
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s therefore conducted strikes on the target buildings at these three locations, using Paveway IV guided bombs. As ever, the utmost care was taken in planning the strikes to minimise any risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure. Conducting the strikes in the hours of darkness should also have mitigated yet further any such risks. As ever with such missions, RAF Voyager tankers provided essential air refuelling support to the Typhoons.
US Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
TAMPA, Fla. – Between approximately 3:15 and 5 p.m. (Sanaa time) on May 30, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen and over the Red Sea.
Additionally, USCENTCOM forces alongside UK Armed Forces conducted strikes against 13 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense.
It was determined that these UAVs and sites presented a threat to U.S. and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are necessary to protect our forces, ensure freedom of navigation, and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.