Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At least five civilians, a woman and four children, were reported killed and at least 10 others, including five children and women, were injured by alleged US airstrikes on the home of the al-Ruqa’a family in the Qahza area of Saada, Yemen on March 15, 2025.
The US military released a statement that “On March 15, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) initiated an operation consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen in order to restore freedom of navigation.” However, as there are no detail on the locations of these strike, the incident has been graded as a “likely strike” until further information is provided.
Houthi-affiliated news @TvAlmasirah reported that four children and a woman were killed and 10 others, including women and at least five children, were injured by US airstrikes on two houses in the Qahza area, north of Saada city. Graphic images accompanying the details appear to show multiple victims with severe burns, including one young boy receiving oxygen and being treated for burns and a young girl also receiving oxygen and with a cast on one arm, and bandages on both legs, possibly from burns. One image appears to show the bodies of three deceased victims, at least one of whom is a small child.
A graphic video posted by @TvAlmasirah reportedly includes the body of a fetus killed in the attack, which indicates that a pregnant woman was among those killed. Another graphic video provided by @TvAlmasirah shows one young boy and one man with very severe injuries being brought into a medical facility, a small girl covered in dust being treated for her injuries, and another young boy with severe burns.
A Facebook post from Majed Al Madani Sanaa on March 15th provided the “latest statistics” on the strike in Qahza – 10 killed, most of them women and children, and 13 wounded. Majed Al Madani Saada later stated on March 16th that the strikes had “claimed the lives of a family of 28 people, most of whom were women and children”. Accompanying images show a construction excavator digging through the rubble of a building with dozens of onlookers.
According to Hamdan Al Daif, four raids “targeted” the home of Misfir bin Ruq’ah al-Tha’ali al-Waili and killed most of his family members, “most of them women and children”. A Facebook post from Ahmad Omar quoting information from local sources in the Sadaa Governorate stated that the home of the al-Ruqa’a family of the Wayla tribe in the Al-Uqab area of Sahar District was attacked, resulting in the death and injury of several family members.
There was no immediate information about Misfir, but a video shared by Mohammed Sahmee to Facebook reportedly showed Misfir crying upon seeing the bodies of his “mother, wife, children, and family” who were reportedly killed.
Abulfatah Masoudi wished condolences to their neighbors of the Ruqa’a family for the death of “5 women and 7 children, 2 children are still missing and 5 children were injured”. The message from Abulfatah went on to wish for a speedy recovery for those injured, and patience for those who lost family members, along with an image of the rubble and excavator from another angle.
Airwars and Armament Research Services classified the remnants of the munitions based on images shared on social media as a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, which are archived on the Open Source Munitions Portal (OSMP) with codes OSMP1191, OSMP 1192, OSMP1193 and 1194.
Videos posted by sources Walid Al-Maljami, Ihtekam all sharabi, Nour Al-Huda Ahmed, and Alhadath al yamani have not been archived within this incident as they have been identified as videos relating to different events in Yemen from previous air campaigns.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to the US military, with some sources mentioning the “US-British alliance”.
This incident was updated on March 25, 2025 to include additional information about the munitions as identified by the OSMP.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Geolocation notes (3) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a strike on the Qahza area (منطقة قحزة) in Sadaa (صعدة). This incident was independently geolocated by Vleckie (@VleckieHond). Satellite imagery shows the strike location at the following exact coordinates: 16.964512, 43.735645.
Summary
Sources (44) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (21) [ collapse]
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: @TvAlmasirah -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: @TvAlmasirah -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: @TvAlmasirah -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: @TvAlmasirah -
Source: Majed Al Madani Sadda
-
Source: Majed Al Madani Saada
-
Source: Majed Al Madani Saada
-
Source: Majed Al Madani Saada
-
Source: Majed Al Madani Saada
-
Source: Abulfatah Masoudi
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: @Son_of_the_sun0 -
Source: @DhiyabalObeid2
-
Source: @DhiyabalObeid2
-
Source: Son of Gaza
-
Source: Mohammed ismaeel al kadi
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Liza liza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Ahmed Almqmhy -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
US Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
On March 15, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) initiated an operation consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen in order to restore freedom of navigation.