Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At least three civilians were killed and between 10 and 29 others were injured by alleged US airstrikes on a factory in the Matna area in Bani Matar, Sanaa, Yemen on April 13th, 2025.
Initial reporting from the Yemeni Ministry of Health, quoted by @TvAlmasirah and Al Moaeed Abd al Bari, stated that two people had been killed and 10 others were wounded by US raids on the Al-Sawari factory in the Matna area in Bani Matar, Sanaa. The Ministry of Health then updated the toll to five killed and 13 wounded, and further provided the latest toll of seven killed and 29 wounded. According to the Ministry of Health, at the time, some of those injured were in critical condition. The lowest toll was provided by Planet Al-Fadhli, which reported three killed and 10 others injured as a “preliminary toll”.
According to Mwatana, at approximately 9pm, three airstrikes hit the the Al-Sawari Rubber Factory, resulting in the death of six civilians and the injury of 27 others, including a woman and a first responder. One of the strikes “targeted” a vehicle used by first responders which had arrived at the scene of the initial strike 10 minutes after the strike. Mwatana referred to all of the casualties as either factory workers, residents of nearby homes, or patrons at a local restaurant – two of the restaurant’s workers were killed and the owner was injured.
A Facebook post from Shaker Al Matari memoralized the loss of Bashir Mansour Mohammed Joula and Ahmed Ahmed Mohammed Joula, along with images of both men. Ahmed is pictured dressed nicely in front of the famous Al-Saleh Mosque in Sanaa. Bashir is pictured in a military uniform without a discernible logo but a similar style to those worn by Houthi officials, along with a weapon, and has therefore been counted as a militant. A further post from Abdulaziz Al Yazili directly tied Bashir and Ahmed’s death to the strikes on the factory, adding that Bashir and Ahmed were cousins and that Ahmed was a restaurant owner. Abdulaziz Al Yazili also mentioned a third person killed named Rashad, along with an image of a young man dressed nicely and smiling. A post from Ahmad Al Okashi named a fourth person killed, Bashar Daif Allah Al-Akishi, along with an image of Daif in a traditional thobe.
The September 26 Hospital Authority posted images of the Director General of Bani Matar District, Yahya Yahya Al-Qanous, and the Chairman of the 26 September Hospital Authority, Abdul Nasser Al-Dhari, visiting those wounded in the airstrikes. The post specified that the six killed and 26 injured were factory workers, and included an image of a young man mostly covered but evidently being treated for injuries in the hospital.
A Facebook post from Sanaa Rohi referred to the factory as a ceramics factory, adding that the same factory had been hit by an airstrike in September 2015 and included images of the damage from previous strikes. However, multiple sources including Ali al Kaulani included a video purporting to show explosions which occurred after the strikes, along with statements hinting or outright accusing the facility of producing ballistic missiles or “arms”. A post from Jamal Al-Maamari further asserted that the strike didn’t “target” the “Al-Sawari Ceramics or Plastics Factory owned by Hussein Adel Al-Sawari” but instead “targeted” the “pellets factory in Qaa Matna, part of which had been converted to assemble parts for explosive drones. The factory owner is a Houthi leader from the Al-Sawari family, named Hashem Mohammed Hassan Al-Sawari.” The post included additional details about when the factory had come under Houthi control, and stated that at the time of the strike, the factor had 86 drones inside.
A video posted by Talal azman included a video and images which showed the sky illuminated by explosions, specifically taken 12 kilometers from the site of the strikes. Multiple sources mentioned that three airstrikes had hit the factory.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to the US military.
Images posted by sources Ali Hesham and Al Araby News have not been archived within this incident as they have been identified as relating to previous airstrikes in Yemen.
The incident occured at approximately 9:00 pm local time.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the Al-Sawari Ceramics Factory (مصنع الصواري للسيراميك) in Matnah (متنا) in the district of Bani Matar (منطقة بني مطر), for which the generic coordinates are: 15.251372, 44.030341. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (32) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (23) [ collapse]
-
Source: Abdul Wahid Al-Qatwi
-
Source: Abdul Wahid Al-Qatwi
-
Source: @almahrhkhboor
-
Source: @yemenipress2
-
Source: @bwmmdlsyd151004
-
Source: @ERYANIM
-
Source: @ERYANIM
-
Source: Abu Kamil al-Ansi
-
Source: Shaker Al Matari
-
Source: Shaker Al Matari
-
Source: Abdulaziz Al Yazili
-
Source: Abdulaziz Al Yazali
-
Source: Ahmad Al Okashi
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: September 26 Hospital Authority -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: September 26 Hospital Authority -
Source: Talal azman
-
Source: Talal azman
-
Source: Talal azman
-
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.
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.