At least three civilians were killed and between 10 and 29 others were injured by alleged U.S. airstrikes on a factory in the Matna area in Bani Matar, Sanaa, Yemen on April 13, 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 for Human Rights, at approximately 9:00 p.m., 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 Ahmed Ahmed Mohammed Joula and Bashir Mansour Mohammed Joula, along with images of both men. Ahmed was pictured dressed nicely in front of the famous Al-Saleh Mosque in Sanaa. Bashir was 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.
A later report by Mwatana for Human Rights, which was published in September 2026 by Brown University's Cost of War project, included testimony from the mother of one victim - likely Ahmed Ahmed Mohammed Joula - who was killed and "whose small restaurant was destroyed" in the bombing. She said, “My son was responsible for us after his father fell ill. He provided everything for me, his father, his younger sister, as well as his divorced sister and her two children. He took care of all of us. Without him, we are helpless. The small restaurant he owned supported both families, and we had a decent life. But after the incident, and the destruction of our home and the restaurant, we were left on the street overnight with nothing but the clothes we were wearing. That night, our clothes, belongings, furniture — everything disappeared. We found no shelter except our old house that we had left thirty-five years ago. Life has become difficult; every day we wake up wondering how to find enough food to stave off hunger for ourselves and the children with us .” She added, in anguish: “The school year started, and we could not enroll the children until some people donated money, while others provided clothes, notebooks, and pens… we have become beggars.”
Speaking with Mwatana, a woman who was widowed by the bombing said, “If my husband were still alive, I would not have gone through this. My eight-year-old son fell and broke his arm, and I could not afford to treat him. If his father were here, he would have taken care of it…There is no one to comfort my young children or ease the trauma they suffered from losing their father .” She added: “I used to live in dignity in my home — everything came to me. Now, people give me charity.”
A survivor - possibly the same woman - also told Mwatana about the trauma that her son experienced as a result of the strike, saying, “He saw his father after he was hit by shrapnel — how he was bleeding, and how his intestines were coming out. His father was screaming: ‘Run… leave me and run before the American aircraft strikes again and finishes me off.’ Taha still cannot sleep; when he does, he wakes up terrified. Whenever he hears thunder or any loud noise, he runs in fear, his whole-body trembling. I hold him to calm him down… Even his school has said his academic performance has declined — he cannot concentrate in class — and they advised that he be seen by a psychologist.”
A woman whom Mwatana described as "wife of the deceased victim" was reportedly "injured in the bombing of a house adjacent to Al-Sawari factory." Speaking with Mwatana researchers on August 11, 2025, the woman said, "I need surgery but cannot undergo it… I cannot move normally because of the shrapnel injuries."
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.