Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A farm worker was injured by alleged US-UK airstrikes on a farm in the “Al-Jar Farms” area in Abs District on February 2, 2024.
According to Jameel Ahmad, American-British fighter jets launched four airstrikes against former President “Ali Saleh’s farm in the “Al-Jar Farms” area in Abs District,” which was a farm that the Houthis had converted to grow produce but “there was no military site there.” Jameel Ahmad also spoke with a source who said that reconnaissance planes had flown over the area earlier in the day “as dozens of workers were present on the farm, and that most of the farmers were able to leave before the bombing, while one of the farmers was moderately injured”. Al Mashhad News and Yemen data project reported a similar casualty number, and Al Mashhad News quoted Houthi sources who said that the strikes did not hit any vital or sensitive targets.
Islamic Republic News Agency reported similar details that the US-UK jointly carried out strikes on the city of Abs in Hajjah Province, according to a Yemeni intelligence official, hours after a British vessel was hit off the western coast of Yemen.
US Central Command released a statement that “at approximately 4:40 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against four Houthi UAVs that were prepared to launch. U.S. forces identified the UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region. U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the UAVs in self-defense.” It is unclear if these are the same strikes which hit the farm as the US military did not provide a location.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (7) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention an alleged strike in the al Jar farms area (مزارع الجار) to the west of Abs (عبس). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for the al Jar farms are: 16.030247, 42.980695.
US Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
TAMPA, Fla. - On Feb. 2, at approximately 10:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), USS Carney (DDG 64) engaged and shot down one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported.
Later that same day, at approximately 4:40 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against four Houthi UAVs that were prepared to launch. U.S. forces identified the UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region. U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the UAVs in self-defense.
Then, at 9:20 p.m. (Sanaa time), USS Laboon (DDG 58) and F/A-18s from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group engaged and shot down seven UAVs over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported. These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels.