The Houthi de facto authorities have bombed or set ablaze at least nine civilian homes since 9 January in the Hanket Al Massoud area in Al Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa. Multiple civilians were killed, including two young men with mental illness, and dozens injured. To date, the Houthis have imposed a security cordon that severely restricts free movement in the area, while continuing to arbitrarily detain hundreds of villagers.
The Houthi authorities must immediately lift their movement restrictions on Hanket Al Massoud residents. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and the Yemen Coalition for Human Rights (YCHR) urgently call for an investigation into the human rights violations committed against residents of Al Bayda since 9 January and hold the perpetrators to account.
Houthi forces launched their first military attacks on Hanket Al Massoud on 5 January, claiming they were targeting armed men allegedly responsible for killing and injuring Houthi soldiers in attacks on a military patrol and a checkpoint. On 12 January, the Houthis stated they had “killed and arrested dozens of ISIS members.” However, testimonies and verified information available to CIHRS indicate that the Houthis deliberately killed civilians and attacked homes, while subjecting the entire village to collective punishment.
Two human rights defenders, who have closely documented the violence in Al Bayda, confirmed to CIHRS that the authorities escalated their military operations on 9 January, using drones, tanks, and heavy weaponry to destroy civilian homes, infrastructure, and agricultural lands with a blatant disregard for civilian lives. Several videos posted online, and others received from trusted sources, show smoke rising from burning homes with local residents in a state of panic. In one video, the man filming states that the homes were set on fire by Houthi drones used in the attack. CIHRS also reviewed photos that show the damage caused to civilian infrastructure, including destroyed buildings and shattered windows.
According to the sources, one residential home, Al Qabel mosque, and a Quranic school were completely burned down on 9 January. Over the following days, the total number of destroyed homes rose to at least nine. The sources reported that the attacks killed at least two residents and injured at least eleven others, including three women. CIHRS received a list of 20 names of civilians who were killed in the attacks but CIHRS was unable to speak to the victims’ families, due to residents’ fear of retaliation for speaking out. The sources also reported that Houthi forces concealed the bodies of those killed, leaving their families unaware of their whereabouts.
A family of five, including two young men with mental illness, were among those whose homes were destroyed. Despite being informed of their condition, the Houthis detonated explosives inside the house, killing both young men and injuring the rest of their family.
In addition to these attacks, Houthi forces imposed a siege on Hanket Al Massoud, severely disrupting daily life. Starting on 11 January, the Houthis blocked the entry of food and medicine and shut down telecommunications in the area for at least four days. The disruption in telecommunications, combined with the climate of fear gripping residents, has severely hindered effective documentation and independent investigation into the incident. This is not an isolated occurrence; according to one of the sources interviewed by CIHRS, the Houthis have repeatedly resorted to tactics of intimidation and communications shutdown to suppress information and prevent their abuses from being exposed.
The area, consisting of small villages with already limited services, has been seriously impacted by the attacks and siege. There is only one medical complex that has an emergency unit, which went out of service due to the siege, and attacks have left residents with no access to health services. A single education block that serves all levels of students, Abdullah Ibn Massoud school, has been forced out of service due to the attacks.
Houthi forces in Hanket Al Massoud have also arbitrarily arrested hundreds of residents. While at least 350 individuals were released, at least 119 remain in incommunicado detention without charge or due process and are believed to have been moved to prisons in Sana’a.
This is not the first time that the Houthi authorities have resorted to collective punishment and house demolitions in the area. In May 2024, CIHRS and YCHR reported on the killings of civilians in similar patterns of attacks in Al Bayda. Not only did the Houthis ignore the urgent calls for investigation into the attacks made at the time, but the Houthis are also launching more violent attacks in the same governorate, which are causing more civilian casualties and extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure.
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