The US Central Command clarified that based on various evidence, an explosion near the Yemeni capital’s old city was caused by a Houthi air defense missile and not a US strike, as the Houthis had claimed.
The US military says an explosion near the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen, was caused by a Houthi missile and not an American strike.
A US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson said the damage and casualties described by Yemen’s Houthi officials “likely did occur,” but a US attack did not cause them. He noted that the closest US strike that night was more than three miles away.
Based on a review of “local reporting, including videos documenting Arabic writing on the missile’s fragments at the market,” the military determined that the blast was caused by a “Houthi air defense missile.”
The spokesperson added that the terrorist rebels subsequently arrested Yemenis. He did not provide evidence.
The New York Times quoted a Houthi official who stated that the American denial was an attempt to smear the rebels.
The Houthi-run health ministry said 12 people were killed in the explosion in a neighborhood near the Old City of Sanaa, which is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.
