Accusing the Houthi militia of trying to mislead the public, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen on Friday denied targeting a prison in Saada.

Houthi officials on Thursday claimed that coalition air strikes last week killed around 90 people and wounded more than 200 at Saada prison.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said the targeted location was a Houthi special security camp, which is a “legitimate military target”.
Al-Maliki cited a report of the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) dated January 27, 2022, after investigating the Houthis’ claim.

The statement said there are four locations identified as prisons in the Joint Forces Command’s No Strike List (NSL) in Saada, all of which are being used by the “terrorist Houthi militia” in launching “cross-border attacks to target civilians and civilian objects.”

The closest prison is located 1.8 kilometers away from the site targeted in a coalition air strike.

“What was announced and disseminated by the terrorist Houthi militia in its media outlets is a blatant attempt to mislead the public opinion regarding the true nature of the location in an attempt to garner sympathy from UN organizations and INGOs,” Al-Maliki said in the statement.

He assured that the Joint Forces Command “applies the highest targeting standards.”

The Coalition said it is prepared to shed light on the issue with representatives of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Red Cross.