Houthi forces attacked several civilian homes and other civilian infrastructure in Yemen between January 5 and 12, 2025, in search of armed men, Human Rights Watch said today.
The attacks in Hankat al-Massoud, a village in al-Bayda governorate in northern Yemen that is under Houthi control, killed several people and injured dozens of others. The Houthi forces also arrested hundreds of people from the small village and are holding many without charge. The Houthis' attacks may amount to war crimes.
"The Houthis have shown little limit to the harm they cause for Yemeni civilians," said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Houthis' repeated attacks against civilians under their control should be independently investigated, and the international community should take more serious steps to ensure accountability and enhance the protection of Yemeni civilians."
Human Rights Watch interviewed four people, including the family member of one of the victims, and two human rights defenders who have been following the situation. Researchers verified videos and photographs posted on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube, and analyzed high- and low-resolution satellite imagery.
The military operation was carried out search of armed men who had, according to the Houthis' Interior Ministry, attacked a security force patrol and another checkpoint in the governorate, killing and injuring soldiers.
People interviewed said that the Houthis used drones, armored vehicles, rockets, small arms, and light weapons to attack civilians and civilian objects. Human Rights Watch was able to visually verify the Houthis' use of small arms and light weapons in the attacks.
Mohammed, whose last name is withheld for his security, said that his uncle, whom he described as a civilian, was killed in his home during an attack. "They took away his body and refused to release it," he said. He knew of five other people who were also killed in the attacks. Human Rights Watch was unable to verify their deaths. SAM for Human Rights, a Yemeni human rights group, reported that 15 people had been killed in the attacks.
Mohammed also said that he had learned from family and friends in the area that "people's homes were looted by Houthi forces, including large amounts of money, gold, and personal weapons."
A human rights activist from the area said that he had gathered information from residents that the Houthis had destroyed civilian homes and attacked civilians in the village. He said that dozens of families had been displaced due to the attacks. SAM for Human Rights documented the destruction of 10 houses, the burning of a mosque and a religious school, along with looting and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of civilians.
Human Rights Watch geolocated a video posted to X on January 11 showing dozens of men and a pick-up truck moving east on the road out of the village. The person recording the video says that the Houthis are fleeing the village. Gunfire can be heard in the distance.
Researchers also verified videos and photographs posted online that showed men wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying rifles setting fire to a two-story building. Researchers analyzed high-resolution satellite imagery captured on January 18 over Hankat al-Massoud showing a burn scar on the building's roof. A second building approximately 220 meters southeast of the two-story building shows signs of heavy damage.
SAM for Human Rights and people interviewed said that the Houthis imposed a four-day siege on the village, during which they did not allow food or medicine to enter the area. Since January 5, the Houthis have also intermittently cut and restricted internet and telecommunications access to the area.
The Houthis control the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology in Sanaa and have frequently cut and restricted telecommunications services to areas under their control in light of protests and other events. The Houthis' blocking of and restrictions on internet and telecommunications has made it challenging for human rights organizations to gather information on the ongoing violations from residents.
The activist said that it was hard to get the names of those who had been injured and killed due to the telecommunications blackout. He said that even when the blackout is not in place, it had been difficult to get information as people have been too frightened to talk on their phones about what has been happening in the area.
On January 15, the Houthis' Interior Ministry announced in a statement that "the security campaign in the Hanka al-Masoud area of al-Quraishyah district successfully cleared the area of the criminal ISIS elements gathered there… the security campaign resulted in the arrest of dozens of ISIS criminal elements and the killing of several others." Human Rights Watch, however, has not found any evidence that those who were killed, injured, or arrested were Islamic State (ISIS) members, or that ISIS elements exist in the village.
Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are war crimes.
Throughout the more than nine-year conflict in Yemen, the Houthis have consistently attacked civilians and civilian infrastructure. On March 19, 2024, Houthi authorities demolished a house with explosives in Rada'a in al-Bayda governorate, killing nine civilians - all members of one family, including children - and injuring at least seven more. The attack also destroyed the house that was targeted, and "severely damaged" five other homes in its vicinity.
The Houthis admitted that their forces committed abuses during the March 19, 2024, attacks. The Interior Ministry spokesperson described the attack as "An irresponsible reaction involving the excessive and illegal use of force." Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the Houthis' leader, expressed his condolences in a televised speech and directed the respective authorities to investigate and provide reparation for the affected families, which they ultimately did, according to two people who spoke with Human Rights Watch.
In 2021, Human Rights Watch documented the Houthis' indiscriminate firing of artillery and ballistic missiles into populated areas of Yemen's Marib governorate, resulting in civilian casualties, including women and children, and causing a new wave of civilian displacement.
"The Houthis have time and time again shown their willingness to kill and arbitrarily detain Yemenis living in areas they control," Jafarnia said. "Statements and apologies will never make up for the loss of civilian life, and the Houthis should immediately end attacks on civilians, release all the detainees, fully lift the media blackout of al-Bayda, and provide reparations to the victims and their families."
