About the Incident

Location: Qahzah area, Saada City
Date: March 15-16, 2025
Time: Late night of March 15 or early morning of March 16, 2025
Victims: At least thirteen reported killed and six injured
Incident type: Airstrikes
Responsible party: Likely U.S. military under the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

Introduction

On the night of March 15 and the early morning of March 16, 2025, a series of airstrikes impacted a residential area in Qahzah, north of Saada city, Yemen. The attack resulted in civilian casualties, including children, and left widespread destruction at the impact site. Images and videos shared online showed debris from a U.S.-manufactured cruise missile.

Saada has previously been one of the areas most heavily impacted in Yemen. Human Rights Watch documented more than 210 impact sites in built-up areas of Saada city in 2015 alone, when the Saudi/UAE-led coalition declared the city a military target, causing widespread damage to homes, markets, and other civilian infrastructure.

Yemeni Archive chose to investigate this incident due to the high number of civilian casualties, most of them women and children, within a single family. This strike exemplifies a broader and troubling pattern of U.S. airstrikes impacting civilian areas during the 2025 campaign in Yemen.

This investigation documents the sequence of events, analyzes open-source materials collected at the impact site, and cross-references statements and casualty reports with the type of weapon reportedly used and maps of the location.

Given the restricted access to the impact site, most of the immediate visual materials and victim reporting was sourced from Houthi-affiliated media outlets, who had early and direct access to the location. These sources were cross-referenced with independent imagery and data to assist with verification.

Content Warning

This investigation contains graphic content, especially in the ‘Victims’ section, which includes written descriptions of individuals injured and killed in the incident, as well as visuals of injured and deceased victims. Sources containing graphic audiovisual material may be redacted or accompanied by warning notices. To request access to an unredacted version, please email us at: requests@yemeniarchive.org.

Methodology

Yemeni Archive conducted an investigation into the strike, based on a multi-stage analysis of open-source documentation, including pre- and post-strike imagery, visual damage assessments, witness reports, and social media posts. Yemeni Archive’s activities included:

Preservation, analysis, and verification of 107 sources, including video clips, images, and reports uploaded to social media and satellite images. These materials documented the impact site, reports of the strike, resulting damage, the initial response, and the reported fatalities and injuries;
Geolocation of the impact site by matching prominent landmarks observed in the ground-level visual content with satellite imagery;
Verification of the time of the strike using timestamps from initial social media posts; and
Review and cross-referencing of casualty claims circulated online.

For more information on Yemeni Archive’s research methodology, please visit our website.

Background on Civilian Losses and Residential Impacts from the March - May 2025 U.S. Airstrikes

According to open source information, independent monitors, and rights groups, during the U.S. military’s Operation Rough Rider from mid-March to early May 2025, dozens of civilian structures were impacted and destroyed or damaged across Houthi-controlled areas. Mwatana, for example, documented strikes that hit homes, shops, markets, health facilities, factories, government offices, and other vital civilian sites. The scale of destruction was significant and was recorded in at least eight governorates.

Since the first day of the U.S. airstrikes, multiple houses and residential neighborhoods have reportedly been impacted, in some cases resulting in residential homes being entirely destroyed. Examples of reported incidents include:

On the night of March 15, reports indicated that nine people were killed and more than ten others injured as a result of a U.S. airstrike impacting a residential neighborhood Al-Jaraf in Shu'oub district of Sana’a.
On March 19, at least seven women and two children were reportedly injured when alleged U.S. airstrikes impacted a residential neighborhood in Al-Thawra District of Sana’a.
During the evening of March 23, at least one child was reportedly killed and up to fifteen others injured including three children and two women, after an airstrike hit a residential building in the Ma’in District of Sana’a.
On March 28, one person was reportedly killed and three others were injured following airstrikes on the outskirts of Saada city.
On the morning of March 31, two people were reportedly killed and a child injured in Bani Qais District, Hajjah, after two reported strikes.
On April 6, four people, including two women, were reportedly killed, and 23 others, including 11 women and children, were injured after airstrikes hit the Shaab Al-Hafa neighborhood in the Shu’ub District of Sana’a.
On April 8, at least thirteen people, including at least four children and six women were reportedly killed in two airstrikes on the residential complex in Amin Muqbel, Al-Hawak District, Al Hudaydah Governorate.
On April 19, a man and his daughter were reportedly injured when airstrikes hit the Majel Ad-Damna cemetery in Al-Safiyah neighborhood of Sana’a. Also on April 19, two people were reportedly killed and two others wounded in Al-Nahda neighborhood, Al-Thawra District, Sana’a.
During the evening of April 20, at least twelve people were reportedly killed and 34 injured when an airstrike or air defense missile hit the Furwa neighborhood market in the Shu’ub District of Sana’a.
On April 26, eight people, including two children, were reportedly injured in a U.S. airstrike that impacted a residential neighborhood west of Al-Rawda in Bani Al-Harith District, Sana’a. Around the same time, another airstrike impacted a home near Lebanon Hospital in the 14 October neighborhood of Al-Sabeen District, resulting in the death of a woman.
On April 27, at least eight people including children were reportedly killed when three homes were struck in the Thaqban area, Bani al-Harith District, Sana’a.
On the morning of April 28, an airstrike reportedly killed 68 people held at Saada’s Remand Detention Centre and injured at least 47. The center housed mostly migrants from African countries and was believed to be holding 115 people at the time. Yemen remains a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Gulf states, many of whom are detained by Houthi authorities.

From the first documented U.S. strike in Yemen in 2009 up until the start of Operation Rough Rider in March 2025, Airwars had recorded at least 258 civilian deaths resulting from U.S. actions. However, within just two months of airstrikes this year, ending with a ceasefire in May, Airwars documented at least 224 additional civilians killed by U.S. strikes in Yemen.

Background: Saada Governorate and Saada City

Saada Governorate is located in Northern Yemen, bordering Saudi Arabia, and has reportedly been the heartland of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement since the early 2000s. Reportedly it was the first governorate to fall under Houthi control. Saada city is the largest city in Saada governorate.

From 2011 onward Saada governorate became a central hub for Houthi military and administrative operations. Following intense fighting in March 2011, Houthi forces captured Saada city, and installed their own governor.

Under Houthi rule, Saada has endured multiple waves of airstrikes, beginning with Saudi/UAE-led air campaigns in 2015, during which civilian infrastructure such as roads, schools, and markets were reportedly targeted. In January 2024, the U.S. and the U.K. launched airstrikes reportedly against Houthi targets as part of their broader maritime security campaign in the Red Sea, alongside Israeli airstrikes in Yemen that were also reported during the same period.

Since mid-March 2025, U.S. airstrikes have also targeted Saada as part of Operation Rough Rider, which claimed to degrade Houthi capabilities amid their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Impact Site

The Qahzah area appears to be a mixed residential, agricultural and industrial part of Saada city as shown in the Google Maps screenshot below. There appears to be an airport runway nearby, belonging to Saada Airport (which is described by Google Maps as permanently closed). The airport, which has been under Houthi control since 2009, was reportedly targeted by the Saudi-led coalition in 2016, and was in a damaged state as of February 2023. The airport is in close proximity to the impact site, as discussed in the Geolocation section.

Picture 1.png — *Screenshot of satellite image from Airbus via* *Google Maps* *in 2025 showing Saada City and its administrative boundaries, and the Qahzah area (spelt here as ‘Gohza’). Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 24, 2025.*

Reports circulated on social media in March 2025 stated that U.S. airstrikes targeted Houthi positions in the Qahzah area, where weapons depots and missile launch platforms belonging to the Houthis were reportedly located. According to further news shared on social media, the Qahzah area was subsequently targeted two more times on March 25 and 29, 2025.

What Happened and When

On March 16, 2025, social media accounts and local journalists circulated reports of U.S. airstrikes targeting residential areas in Saada governorate, including the Qahzah area. The first confirmed reports and images of casualties emerged in the early morning hours of March 16.

The first report of strikes on Saada that day was posted by Al-Masirah (a media channel affiliated with the Houthi Movement) at 0:48 AM Yemen local time.

*Screenshot from* *Al-Masirah’s* *Telegram channel showing the first news report about the airstrikes on Saada on March 16, 2025. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 25, 2025.*

At 1:16 AM Yemen local time, Al-Masirah published the first report explicitly stating that the Qahzah area had been targeted by airstrikes. Fifteen minutes later Al-Masirah reported that two homes in the area had been hit, resulting in the deaths of four children and a woman, and the injury of ten others. Al-Joumhouriya TV Channel’s account on X reported at 1:20 AM that the U.S. strikes targeted what it described as Houthi positions in the Qahzah area, north of the city.

Around the same time, news updates indicated that efforts to clear rubble were ongoing at the site of the strike.

*Screenshot from* *Al-Masirah’s* *Telegram channel showing the first news report referring to airstrikes on Qahzah area on March 16, 2025. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 25, 2025.*

Salem Al-Awjari’s Facebook account posted at 1:39 AM, followed by Hamdan Al-Qadri’s account, reporting that four airstrikes impacted the house of Ibn Ruqa’a Al-Waeli in Saada, resulting in the death of an entire family, most of whom were children and women. According to a Facebook post by Hasan Al-Waeli later that day, the impacted house belonged to his cousin. He stated that the house was struck by four airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of 13 family members, including children, women, and the elderly, and leaving six others critically injured.

At 1:38 AM, news emerged of a separate strike on a residential area in Al Sha’af, Saqain district, Saada, which reportedly resulted in the death of one person. Another Al-Masirah news update reported that a further civilian area was impacted.

Yahya Al-Shahari’s report from the scene for Al-Masirah Channel (graphic, hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons, but materials archived and available on request) included videos showing a large number of people gathering in an attempt to remove the rubble. In the report, Al-Shahari mentioned that the Al-Ruqa’a family was targeted in the Qahzah area, adjacent to the center of Saada governorate. Efforts to remove the rubble continued throughout the early morning hours.

Screenshots from Yahya Al-Shahari’s report (graphic, hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons) for Al-Masirah Channel, showing people at the reported impact site with ongoing efforts to remove the rubble. Screenshots were grouped and captured by Yemeni Archive on June 26, 2025.

At 2:08 AM, Al-Masirah published a video from a hospital (graphic, hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons, but materials archived and available on request), reportedly showing the wounded from the strike on the Qahzah area. The video (of which some clips were also included in Al-Shahari’s longer report) showed a series of people, most of whom appeared to be children, with severe injuries.

Accumulated reports indicate that U.S. airstrikes impacted a residential area in the Qahzah neighborhood, no later than 1:16 AM on March 16, 2025. According to reports shared on social media, four airstrikes struck the home of the Al-Ruqa’a family, resulting in the deaths and injuries of multiple family members, most of whom were women and children.

Geolocation

The impact site is in Qahzah area in Saada, located at coordinates 16.96448, 43.73558.

*Satellite image from Airbus via Google Earth Pro showing the alleged impact site in Qahzah. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 28, 2025.*

Yemeni Archive analyzed Yahya Al-Shahari’s video and photos taken from the impact site, compared and matched the predominant features with satellite imagery, and was able to identify key characteristics of the location.

The top screenshot is from Al-Shahari’s video post on X (graphic, hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons), reportedly showing the impact site on March 16, 2025. The bottom screenshot is from Google Earth Pro, showing a satellite image taken on January 5 2024. Both images show the same buildings with distinctive features. Annotated and captured by Yemeni Archive on June 28, 2025.

*The top screenshot is from ‘Son of Gaza Pride*’, shared on Facebook on March 17, 2025. The bottom screenshot is from Google Earth Pro, showing a satellite image taken on January 5, 2024. Both images show the same buildings with distinctive features. Annotated and captured by Yemeni Archive on June 28, 2025.

Damage

Photos, video (graphic, hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons, but materials archived and available on request), and satellite imagery from after the attack show extensive destruction at the impact site in the Qahzah area. The airstrikes resulted in the near-total destruction of at least two residential buildings and significant damage to several others. The strikes caused the collapse of ceilings, floors, and exterior walls, leaving large sections of buildings reduced to rubble. Adjacent structures sustained severe damage, including to roofs and concrete columns.

Photos also show widespread debris across the site, with emergency responders and individuals searching through the rubble. The surrounding area shows scattered building materials, while nearby agricultural sheds were completely destroyed.

*A collage of images posted by* *Jamal Jameel* *on Facebook purportedly shows fires burning inside a building following airstrikes in Qahzah. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 28, 2025.*

*Image, shared by* *Kho Saada* *on Facebook shows crowds gathering and rescue operations underway amid the rubble of destroyed homes. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 28, 2025.*

The top satellite image is from Google Earth Pro dated January 5, 2024, showing the buildings in the Qahzah area before the airstrike. The bottom satellite image is from Google Earth Pro dated March 30, 2025, showing the same site after the airstrike, with widespread destruction and large areas reduced to rubble. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 28, 2025.

Victims

Content warning: This section contains graphic content, including descriptions of individuals killed and injured in the incident, and visuals of injured and deceased victims.

Initial reporting and visual documentation of civilian harm began appearing shortly after news broke of the airstrikes on the Qahzah area, and reports soon emerged of casualties resulting from alleged U.S. airstrikes.

Within an hour of the first reports of the strike, Al-Masirah reported the deaths of four children and a woman, as well as injuries to more than ten others including women and children. Approximately thirty minutes later, Al-Masirah published a video at a local hospital (graphic, hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons, but materials archived and available on request). The footage begins with the transfer of an injured man, followed by scenes showing a child with apparent severe injuries. The video then shows a teenager with significant wounds to his legs, another injured child, and a group of bodies, at least one of which appears to be a child. Subsequent footage features a young girl receiving treatment, the body of a woman, and a young girl on a ventilator with visible leg injuries. The video continues with a child whose face appears to have suffered extensive trauma and burns. Later, the video shows what appears to be a burned body inside a bag, concluding with a shot of another child with facial injuries. In total, the video documents at least thirteen individuals - four fatalities including children, and several others including children with serious injuries.

Screenshots from Al-Masirah’s video (graphic; hyperlink removed for privacy of vulnerable persons) showing two young adults receiving treatment. Captured and redacted by Yemeni Archive on July 1, 2025.

According to news circulated by social media users, including Anes Al-Mansour on X and Majd Al-Madani on Facebook, the casualties reportedly included a family consisting of 28 members. Hasan Al-Waeli posted a statement on Facebook mourning the loss of his cousin’s family. According to his post, the Waeli tribe mourned the death of the family of Musfir Abdullah Musfir bin Ragha’a Al-Waeli, with thirteen members, including children, women, and elderly, reported killed, and six others sustaining critical injuries.

Facebook accounts such as Abdullah Ahmed Al-Owairi and Waeli Hamdan posted a photo (graphic) of two children, estimated by Yemeni Archive to be between five and seven years old, who were reportedly killed in the attack.

It is important to note that some sources identified the family by their surname, Al-Ruqha’a (also spelt Raqqah), as well as by their apparent tribal affiliation, Al-Waeli (or Wayla).

A New Yorker article featured an interview with a neighbor of the Rogha’a family, who provided the names of ten victims from the airstrike, nine of whom were reportedly killed and one who survived. The names of those killed are Risala (age 13), Saleh (age 9), Abdullah (age 6), Nazam (age 6), Abdulkader (age 5), Hadi (age 3), Motlak (a newborn baby), the baby’s mother (name not specified), and Hamad (age 5). D., a three-year-old girl, survived the strike but sustained critical injuries.

The Facebook account of Ammar Ali Hatroum published information about both Hamad Abdullah bin Raqqah Al-Waeli and Abdulqader bin Khater bin Raqqah Al-Waeli (posts now offline, but archived). Hasan Al-Waeli also published a video on Facebook that included an image of the child Hadi bin Khater, stating that he had been killed (in the image that includes Hadi bin Khater and two other deceased children, one of the children appears to be touching a rifle in front of him - this gesture is part of a Yemeni traditional custom or cultural practice); as well as images of five children, one of whom appeared to be an adolescent, saying that all five were injured.

Reports of the number of fatalities varied, with some sources stating that thirteen people were killed, while others reported nine fatalities. Available visual evidence shows at least four fatalities, and the family member’s written posts state that at least thirteen people were killed and six injured. Among the dead were children, and several other children were reportedly wounded.

Munition Used

Images showing remnants of a weapon, claimed to be from a U.S. munition that impacted the house in Qahzah, were first published by Majd al-Madani on Facebook, a resident of Saada, at 8:48 AM local time on March 16. The same images were later shared by other accounts, including Houthi-run media accounts, the official accounts of Watan newspaper and Saba news agency on X, and Al-Bass Al-Yemani and individuals such as Abo Yosef Alamry on Facebook.

The images shared by the accounts above show remnants of a metallic assembly with both electronic and mechanical components. Visible among the debris are parts of a compact jet engine, actuator systems, circuit boards, and control modules, features typical of guided munitions. Close-up images highlight manufacturer and contract labels, including serial numbers and production codes.

*Image, shared by* *Watan* *on X, shows the wreckage of a jet engine and other munition components reportedly recovered from the impact site following airstrikes in Qahzah. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 30, 2025.*

*Image, shared by* *Watan* *on X, shows the remnants of electronic components reportedly recovered from the impact site following airstrikes in Qahzah. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 30, 2025.*

*The image on the left, shared by* *Watan* on X, shows the remnants of a metallic fragment marked with a serial number and manufacturer’s information, reportedly recovered from the impact site following airstrikes in Qahzah. The image on the right, labeled by Yemeni Archive, highlights in the yellow box the marking identifying the component as part of a fin control system actuator, produced under U.S. Navy *contract N00019-17-C-0034; and in the red box the manufacture date of February 2018. Captured and marked by Yemeni Archive on June 30, 2025.*

*Image, shared by* *Watan* on X, shows the remnants of an electronic component with a partially legible manufacturer’s label, reportedly recovered from the impact site following airstrikes in Qahzah. Based on Yemeni Archive analysis, this component is *part of* *the electronic control module connected to the fin control system actuator. Captured by Yemeni Archive on June 30, 2025.*

Analysis of the images by Airwars identified the remnants as part of the RGM/UGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) series. Material published by U.S. Central Command on their X account showed what appeared to be Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles being launched, reportedly at Houthi targets in Yemen. That post was published at 11:01 PM UTC on March 15, equating to 2:01 AM Yemen local time on March 16, implying that a number of missiles were launched during the night of March 15-16, 2025.

The TLAM is a long-range, subsonic cruise missile used by the U.S. and U.K. navies to strike ‘high value’ land targets from ships and submarines. Modern variants can be retargeted in flight, loiter over targets, and provide real-time updates, making the Tomahawk a widely used and valued munition known for its precision and flexibility in striking defended or distant targets.

Based on the timing of the reported impact and the munition type identified, this strike was likely part of the wider U.S. campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen. No other coalition members publicly claimed responsibility for airstrikes in Yemen during this period; the U.K., another operator of the same munition type, did not actively join the U.S. campaign until April 2025.

Responses

The Houthi Supreme Political Council condemned the attack, describing it as a crime against civilians. The U.S. government made no mention of civilian casualties, and CENTCOM provided limited details regarding its operations in Yemen.

Conclusion

In the late night of March 15 or the early morning of March 16, 2025, at least two homes were impacted by at least four airstrikes, reportedly resulting in the deaths of thirteen people from the same family, including children and women, and injuring at least six others, including children. Footage filmed at a hospital showed four fatalities including children, and several other patients including children with severe injuries.

Open-source analysis of imagery posted in relation to the attack shows the use of a U.S.-manufactured Tomahawk cruise missile, as evidenced by identifiable debris and contract labels; U.S. CENTCOM posted footage of what appeared to be the same type of weapon being fired in the same time period. U.S. authorities did not acknowledge the specific airstrikes or the civilian harm, while local and international sources reported significant casualties and condemned the attack.

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U.S. Airstrikes on Residential Homes in Qahzah

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INVESTIGATIONS