Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces exchanged accusations over a double airstrike that targeted a market crowded with civilians in Lahj governorate on September 21. Analysis of surveillance camera footage and eyewitness testimonies contributed to shedding more light on the incident.

Published on: 09/30/2026 - 12:50

As fighting between Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, and pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, has escalated since August, two airstrikes took place on a roadside gas station in the Al-Hajjaf area on September 21. This region of Yemen was under the control of pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia.

However, this rest area is located not far from the front lines, especially Bab al-Mandab, which is under the control of the Houthis, about twenty kilometers north, on the western coast.

The Houthi group, Iran's allies, condemned, through its Saba news agency, a Saudi air strike that targeted "a popular market in the Dhubab district of Taiz governorate." However, the Houthis mentioned in their statement an area where the raids did not occur, which is the Al-Hijjaf area, but rather a city controlled by the group, about fifty kilometers north.

Mutual accusations

A number of media outlets sympathetic to the Houthis shared their statement. The Lebanese Al-Manar channel, affiliated with Hezbollah, a supporter of the Houthis and an ally of Iran, reported the same accusation, accompanied by images from surveillance cameras showing the attack. A number of Houthi activists also shared these photos on the X platform, accusing Saudi aircraft in turn.

For its part, the Ministry of Human Rights, affiliated with the internationally recognized government, attributed the attacks to the Houthi rebels. Its statement indicated that it took place in a “popular market” located “in the Al-Hijjaf area,” and claimed that the attack resulted in the injury of a number of civilians, without specifying their number.

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The geographic location of the attack (12°42'07.4″N 43°45'13.1″E), provided by Muhammad Al-Basha, a Yemeni-American risk analyst, confirms that the attack occurred at a rest stop in Al-Hajjaf Governorate, which supports the government’s statement. This rest house is located in Lahj Governorate, which is under the control of pro-government forces, including Saudi forces.

Muhammad Al-Basha also obtained surveillance camera footage showing the second strike. The footage was shot from a different angle, but shows the same location, about an hour after the first strike, according to the time shown on the screen, 1:17 p.m. The footage clearly shows a projectile hitting the market, which had become almost empty, and hitting a car near which two men on foot and a man on a motorcycle were standing.

A missile or missile, not a bomb dropped from an airplane

We showed these images to two ballistics experts.

According to Frederic Koog, an expert in weapons systems and ballistics at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, these images do not match the effects of an air strike believed to have been carried out by the Saudi Air Force:

Photos and videos of the first strike appear to show the impact of a missile, not a bomb dropped from an aircraft. The photos and videos of the second strike also appear to show the impact of a missile. It seems to me that both missiles were launched from the north. This trend does not negate the responsibility of either party.

“If there was an air strike, there would be a big crater, which is not the case here.”

A second ballistics expert, who requested to remain anonymous, confirms this conclusion:

“The two shells are very thin, and on the back of them there are larger fins.”

Comparing the length of the projectile with the average human height in Yemen, about one meter and sixty, we can estimate the length of the missile, I would say about 5.9 metres.

It is very long compared to an aerial munition launched from an aircraft. Anyway, it's not a guided bomb, but probably a cheap missile. No country would waste an expensive guided bomb on a target like this, that would be absurd.

At these dimensions, it could be a missile or a missile launched from a truck. However, the warheads appear small, and the explosions are superficial. In the event of an air strike, it would leave a big crater, which did not happen here.

These analyzes refute the claim that the Saudi Air Force carried out these attacks. But why target a civilian area, where there does not appear to be fighting?

A rest area frequented by pro-government fighters

Fathi bin Lazraq is a Yemeni journalist residing in Aden. He is the director of the “Aden Al-Ghad” news website and comes from the region. He published the video of the first strike, and he has no doubt at all about the identity of its perpetrators.

This is a large gas station with a rest stop and shops, and is very popular with motorists. Since the start of this attack, government forces fighters have been stopping there to shop, just like everyone else. Moreover, it is not far from the confrontation lines with the Houthis, specifically near Bab al-Mandab. So, naturally, this station became a target for them. The raids took place in broad daylight, during peak traffic hours. There were both civilians and fighters. It remains that this area is civilian, not military, and there is no fighting that justifies these raids.

A third video, broadcast on the X platform, supports Fathi Ben Lazraq’s statements.

Two men were seen in the same rest area, standing in front of two burning vehicles after the airstrikes. They identified themselves as members of the National Resistance, a faction fighting the Houthis within the pro-government coalition, which is supported by Saudi Arabia. One of them shouted: “Houthi militias are targeting resistance fighters with missiles. They will not win no matter what they do.”

Several factors point to the hypothesis of a double strike that was launched from the Houthi camp, rather than an attack carried out by Saudi warplanes or factions supported by Riyadh. According to Mohammed Al-Basha's analysis, published on the

According to a report issued by the World Health Organization, the conflict caused 674 deaths and 29,998 injuries from the beginning of the escalation on August 6 until September 18.

According to the United Nations, 112,000 people were displaced within Yemen within two weeks in September 2026, while nearly 3,000 others crossed the Gulf of Aden to seek refuge in Djibouti.

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