The terrorist crime committed by the Houthi militias backed by the Iranian regime, through their targeting today, Friday, with missiles and drones, of residential neighborhoods and civilian gatherings, including camps and gatherings of displaced persons in Marib city and its outskirts, embodies the terrorist and criminal nature of these militias and their determination to target innocent civilians indiscriminately, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and in clear contravention of national law and the established customs and values inherited by Yemeni society.
While the Ministry of Human Rights condemns this heinous crime in the strongest terms, it affirms that the attack, which resulted in the death of two civilians and the injury of 14 others, including women, children, and elderly persons, constitutes a terrorist aggression and amounts to a crime against humanity. It further confirms that the targeting of civilians and displaced persons has become a systematic practice adopted by the militias to terrorize the population, undermine security and stability, and show contempt for human dignity and the sanctity of life.
This terrorist attack comes less than twenty-four hours after the treacherous assault launched by the militias against positions belonging to the government armed forces, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, in a dangerous military escalation and a blatant violation of the declared de-escalation, confirming the militias’ determination to undermine prospects for de-escalation, prioritize the option of violence, and expose civilians to further risks and suffering.
This terrorist escalation reveals that the Houthi militias backed by the Iranian regime continue to pursue a systematic policy based on targeting civilians and civilian objects in more than one governorate, with no regard for the provisions of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The attacks were not limited to the shelling of camps for displaced persons in Marib, but extended on the same day to targeting the vicinity of a school in Al-Dhalea Governorate with a drone, causing damage to the home of a citizen located nearby, in yet another confirmation of the militias’ determination to expand the scope of their targeting of civilians and civilian facilities. This pattern of attacks also constitutes a war crime and a grave violation of the rules protecting civilians during armed conflicts, and is an extension of a long record of crimes and violations committed by the militias against Yemenis over the years.
The Ministry of Human Rights calls on the international community, the United Nations, the Security Council, and the Human Rights Council to move beyond statements of condemnation and adopt a firm position commensurate with the seriousness of these crimes, and to work toward the adoption of a United Nations resolution designating the Houthi militias as a terrorist group, with the resulting treatment of the group in accordance with that designation, the strengthening of measures aimed at limiting its ongoing threats to civilians, holding those responsible for its crimes accountable, and ending the state of impunity that has encouraged it to continue its violations.
The Ministry reiterates that the protection of civilians is a legal and moral duty that does not allow for complacency, and that continued hesitation in confronting these crimes will only encourage their perpetrators to persist in targeting innocent people and undermining prospects for peace. This requires the international community to fulfill its legal and humanitarian responsibilities and take practical and deterrent measures to put an end to these violations, ensure the protection of civilians, and hold those responsible accountable.
Issued by: Ministry of Human Rights
Aden | 07 August 2026
