5 killed as Saudi airstrikes bomb a central prison in Al-Hazm town, Yemen

Saudi airstrikes hit the Central Reformatory (prison) in Al-Hazm district, Al-Jawf governorate, Yemen, on September 7, 2026, killing and injuring inmates, with rescue operations continuing under the rubble.

Yemeni sources, including Al-Masirah and local officials, reported that Saudi warplanes targeted the facility, causing significant destruction. Initial casualty figures varied across updates: early reports mentioned around 5–14 killed or wounded (including at least one child and a woman who was visiting), with dozens of inmates still trapped.

Civil defense and prison officials said teams recovered multiple bodies (later updates referenced higher numbers, such as 11 in some statements) while searching for additional missing people amid the debris. Rescue efforts were hampered by the scale of the rubble and limited heavy equipment.

Yemeni authorities, the Supreme Political Council, Ansar Allah (Houthis), and rights groups strongly condemned the strike as a deliberate attack on a civilian facility holding detainees, calling it a war crime and violation of international humanitarian law. They held Saudi Arabia fully responsible and warned of consequences. The incident occurred amid broader reported escalations involving airstrikes, artillery, and military movements in several Yemeni provinces.