Explosion at Houthi Weapons Depot in Yemen's Sanaa Kills Dozens, Destroys Civilian Homes

A powerful explosion rocked a Houthi rocket storage facility in the "Saref" area of Bani Hashish District, northeast of Houthi-controlled Sanaa, killing and injuring dozens of civilians while leveling nearby homes. The Iran-backed militia has imposed a media blackout on the incident.

Local sources said that the blast caused significant civilian casualties, though the exact number remains unclear due to Houthi restrictions. The explosion severely damaged multiple residential buildings, with some houses nearly completely destroyed.

Videos shared on social media showed massive plumes of smoke billowing from the area as Houthi-aligned emergency crews arrived at the scene. The footage revealed extensive damage to the surrounding neighborhood.

The incident has sparked outrage among residents, who had repeatedly demanded the removal of the weapons depot from their area—especially amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeting similar Houthi military sites.

Instead of addressing these concerns, the Houthis have reportedly cracked down on protesters, detaining several locals who opposed the presence of the weapons cache in their community.