Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen hailed its meeting with the team of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as constructive and fruitful. The meeting was held at the Coalition’s Joint Forces Command headquarters.

The Coalition sources said that both sides exchanged information and facts with regard to the allegations pertaining to targeting a prison in Yemen’s Saada in January this year. “Coordination and information exchange would continue with the ICRC,” the Coalition added.

It was revealed in an investigation, conducted by the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) on the alleged targeted prison strike by the Arab Coalition, that the location to be a “Special Security Camp in Saada, which is a legitimate military target.”

Earlier last month, Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman of the Coalition, had slammed the allegations of the Houthi militias.

“What was announced and disseminated by the terrorist Houthi militia in its media outlets is a blatant attempt to mislead the public opinion regarding the true nature of the location in an attempt to garner sympathy from UN organizations. The closest prison is located 1.8 km away from the claimed location," he said.

Al-Maliki noted that the targeted location was a Special Security Camp in Saada, which is a legitimate military target in nature. Furthermore, he pointed to its military use by the terrorist Houthi militia, and its active participation in hostilities and the launch of cross-border attacks to target civilians and civilian objects.