RIYADH: The Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) on Wednesday released findings clearing the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen of several alleged human rights violations.
The investigation addressed claims of an airstrike on Sarwah Rural Hospital in Harib, Marib governorate, on April 24, 2015. After reviewing mission data, satellite imagery, and operational records, JIAT confirmed the hospital was on the coalition’s no-strike list and showed no signs of aerial damage. No coalition operations were conducted in Sarwah on that day or the days surrounding it.
In a Riyadh press conference, JIAT spokesperson Mansour Al-Mansour also responded to an allegation of a coalition strike on a mosque in Al-Sawad, Amran governorate, on Sept. 23, 2019. JIAT found no operations in Amran on that date. Instead, a strike the previous day targeted Houthi mobilization sites in Harf Sufyan, identified as legitimate military targets under international humanitarian law. The operation used precision-guided munitions with verified precautions to avoid civilian harm. The structure targeted lacked features identifying it as a mosque.
JIAT also investigated claims of strikes on a pickup truck and a house in Al-Jarr village, Hajjah, on June 16, 2019, and homes in Al-Hijrah village, Shabwah, on Jan. 4, 2019. In both cases, reviews of air tasking orders, mission data, and satellite imagery revealed no coalition activity on or around the alleged dates. The team found no evidence of aerial targeting.
JIAT concluded that in all cases reviewed, coalition forces had not conducted the alleged attacks and that the operations carried out adhered to international humanitarian law.
