A Yemeni man inspects a site reported to be a prison destroyed in a Saudi-led air strike in the Houthi stronghold of Saada, northern Yemen, on January 27. AFP
A Yemeni man inspects a site reported to be a prison destroyed in a Saudi-led air strike in the Houthi stronghold of Saada, northern Yemen, on January 27. AFP
A Yemeni man inspects a site reported to be a prison destroyed in a Saudi-led air strike in the Houthi stronghold of Saada, northern Yemen, on January 27. AFP
A Yemeni man inspects a site reported to be a prison destroyed in a Saudi-led air strike in the Houthi stronghold of Saada, northern Yemen, on January 27. AFP

Saudi-led coalition says it targeted ‘special security camp’ in Saada, not prison


Ismaeel Naar
  • English
  • Arabic

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen denied it targeted a prison in Saada and said it would present evidence refuting the militia’s claim.

The targeted location is a “special security camp”, which the coalition called "a legitimate military target in nature”.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will present all facts and detailed information regarding the Houthi militia’s claim that the coalition targeted a prison in Saada city to the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT), OCHA Yemen and ICRC,” coalition spokesman Brig Gen Turki Al Malki said.

He said there were four locations identified as prisons in the coalition’s “No Strike List” in Saada that are being used by the Houthis, and that the closest prison is located 1.8km away from the alleged area targeted in the strike on January 21.

“Furthermore, it is being used by the terrorist Houthi militia, and it is actively participating in hostilities and the launch of cross-border attacks to target civilians and civilian objects,” Brig Gen Al Malki said.

“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 and INGOs,” he said.

A day earlier, the coalition’s JIAT said it had been gathering information since reports first emerged of the prison being targeted on January 21.

The body did not say whether coalition planes carried out the air strike, as the Houthis have alleged. The coalition did announce a campaign of attacks elsewhere in Yemen in the days around the strike.

Yemenis stand next to a building reported to be a prison destroyed in a Saudi-led airstrike in the Houthi stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen, on January 27, 2022. AFP
Yemenis stand next to a building reported to be a prison destroyed in a Saudi-led airstrike in the Houthi stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen, on January 27, 2022. AFP

The Houthis have launched cross-border attacks using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Yemen’s conflict began in 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis took Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government to flee to the south, then into exile in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition, backed at the time by the US, entered the war months later to try and restore the government to power.

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Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

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HIV on the rise in the region

A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.

New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.

Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.

Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.  

Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma

When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

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Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

Remaining fixtures

Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday

Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday

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SPEC SHEET

Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass

CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU

Memory: 4GB

Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD

Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio

Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video

Platform: Android 11

Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics

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Biometrics: Face unlock

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

Updated: January 28, 2022, 6:52 AM