Aden (South24 Center)

Several civilians were injured on Monday (September 21) after two ballistic missiles struck a popular market in Al-Mudaribah wa Ras Al-Arah District of Lahj Governorate, near the Kahboub front and the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, according to the latest casualty update announced by the Yemeni government.

In a statement issued later, the Ministry of Human Rights said the two missiles targeted a popular market in front of the “Bab Al-Mandeb Commercial Complex” in the Al-Hajaf area, causing damage to shops and vehicles.

The ministry said the two missiles struck roughly one hour apart during the afternoon, when the market was busy with shoppers and passersby. It did not specify the number of people injured, saying it was continuing to gather information and verify the extent of the casualties and damage.

Initial local reports had said that one missile struck near the market, locally known as the “Al-Mahwali Complex” or “Bab Al-Mandeb Complex,” and reported in the first hours after the attack that no casualties had been recorded. The ministry’s later statement, however, said two missiles had struck the area and that civilians were injured.

Surveillance camera footage showed the moment one of the missiles struck the vicinity of the market. The ministry said preliminary information regarding the trajectory of the two missiles and the timing of their launch indicated that they were fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Al-Sabrah District of Ibb Governorate. A separate analysis of one of the videos by the Eekad platform concluded that the projectile came from the northwest, in the direction of areas under Houthi control.

Circulating Video: Houthi militia targets Al-Mahawali complex in Al-Modaribah wa Al-Arah district, Lahj, with a ballistic missile#south24 pic.twitter.com/pjtY52Vvqz

— South24 | English (@South24E) September 21, 2026

The strikes came amid escalating clashes on the Kahboub front between Southern forces and the Nation Shield Forces on one side and the Iran-aligned Houthi militia on the other.

On Monday, the Southern Giants Brigades said they had destroyed five Houthi vehicles on the Kahboub front, including one they said belonged to a Houthi commander and another carrying a 23 mm weapon. The brigades said everyone aboard the vehicles was killed. The Houthis did not immediately comment on the reported toll.

Later on Monday evening, the Southern Giants Brigades said they had captured a Houthi commander and one of his escorts during clashes on the same front, without disclosing his identity or rank.

On the Al-Mudaribah front, military sources told South24 Center that Southern forces, backed by tribal fighters, seized Jabal Naman and nearby positions on Sunday after clashes with the Houthis in the area between Al-Mudaribah and Al-Wazi’iyah.

The developments are part of a broader military escalation that followed the Houthis’ seizure of the coastal city of Al-Mokha on September 10 and the intensification of fighting along the Bab Al-Mandeb fronts bordering South Yemen.