SANAA: US strikes hit a migrant detention centre in Yemen`s Saada city, killing at least 68 people, Yemen`s Houthi media said on Monday.

The US military has hammered the Houthis with near-daily strikes since March 15 in an operation dubbed `Rough Rider`, seeking to end the threat they pose to vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis launched strikes targeting Israel and Western vessels in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who are facingIsraeli offensive since October 2023.

On Sunday, the US said it had hit more than 800 targets in Yemen since mid-March, killing hundreds of Houthirebelsincludingmembers of the group`s leadership.

Just hours later, Houthi media said the latest barrage by US forces had hit a migrant detention centre.

`The civil defence has announced that 68 African migrants were killed and 47 others wounded in the US attack targeting a centre for illegal migrants in the city of Saada,the Houthis` Al-Masirah TV said.

According to a statement cited by Al-Masirah from the interior ministry, the centre housed 115 migrants, all from Africa. The broadcaster showed footage of the bodies stuck under the rubble and of rescuers.

UN alarmed UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body was `deeply alarmed` by the reported strikes and urged `all parties` to protect civilians. `We are saddened by the tragic loss of life where manyof these migrants are believed to have been killed and injured, Dujarric added in a statement, without mentioning the United States.

A US defence official said the military was looking into the reports.

The UN migration agency (IOM) said it was closely monitoring the situation. `It is imperative that all efforts are made to avoid harm to civilians and to protect those most vulnerable in these challenging circumstances,` the IOM said.-AFP