The Official Spokesman of the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen, Legal Counsellor Mansour Al-Mansour, held here today a press conference disclosing results reached by JIAT regarding four allegations reported by international organizations. With regard to the Human Rights Watch report issued on (8/12/2016), stating that a coalition air strike on the (Souq Al-Honood) neighborhood in (Al-Hudaydah) city, on (21/09/2016) killing (28) civilians and injuring (32) others. JIAT vetted the incident, reviewed all documents, including the Air Tasking Order, mission execution procedures, daily mission schedule, after-mission reports, satellite images of the targeted site and (Souq Al-Honood) neighborhood location, video recordings of the mission, video of the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA), weapons technical documents, rules of engagement of the Coalition Forces, International Humanitarian Law and its customary rules, and after assessing evidences, JIAT found that, on Wednesday (21 September 2016) at (6:00) pm, Coalition Forces received credible intelligence information that a number of prominent leaders of the Al-Houthi armed militia held a meeting in the (Presidential Palace) in (Al-Hudaydah) governorate, which is considered to be a military target of a high value, whose destruction achieves military advantage in accordance with Article (52) Paragraph (2), of Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions. With the verification of intelligence information, about a meeting of prominent elements of Al-Houthi armed militia in the (Presidential Palace) in accordance with customary law No. (16) of customary International Humanitarian Law, therefore the (Presidential Palace) had lost the protection of the civilian objects for the presence of prominent leaders of Al-Houthi armed militia, in accordance with Article (52) Paragraph (3) of the Additional Protocol (I) of the Geneva Conventions. On Wednesday (21/09/2016) at (7:30) pm, Coalition Forces carried-out a mission on high-value and time-sensitive targets at the (Presidential Palace) in (Al-Hudaydah) governorate using guided bombs. --More 20:30 LOCAL TIME 17:30 GMT 0030 www.spa.gov.sa/1941246
