LONDON: A Yemeni-Dutch journalist has been killed and his brother injured in a drone strike carried out by Iran-backed Houthi forces near the central Yemeni city of Marib, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Musab Al-Hattami, a journalist and filmmaker, was killed on Saturday while filming a documentary in his family’s hometown. His brother, photographer Suhaib Al-Hattami, sustained serious injuries in the same attack, the US-based media watchdog said on Monday while condemning the strike.
Sara Qudah, regional director of the CPJ, said: “The killing of Musab Al-Hattami is yet another stark reminder to the international community that the warring parties in Yemen are violating international law by killing civilians. Such indiscriminate violence exposes all journalists, who are brave enough to document the war in Yemen, to extreme risk.
“We call on the international community to investigate the attack and hold those responsible to account.”
أي وجع نستقبل هذا المساء ، مصعب الحطامي شهيد في جبهة مأرب ، أي قهر يزيدنا كرهاً للحوثي وزبانيته ، بعد عشر سنوات غربة عاد من هولندا لزيارة أسرته وقرر عمل أفلام قصيرة من الجبهة فكانت له الشهادة بطائرة مسيرة حوثية.
مصعب شقيق الروح لا أزور هولندا إلا ويكون في إستقبالي ، وعدني بزيارة… pic.twitter.com/eWcbW1LD75
— بسيم الجناني Basem Ganani (@Basem_Ganani) April 26, 2025
The Al-Hattami brothers had recently returned to Yemen from the Netherlands to report on the ongoing civil war and were working on a documentary project about their parents’ hometown when the strike occurred.
According to Dutch media outlet RTL, Houthi forces targeted the area with grenades and drones while the brothers were filming. Musab Al-Hattami and three government soldiers were killed, while Suhaib was seriously wounded.
Musab Al-Hattami, who had moved to the Netherlands after studying film in Jordan, held Dutch citizenship. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his death and said he was buried in Marib on Monday.
He is the 20th journalist to be killed in Yemen since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition launched military operations against Houthi rebels who had seized the capital, Sanaa.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announced in December 2024 it had executed 11 individuals, including Yemeni journalist Mohamed Al-Maqri, who had been abducted in 2015 and accused of spying. At least 18 journalists were killed in Yemen between 2015 and 2020.
