A series of explosions rocked Lahj Governorate, southern Yemen, in the early hours of Sunday, August 18th, 2024, with the sound reaching the western outskirts of Aden, the temporary capital.

Local sources told Barran Press that explosive devices and hand grenades detonated inside the "Veterinary" water project building in the Bir Nasser area of the Hawtah district in Lahj Governorate. While no casualties were reported, the explosions damaged a portion of the main water pipeline running through the Fiyoush area.

The blasts were heard as far west as Aden, raising concerns about the security situation in the region. The cause of the explosions remains unknown at the time of this report.

The Veterinary Water Project in Lahj is a government-funded project supplying water to large areas of Aden, Lahj, and Abyan, according to sources.

The explosions at the Veterinary water project building in Hawtah, Lahj, come just hours after the Security Belt forces in the Misaymir sector of Lahj Governorate announced the discovery of an explosive device planted near an old, out-of-service gas station in the Aqan area.

The Security Belt forces, in a statement on their X account followed by Barran Press, said they received an operational report indicating the presence of a suspected explosive device near the old station in the Aqan market. A Security Belt force was dispatched to the site and discovered a ready-to-detonate explosive device.

The statement added that after successfully dismantling the device, the force conducted a 12-hour search and investigation, leading to the identification and arrest of those involved. An initial investigation file has been opened, and the suspects will be referred to the relevant legal authorities.

These security developments in Lahj Governorate come just a day after explosions in Abyan Governorate on Friday, August 16th, which the Southern Transitional Council (STC) said killed 16 of its soldiers.

STC spokesman Mohammed Al-Naqib said that a “terrorist attack by a suicide bomber driving a car bomb targeted a barracks of our forces in the Mudayyah district of Abyan Governorate.”

Later on Friday, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for the attack. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist media and is based in the United States, reported that AQAP said a "fighter detonated a car bomb at the military site."