On September 27, 2024, local sources reported that Houthi militants, classified as a terrorist organization, launched a raid on Saref village in the Bani Hashish district, east of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, targeting residents who were celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the 26 September Revolution.

According to Barran Press sources, the Houthi group dispatched dozens of armed men in over 15 vehicles to pursue villagers who lit a flame to commemorate the revolution on the eve of its anniversary.

The villagers ignited the flame atop a hill, which prompted a Houthi operation ordered by the Saref district to assault the celebrants, extinguish the flame, and engage them with live ammunition. Additionally, the Houthi security and intelligence apparatus reportedly compiled a list of individuals accused of lighting the flame and clashing with the group's forces.

The sources also revealed that the Iran-backed Houthis kidnapped a mechanic who had lit a flame in front of his workshop on the main street in Saref, detaining him and taking him to an undisclosed location.

The Houthis have harbored animosity towards Saref's residents due to their refusal to engage with the group's agenda. In retaliation, the militants have confiscated land from the villagers, including significant portions housing stone quarries that have been in the area for years.

Residents of Saref have a tradition of lighting the 26 September flame annually, with the Shabih family, a prominent local family, typically taking the lead in this celebration.

For the past week, the Houthi group has intensified its campaign against citizens in Sana'a and other areas under its control to prevent commemorations of the 26 September Revolution of 1962, which dismantled the imamate regime in Yemen—an ideology the Houthis are seen as a continuation of.