Direct proof of use
The GBU-24 Paveway III is documented in the 2014 Yemen Civil War through remnants attributed to Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes in 2015. Mwatana reported that arms experts assisting its investigation identified remnants from the September 14, 2015 Wa'lan Agricultural Complex strike in Bilad Ar Rus District, Sanaa Governorate, as part of a U.S.-made GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bomb manufactured by Raytheon.
A later Mwatana, University Network for Human Rights, and PAX report cataloged the same Wa'lan strike as involving a likely U.S.-made GBU-24 Paveway III remnant. The Open Source Munitions Portal separately lists multiple Yemen entries tagged as GBU-24 Paveway III-series or Paveway III-kit remnants, while noting that some fragments prove a Paveway III guidance-kit association but not always the exact bomb-body model.
Sources: Mwatana US Weapons, Day of Judgment Report, OSMP Yemen Munitions
Timeline
On September 14, 2015, coalition aircraft struck the Wa'lan Agricultural Complex with five bombs. Mwatana's reporting says the complex contained residential apartments for agricultural engineers, and its arms-expert review identified GBU-24 Paveway III remnants from the attack.
On November 13, 2015, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported to Congress a proposed Saudi air-to-ground munitions sale that included 1,100 GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs. The Federal Register notice is procurement context, not proof of the September strike, but it documents Saudi acquisition planning for the same munition family during the coalition campaign.
Sources: Mwatana US Weapons, Day of Judgment Report, Saudi Arabia Air-to-Ground Munitions Notice
Narrative
In Yemen, the GBU-24 appears in the evidence record as an air-launched coalition precision munition rather than as a weapon recovered from ground forces. The documented operator context is the Saudi/UAE-led coalition air campaign supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government against Houthi-aligned forces.
The clearest incident-level evidence is the Wa'lan Agricultural Complex strike in Sanaa Governorate. Mwatana's 2018 release and the later Day of Judgment report both place the strike on September 14, 2015 and identify at least one likely GBU-24 Paveway III among the weapons used. OSMP's Yemen munitions catalog broadens the remnant record by listing GBU-24 Paveway III-series and Paveway III-kit fragments from Yemen, including analyst notes that distinguish guidance-kit identification from full bomb-body identification.
Because Paveway III remnants can identify the guidance-kit family even when the attached bomb body is no longer determinable, the Yemen record is best described as documented GBU-24 or Paveway III-series use by coalition aircraft, with exact variant details dependent on the recovered fragments.
Sources: Mwatana US Weapons, Day of Judgment Report, OSMP Yemen Munitions
