The Houthi-run health ministry in Yemen accused the Saudi Air Force of striking a shopping area around the central market of Taiz on Sunday, claiming at least seven people were killed and dozens injured. The Iran-aligned Houthis said the attack constituted an "abominable crime" and vowed to retaliate. The Houthis' account cannot be independently verified.
The group's Al-Masirah TV channel showed footage of large plumes of smoke and a destroyed warehouse stacked with food in cardboard boxes. Al-Masirah TV also reported that children were among the wounded, citing the Houthis' health ministry. The ministry accused the Saudi Air Force of directly and deliberately targeting civilian sites in Taiz.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of launching two air raids that hit the market, adding that blood was "unjustly and aggressively spilled" in a statement posted online. The group has vowed to retaliate. These claims cannot be independently verified.
In response to the Houthi report, troops loyal to the internationally recognized government in Yemen confirmed that their air force had struck a Houthi depot and vehicles in the area. Taiz is currently under the control of Yemeni government forces, but it has long been besieged by Houthi fighters and remains one of the main fronts in the country's civil war. Taiz is located in southwestern Yemen.
The escalation in fighting comes after a fragile truce between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels broke down months ago and new regional tensions sparked by the Iran war. Fighting has spiked in September as the Houthis launched a lightning offensive that saw them seize Yemen's entire Red Sea coast. The rebels have also launched a blockade on Saudi energy exports to coincide with Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Renewed clashes are under way in several parts of the country, with at least 125,000 people displaced. The Yemeni government has meanwhile called for a general mobilization, urging Yemenis to join the army and security forces. Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and remains gripped by a vast humanitarian crisis.
Source: www.dw.com