Yemen: Houthis report deadly Saudi strikes on Taiz market

Yemen's Houthi rebels claim that Saudi Arabian airstrikes targeted a market area in Taiz, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more. Footage from the group's Al-Masirah TV channel showed smoke and destruction, including a warehouse filled with food. Children among the wounded were reported by the Houthi health ministry.

Taiz, currently under Yemeni government control, has been under Houthis' siege and is a key battleground in the ongoing civil war. The escalation in fighting follows a breakdown in a recent ceasefire and heightened regional tensions due to Iran's ongoing war. The Houthi health ministry called the Saudi strikes an "abominable crime," alleging deliberate targeting of civilians.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of launching two air raids, spilling "blood unjustly and aggressively." While the claims remain unverified, Yemen's recognized government forces acknowledged striking a Houthi depot and vehicles in the area. The Yemeni civil war began in 2014 when Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and expanded control to northern regions.

Saudi Arabia led an international coalition against them the following year, but the Houthis have recently intensified their offensive, seizing Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and imposing a blockade on Saudi energy exports. As of September, renewed clashes have displaced at least 125,000 people, and the Yemeni government has called for a general mobilization to join the army and security forces. Yemen, already the poorest country in the world, continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis.