Yemen: Houthis Report Deadly Saudi Strikes on Taiz Market

Saudi Arabia's air force allegedly struck a Taiz market in Yemen on Sunday, according to the Yemeni Houthi rebels. The group claims at least seven lives were lost and dozens sustained injuries. Footage showed massive smoke plumes and a ruined warehouse laden with food boxes. The Houthis' health ministry reported children among the wounded.

Taiz, currently under Yemeni government control, has been a battleground in the country's civil war. Fighting erupted after a cease-fire ended months ago and new tensions erupted from the Iran conflict. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of deliberately targeting civilian sites. The Houthis vowed retaliation.

Yemen's government forces said their air force had targeted a Houthi depot in the area. The claims remain unverified. The civil war began in 2014 when Houthis seized the capital Sanaa from a Saudi-backed regime. Saudi Arabia joined forces against the Houthis the following year, but government forces have struggled to stop the latest offensive.

In September, the Houthis launched a lightning offensive that captured Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and imposed a blockade on Saudi energy exports. Renewed clashes are ongoing in multiple parts of Yemen, displacing at least 125,000 people. The Yemeni government called for a general mobilization, urging citizens to join the army and security forces.

Yemen remains one of the poorest nations on Earth and is grappling with a massive humanitarian crisis.