Houthis Say Saudi Strikes on Yemen’s Taiz Leave Dozens Dead, Injured

Saudi airstrikes on Taiz in southwestern Yemen have caused dozens of casualties in an area held by the Houthis, the Iran-backed group said Sunday, as fighting intensified following the collapse of a truce.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out two airstrikes on a market on the outskirts of Taiz. He said nearly 50 people were killed or wounded but did not provide an exact breakdown.

In a statement posted online, Saree said blood had been “unjustly and aggressively spilled” and warned that the attack would have consequences.

Earlier, the group’s Al-Masirah television reported that seven people were killed and 40 wounded in a strike on a market in Taiz, shortly after reporting that a Saudi fighter jet had targeted the area.

The channel later cited the Houthi health ministry as saying five children were among the wounded. Several Houthi sources subsequently told AFP that nearly 30 fighters were killed in the series of strikes, while eight civilians also died.

Taiz city remains under government control but has been surrounded by Houthi forces for years and continues to be a key frontline in Yemen’s civil war.

Footage aired by Al-Masirah showed vehicles with shattered windows and damaged warehouses, with goods covered in thick layers of dust.

After several years of relative calm, Yemen’s conflict reignited in July amid the broader escalation of the Middle East war.

Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis.

Fighting intensified in September after the Houthis launched a rapid offensive, capturing Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategically important global shipping route.

The Houthis have also imposed a blockade on Saudi energy exports, which have already been affected by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted two Houthi drones flying toward the capital, Riyadh.

Schools in Riyadh announced Sunday that classes would move online for a week, according to messages sent to parents and seen by AFP. No reason was given for the decision.

Yemen’s war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, from the Saudi-backed government before expanding their control across large parts of the country’s north.

Saudi Arabia intervened the following year, leading an international coalition in support of the government.

Despite Riyadh’s backing, government forces have been unable to halt the Houthis’ latest offensive.