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Yemeni Government, Houthis Trade Blame for Taiz Market Attack
· Confirmed
In Short: Yemen's government and Houthi rebels blame each other for an attack on a market in Taiz that killed at least 30 civilians.
Yemen's government and Houthi rebels are trading blame for an attack on the al-Hadara market in Taiz, which killed at least 30 civilians and injured several others.
The Yemeni government accused the Houthis of firing a ballistic missile at the market, while the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for carrying out airstrikes.
The Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health and Environment in Sanaa, however, said Riyadh committed a 'horrific crime' and called for an independent international investigation.
Local authorities in Taiz also blamed the Houthis, stating that no military aircraft had conducted strikes in the area on the day of the attack.
The attack occurred amid intensified fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government, particularly in Taiz, where the humanitarian situation is already dire.
The Houthis have besieged Taiz since 2015, and the surrounding districts have seen repeated changes in control.
The market attack comes as the Houthis have been firing missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia, hitting oil facilities and disrupting air traffic.
Yemen has been in civil war since the Houthis seized Sanaa and other areas in September 2014.
The United Nations has warned of a catastrophe inside Taiz city, where food and medicine supplies are scarce.
The Houthis' control of Taiz is strategically significant due to its proximity to the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital shipping route.
The Houthis have been firing missiles and drones daily into Saudi Arabia, hitting oil facilities and disrupting air traffic over the kingdom.
What this adds
The Houthis' control of Taiz is strategically significant due to its proximity to the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital shipping route.
The attack occurred amid intensified fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government, particularly in Taiz, where the humanitarian situation is already dire.
What's confirmed
- “Saudi enemy aircraft targeted the market in Al-Waziya city with several strikes,” Houthi health ministry spokesman Anis al-Asbahi said, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
What's still developing
- He said that the attack would strengthen the army’s determination to continue its Operation Dawn of Yemen, which is aimed at combating the Houthis and protecting civilians, regional security and international shipping routes.
- CAIRO (AP) — Airstrikes hit a market in southwestern Yemen on Friday, killing at least 30 people, according to an official with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
- In September, the Houthis ramped up their advance on Taiz, a strategic gateway to southern Yemen, after a lightning-fast capture of the port city of Mokha, an area about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away that is vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea.
- The provincial media office acknowledged in a Facebook statement that there had been an attack on the busy market and said that there were casualties, but didn’t provide details.
- In the hills surrounding Taiz, government forces are trying to repel the Houthis, but face stiff resistance, especially east of the city.
- It said markets and populated areas must be protected.
- CAIRO — Houthi officials said at least 30 people were killed and 8 wounded when three airstrikes hit a vegetable market in southwestern Yemen on Friday morning, blaming the Saudi-led coalition — a claim the Yemeni government immediately denied, saying the Houthis themselves were responsible.
- The Houthis have besieged Taiz city since 2015, but the surrounding districts have traded hands repeatedly throughout the war, and al-Waziyah’s status remains contested, per the AP’s reporting.
- The Taiz provincial media office acknowledged the attack on the market and confirmed casualties in a Facebook statement, but offered no toll and cited “indiscriminate Houthi missile attacks” as the cause, including what it called the use of ballistic missiles.
- A separate claim reportedly made by Al Arabiya, citing unidentified sources, said the market was struck by a Houthi ballistic missile.
- At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $111.10 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate at $98.98 per barrel, both up by more around 2% from Wednesday, after the Yemeni Houthis struck an oil field in Saudi Arabia and another international airport.
- With this, the prospect of peace in the Middle East remains remote, with all due implications for oil and gas trade.