Yemen Conflict Escalates: Government Forces and Houthis Exchange Blame for Deadly Market Attack in Taiz

Yemen’s government forces and the Houthi rebel group are trading blame for an attack on the al-Hadara market in the Taiz governorate, which both sides claim resulted in dozens of civilian casualties. The Houthis, on Friday, accused Saudi Arabia, a supporter of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, of launching three air strikes on the market, resulting in the deaths of at least 30 civilians and injuring eight others. The Houthi Ministry of Health and Environment, based in the Yemeni Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, condemned the action as a “horrific crime” and called for an independent international investigation into Saudi Arabia’s “systematic targeting” of civilians. The Saudi-led coalition forces have not yet responded to these accusations.

Conversely, Colonel Majed al-Nazili, spokesperson for the Yemeni government forces, stated that the “terrorist” Houthis were responsible, striking the market with ballistic missiles and causing numerous civilian casualties. He accused the Iran-backed group of committing a “war crime” and demanded accountability. Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify these reports.

Reporting from Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry indicated that fighting has been ongoing in the al-Waziiya district, where the market is situated. This area is under Houthi control, with the group also known as Ansar Allah. Mawry noted that the Saudi-led coalition has been conducting daily attacks to secure the district and its strategic mountain range, emphasizing that control of al-Waziiya is crucial for dominating the western Red Sea coastal line.

The Yemeni army announced on Friday the recapture of several areas within the Taiz governorate, including al-Nidani village, Shaab al-Sarari, significant portions of the Sanamat area, and the Ribat al-Qarn area in Dhi al-Barh. Government forces also reportedly imposed a siege on the entrances to the al-Sarari area. While the Houthis maintain control over much of the governorate, the city of Taiz remains under government control. A Houthi siege on the city has been in effect for 30 days, impacting hundreds of thousands of residents, and the United Nations has repeatedly warned of a potential humanitarian catastrophe within Taiz city due to dwindling supplies of food and medicine.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government initiated Operation Dawn of Yemen on October 5 with the objective of reclaiming territories held by Houthi fighters. Since the commencement of this military operation, both Yemen’s government-controlled territories and Saudi Arabia have faced Houthi missile attacks. The Houthis have been consistently launching missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia, targeting oil facilities and disrupting air traffic within the kingdom.