Houthis and Yemeni government trade blame over deadly Taiz market attack

The Houthis on Friday accused Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen’s government, of carrying out three air strikes on the al-Hadara market, killing at least 30 civilians and injuring eight others. The Ministry of Health and Environment in Houthi-controlled Sanaa said Riyadh committed a “horrific crime” and called for an independent international investigation into Saudi Arabia’s “systematic targeting” of civilians. There has been no response so far from the Saudi-led coalition forces.

The Yemeni government forces’ spokesperson, Colonel Majed al-Nazili, said the “terrorist” Houthis struck the market with ballistic missiles, causing dozens of civilian casualties. He accused the Iran-backed group of committing a “war crime” and called for accountability. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the reports.

Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, said fighting has been ongoing in the al-Waziiya district where the market is located, an area controlled by the Houthis. He said the Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out attacks daily to gain control of the district and its strategic mountain range. “Whoever controls the al-Waziiya district controls the majority of the western Red Sea coastal line,” he added.

The Yemeni army said it recaptured several areas in the Taiz governorate on Friday, including the al-Nidani village, Shaab al-Sarari, large parts of the Sanamat area and the Ribat al-Qarn area in Dhi al-Barh. Government forces also imposed a siege on entrances to the al-Sarari area, according to the military.

While the Houthis control much of the governorate, the city of Taiz is government-held but under a Houthi siege that has lasted 30 days. The United Nations has repeatedly warned of a catastrophe inside Taiz city, where food and medicine supplies are becoming increasingly scarce.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government launched Operation Dawn of Yemen on October 5 to take control of territories held by Houthi fighters. The Houthis have been firing missiles and drones daily into Saudi Arabia, hitting oil facilities and disrupting air traffic over the kingdom.