At least seven people were killed and 40 others wounded after a Saudi airstrike struck a marketplace in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz on Sunday, Houthi-affiliated media reported.
The attack reportedly took place in a central market in the city. Al-Masirah TV, a media outlet linked to the Iran-backed Houthi movement, said a Saudi fighter jet targeted the area shortly before reporting the casualties.
The strike comes as Yemen faces a fresh escalation in its years-long conflict. Fighting had remained relatively subdued for a period but intensified again in July, as violence spread across the wider Middle East.
The situation worsened in September after the Houthis launched a major offensive. The group claimed control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s key maritime routes.
The Houthis have also imposed restrictions on Saudi energy exports. The pressure on regional energy supplies has increased further after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, another major route for oil and gas shipments.
Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that its forces had intercepted two Houthi drones flying towards Riyadh. On Sunday, schools in the Saudi capital announced that students would shift to remote learning for a week. Messages sent to parents, seen by AFP, did not state why the decision had been taken.
Taiz has emerged as an important battleground in the renewed conflict. The city is controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognised government and has been at the centre of fighting between government forces and the Houthis.
Yemen’s war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa, from the Saudi-backed government. The group later expanded its hold over large parts of northern Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen’s government forces during the conflict. However, government troops have so far been unable to stop the latest Houthi offensive.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday that Saudi forces had carried out 27 airstrikes across several Yemeni provinces. According to Saree, the strikes targeted areas in Taiz, Marib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah.