SANAA, November 7 (Aalimi Nation) – Dozens of people were killed and injured in strikes on a market in Yemen's Taiz governorate, with the Houthi movement and the internationally recognised government blaming each other for the attack. Casualty figures and responsibility have not been independently verified.
The strikes hit the al-Hadara market in the al-Waziiya district, which the Houthis control, on Friday, according to the government. Houthi authorities said at least 30 civilians were killed and eight injured. A spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry later put the toll at 25 dead and 30 injured, saying in a post on X that the strikes targeted the market. The differing figures have not been reconciled.
Rival accounts of the Taiz market strike
The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia, which backs the government, saying three airstrikes hit the market. Their Health Ministry in Sanaa called the attack a "horrific crime" and demanded an independent international investigation into what it described as the "systematic targeting" of civilians.
Government forces gave a different account. Colonel Majed al-Nazili, a government forces spokesperson, blamed the Houthis for firing ballistic missiles at the market. He described the attack as a "war crime" and called for accountability. Local authorities in Taiz also said no military aircraft had carried out strikes in al-Waziiya on Friday, according to those reports.
Saudi Arabia's Information Ministry had not responded to requests for comment when the latest reports were published. It is not clear from available information whether all of those killed were civilians.
Fighting around al-Waziiya
The attack comes amid intensified fighting in Taiz. A correspondent reporting from Sanaa said the Saudi-led coalition has been attacking daily to take al-Waziiya and its mountain range, and quoted a source as saying that whoever controls the district controls most of Yemen's western Red Sea coastline. The Yemeni army said it recaptured several areas in Taiz on Friday, including the village of al-Nidani, Shaab al-Sarari, parts of Sanamat and Ribat al-Qarn in Dhi al-Barh.
The government launched an offensive it calls "Operation Dawn of Yemen" on October 5 to retake territory held by the Houthis. The Houthis, for their part, have fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, including at oil facilities, and disrupted air traffic, according to reports from the region.
Humanitarian situation
Taiz city, which is held by the government, has been under a Houthi siege for 30 days, affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. The United Nations has repeatedly warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the city, where food and medicine are increasingly scarce. No specific UN statement on the market attack was available at the time of writing.
Background and what to watch
An earlier market strike in the area, on September 27, reportedly killed seven people and wounded 40. The Houthis blamed coalition aircraft then, while government sources said the site housed a Houthi military encampment. That incident was also never independently attributed.
What to watch next includes any response from Riyadh, whether the UN or other independent bodies move to investigate, and whether the offensive on al-Waziiya widens the fighting around Taiz.
