Yemeni gov’t forces, Houthis trade blame for deadly strikes on Taiz market

What the report says

Yemen’s government forces and the Houthi movement traded blame on Friday over deadly strikes at al-Hadara market in the al-Waziiya district of Taiz governorate, according to Al Jazeera. The Houthi side said the attack was carried out by three air strikes and killed at least 30 civilians, with eight others wounded. Government forces, by contrast, accused the Houthis of firing ballistic missiles at the market and causing civilian casualties.

Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify either account. The report noted that the market area sits in a contested part of Taiz governorate controlled by the Houthis, while fighting has been ongoing there as Yemen’s government-backed forces press an offensive known as Operation Dawn of Yemen, launched on October 5. Al Jazeera’s reporting from Sanaa also said the Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out strikes in the district in an effort to gain control of strategically important terrain.

The incident adds to the wider conflict in Yemen, where the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, has been fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis for years. The report also placed the attack in the context of the prolonged Houthi siege on Taiz city, which has worsened shortages of food and medicine and drawn repeated warnings from the United Nations about conditions for civilians.