Six Civilians Killed in Houthi Attacks in Yemen's Taiz, Interior Ministry Says
Six Civilians Killed in Houthi Attacks in Yemen’s Taiz, Interior Ministry Says
Six civilians have been killed in attacks launched by the Houthis in Yemen’s al-Mawasit and al-Misrakh districts in the southern Taiz governorate, Al Jazeera reported, citing the interior ministry. Women and children were among four others injured in the attacks.
The casualties add to a mounting toll in and around Taiz, one of the most contested cities in Yemen’s long-running conflict, as fighting has intensified across several front lines in recent days.
Taiz at the centre of the fighting
Taiz has seen some of the heaviest clashes this week. More than 70 people were reported killed in fighting around the city over the previous day, according to reports in The Guardian and Al Jazeera. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree has claimed dozens of attacks in recent hours against government forces in Al-Jawf, Marib and Taiz, while government sources describe operations cutting supply routes around contested coastal areas.
The city has been partly besieged for years, and its civilians have repeatedly borne the impact of renewed violence. Earlier this week, a Houthi-run health ministry said a strike on a market area in the Taiz governorate left seven people dead and 40 wounded, with five children among the injured — claims that could not be independently verified.
A widening regional confrontation
The Taiz attacks form part of a broader escalation. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they had recaptured Mocha and key positions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, with coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki saying 100 fighter jets were supporting Yemeni forces. The Houthis deny losing the territory, and AFP notes that neither side’s account can be independently verified.
The fighting has also spilled across the border. Saudi Arabia acknowledged that two civilian airports were hit in attacks on Monday evening, and Kuwait’s cabinet condemned Houthi attacks on Makkah and Madina as a “provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world”. Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have since ordered the rapid deployment of military forces under the Makkah Pact after an emergency meeting in Riyadh.
UN officials have warned that civilians are increasingly bearing the impact of the renewed violence, with recent fighting producing deaths, displacement and growing humanitarian needs.
What happened in Taiz?
Six civilians were killed and four others — including women and children — were injured in Houthi attacks in the al-Mawasit and al-Misrakh districts of southern Taiz governorate, according to Yemen’s interior ministry, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Why is Taiz important?
Taiz is one of the most contested cities in Yemen’s conflict, partly besieged for years. It has seen some of the heaviest fighting this week, with more than 70 people reported killed around the city over the previous day.
How is the conflict escalating?
Fighting has spread across Yemen’s front lines and across the border into Saudi Arabia, where civilian airports and holy cities have been targeted. Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have ordered rapid force deployment under the Makkah Pact in response.
