Yemenupdated 52m ago2 min read
Saudi Arabia Airstrikes Kill Two Civilians in Taiz, Yemen, Al-Ma’afir District Reports
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Saudi airstrikes on Taiz and Al-Ma’afir district kill two civilians and injure others Over 24 hours, at least 30 civilians were killed or wounded by clashes and strikes
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Airstrikes Hit Taiz, Hajjah
Saudi Arabia and its affiliated forces carried out a fresh wave of airstrikes and artillery attacks that killed or wounded at least 30 Yemeni civilians over the past 24 hours, according to Yemen’s Al-Masirah network and local health authorities. Al-Masirah reported early Friday that the Saudi coalition and its forces carried out five separate attacks on civilians, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to 21 others. In Al-Ma’afir District of Taiz, three Saudi airstrikes struck a residential home in the Al-Nashma area, killing two civilians and wounding one woman and three children.
In the same district, Saudi fighter jets targeted the Al-Sharq Club and a sports hall in the Al-Sannah area, causing extensive destruction to public and private property and destroying sports facilities used by local youth. In Hajjah Province, a Saudi-led attack on civilian homes in the Azman area of Bakil al-Mir District killed one woman and wounded a child.
Houthi Claims Deep Strikes
Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced they attacked the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, two airports, and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in response to the Saudi military campaign over the last 100 days. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on his Telegram channel that Riyadh "has launched more than 2,900 air and missile strikes directed at civilian infrastructure" in Yemen. Sarea declared that the first operation targeted the building housing the Ministry of Defense in the capital Riyadh and that it was "a direct hit".
Sarea said the second operation targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and caused "a disruption of air traffic," while the third targeted the Aramco energy company in Yanbu and caused "a fire at the target site." The spokesperson warned that the Saudi threat to attack Yemeni tribes will not go unpunished and said, "If you carry out this threat, the consequences will be catastrophic and unforeseen."
Blockade, Escalation, and Wider Fallout
Saudi Arabia imposed a land, air, and naval blockade on Yemen after intervening militarily in 2015, and the United States joined the blockade in October 2016 before later claiming to reverse the decision. Sana’a decided to break the blockade on July 5, 2016, and Saudi Arabia bombed Sana’a Airport, which the source says met with a decisive counter-response by the Yemeni Armed Forces. The source says Yemeni forces pushed back Saudi-backed militias and secured major victories including the capture of the historic port city of Al-Mukha and the strategically significant coastal region of Kahboub in the south.
The source also says Yemeni officials and rights groups have repeatedly described the systematic targeting of civilian homes, women, and children as war crimes under international humanitarian law. The same source frames the current cycle as continuing escalation, stating that Yemeni forces will persist in maintaining the equation of "a blockade for a blockade" and "an escalation for an escalation."