Seven dead as Saudi airstrike hits market in Yemen's Taiz province
Seven people were killed and 40 wounded, including at least five children, in a Saudi airstrike on a market area in Yemen's Taiz province amid escalating fighting.
A Saudi airstrike on a market area in Yemen's southern Taiz province has killed seven people and wounded 40, according to local reports. At least five of the injured are children. The strike hit shops near the Mawiya junction, though the exact casualty figures and the intended target could not be independently confirmed.
Yemeni government forces stated that the actual target had been a Houthi military position and vehicles in the area, rather than the market itself.
Escalating conflict
The strike comes as fighting in Yemen intensifies significantly. Houthi forces have been advancing along the Red Sea coastline toward the Bab al-Mandab strait, a strategically vital shipping route. In response, Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of airstrikes — the Houthis reported 27 strikes across six provinces within the previous 24 hours alone.
According to United Nations figures, the renewed violence has killed close to 700 people and forced more than 130,000 to flee their homes. Separately, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two Houthi drones bound for the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday.