Houthi shelling kills 3 civilians in Yemen's Taiz

Three civilians including two women were killed late Friday when Houthi forces shelled the Sabir al-Mawadim district in the southern part of Taiz province, according to the government-run Office of Siege Affairs. The victims were identified as Safwan Saeed Obeid, 28, Asia Abdulsamad Saeed Ahmed, 55, and Safiya Hazza Saif al-Baadani, the office said in a statement.

The same statement noted that five other civilians, including two women, sustained injuries in separate bombardments that struck the al-Shaqab area south of the city and the western region of Aqaqa.

Military operations

The Yemeni army announced it had repelled a large-scale Houthi assault on the al-Shaqab front following eight hours of intense combat that left 16 rebel fighters dead, according to the Taiz Military Axis. Military aircraft also conducted precision strikes against Houthi positions at the al-Hangar checkpoint and the al-Maqbaba and al-Kamil hills in the al-Dabab area west of the city, destroying reinforcements and equipment stockpiled east of the al-Shaqab front. The Houthis did not immediately issue a statement regarding the army's claims about Friday's operations.

Conflict background

The violence marks the latest surge in a sharp escalation that began in July, representing the most significant intensification since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022 and brought months of relative calm to the war-torn region. Yemen has remained mired in protracted conflict since the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa and several northern provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to launch a military intervention in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.