A marketplace attack in the al-Hadara area of Yemen’s Taiz governorate has prompted sharply divergent accounts from the country’s warring factions. Government military spokesperson Colonel Majed al-Nazili attributed the strike to Houthi ballistic missiles, describing the attack as a “war crime” and demanding international accountability for the resulting civilian deaths and injuries.
The Houthis offered a contrasting narrative, stating that Saudi Arabia, which militarily supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government, conducted three airstrikes on the market. According to Houthi authorities in Sanaa, at least 30 civilians were killed and eight wounded in the bombing. The Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health and Environment characterized the incident as a “horrific crime” and called for an independent international investigation into what they described as systematic targeting of civilian populations by Saudi forces.
Al Jazeera reported it could not independently confirm either account, and the Saudi-led coalition had not responded to the allegations as of the report’s publication. The marketplace is situated in the al-Waziiya district, currently under Houthi control, where sustained fighting continues. Correspondent Yousef Mawry noted that the Saudi-led coalition maintains daily assault operations in the area, seeking control of the district and its strategically significant mountainous terrain that overlooks the western Red Sea coast.
Military developments on Friday included claims by the Yemeni army of territorial gains across multiple locations in the Taiz governorate, including the al-Nidani village and portions of the Sanamat area. The government forces also reported establishing a siege on the al-Sarari area. Despite government control of Taiz city itself, Houthi forces maintain a siege lasting 30 days that has affected hundreds of thousands of residents and created severe shortages of food and medicine, according to UN warnings.
The escalation follows Yemen’s government launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen on October 5, aimed at recapturing Houthi-held territories. Since the operation commenced, both government-controlled regions and Saudi territory have experienced Houthi missile and drone attacks, including strikes on oil infrastructure and disruptions to air traffic across Saudi Arabia.
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