Saudi strike on Yemen’s Taiz kills seven

n n

A Saudi airstrike on Taiz in southwest Yemen killed seven people and wounded dozens more, Houthi media reported on Sunday.

n

The Iran-backed Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV channel said the strike killed seven and wounded 40 in a central marketplace in Taiz, minutes after reporting that a Saudi fighter jet had targeted the area.

n

Following years of relative calm, Yemen’s war reignited in July, against the backdrop of the widening Middle East war.

n

Fighting intensified in September as the Houthis launched a lightning offensive that saw them seize Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital shipping lane.

n

The Houthis have in parallel launched a blockade on Saudi energy exports, already choked off by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

n

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two Houthi drones that were heading in the direction of the capital Riyadh.

n

Schools in Riyadh announced on Sunday that they would be shifting to remote learning for a week, without giving a reason, according to messages emailed to parents and seen by AFP.

n

Taiz, a major city controlled by the internationally recognised government, has been thrust to the frontlines of fighting between the Houthis and government forces.

n

Yemen’s war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa from the Saudi-backed government, before going on to take control of vast swathes of the country’s north.

n

Despite Saudi backing, Yemen’s government forces have been unable to repel the latest Houthi offensive.

n

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree nonetheless reported on Saturday that Saudi air forces launched 27 strikes targeting Taiz, Marib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah provinces.

n

AFP

n n