CAIRO — The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said airstrikes hit a market in southwestern Yemen on Friday, killing at least 20 people, and blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes. It would be one of the deadliest attacks since fighting resumed between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces.
The authorities affiliated with the Yemeni government in Taiz blamed the Houthis for the attack and said that no airstrikes were carried out in the area. The AP couldn't independently verify either side's claims.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said three airstrikes hit the al-Hadara market in al-Waziyah in the province of Taiz at around 7 a.m.
He blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks and claimed warplanes took off from the Khamis Mushait air base and left Taiz province around 8 a.m. He did not provide evidence.
Saudi Arabia’s information ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Houthi health ministry spokesperson, Anees Alsabahi, said at least 20 people were killed and that another 15 people were wounded. He told Houthi-run TV Al Masirah that the death toll was expected to rise.
Footage aired by Al-Masirah showed plumes of smoke rising from the site, with a damaged building containing canned food, destroyed vehicles, scattered fruit boxes and rubble and debris.
It wasn't immediately clear how many people were at the market at the time of the reported attack, though markets tend to be busy on Fridays, a day off in much of the Arab world.
The provincial media office acknowledged in a Facebook statement that there had been an attack on the busy market and said that there were casualties, but didn't provide details.
Houthis control areas in Taiz, but the city where the provincial government is based is allied with the Saudi-backed government and is besieged by the Houthis.
The media office added that “indiscriminate Houthi missile attacks,” including the use of ballistic missiles, endanger civilian lives. It said markets and populated areas must be protected.
Last month, the Houthis struck Yemeni government forces with ballistic missiles, killing at least 75 soldiers at a military camp and wounding around 200 recruits in the southern province of Shabwa. The rebels acknowledged targeting the camp at the time.
Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia in September of striking a prison in the country’s north. The prison in Hazm, the Jawf provincial capital, collapsed when coalition strikes hit the area, killing at least 23 people.
In September, the Houthis ramped up their advance on Taiz, a strategic gateway to southern Yemen, after a lightning-fast capture of the port city of Mokha, an area about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away that is vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea.
The rebels have tightened their encirclement of the city of Taiz, which is controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation among civilians. Residents are struggling to secure drinking water and food supplies as the Houthis restrict movement into the city.
In the hills surrounding Taiz, government forces are trying to repel the Houthis, but face stiff resistance, especially east of the city. Gaining control of Taiz city is vital to the Houthis if they seek to advance south toward Aden and Lahj, analysts say, but that won’t be easy, experts previously said.