Yemeni Government Airstrikes Target Houthi Positions

Yemen's human rights group accuses the Houthis of killing five civilians and wounding dozens of others.

The forces loyal to the internationally recognized government of Yemen say that they have carried out a series of airstrikes on the positions and military equipment of the Houthis in the southwest of this country.

The government said that a total of nine airstrikes were carried out in Taiz province on Tuesday, five of them in Dhubab area and four in al-Masrukh area.

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End of list According to Taiz Military Axis Media Center, affiliated to the Ministry of Defense, a conflict between government forces and the Houthis is ongoing in al-Shaqab, south of Taiz.

The Yemen Rights and Freedom Network announced on Tuesday that the Houthis have killed at least 5 civilians, including a five-year-old girl, and wounded 17 others in Taiz in the past 24 hours.

It accused the Houthis of shelling residential neighborhoods and damaging at least seven houses. It was also claimed that this group fired more than 180 projectiles throughout Taiz in the last 24 hours.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansarullah (Arabic for God's Supporters), seized the capital Sanaa and forced the government to flee.

An international military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in support of the internationally recognized government in 2015, leading to years of conflict between the warring parties.

A 2022 UN-backed ceasefire halted most of the fighting, but tensions have risen in Yemen since the Iran-aligned Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabian ports and ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab strait in July.

In September, the Houthis launched a lightning ground assault on Moka, pushing back forces loyal to the Yemeni government from the strategic port city. In the same month, the group's forces reoccupied areas along the west coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait, including the strategically located Mayon Island in the strait.

As fighting continues in Yemen, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric warned that civilians across the Middle East are bearing the brunt of the escalation of hostilities and called on all sides to de-escalate.

"Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East," Spoliaric said in a statement.

"In Yemen, the rate of death, displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in Aden and Sana'a, is increasing at an alarming rate," he said. Throughout the Middle East, civilian infrastructure has been repeatedly damaged and lives lost."

According to the United Nations, at least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 injured in Yemen since August, many of them children.

More than 200,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since September, according to the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM).

As the conflict escalated in Yemen, the Houthis launched a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports and oil facilities. At least 14 people were killed in Houthi missile attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid Airport over the weekend, prompting widespread international condemnation.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister promised that the kingdom would give a "serious response" to these attacks.

Several airlines have canceled their flights to Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries in response to the Houthi attacks. These companies include Qatar Airways and Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed regional issues with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Tuesday. Marz told MBS that Iran should enter into serious negotiations and accused Tehran of destabilizing the region.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelati met with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jassim Mohamed Al-Budaywi. Abdulati said in a post on X: "The security of the Persian Gulf is an integral part of Egypt's national security."

Abdulati also talked to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and demanded an immediate stop to the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Although Tehran provides financial and military support to the Houthis, several analysts believe that Iran has little control over the group.