TAIZ, YEMEN, 08 Nov. - (ANA) - At least 30 people were killed and wounded in an explosion on Friday in Yemen’s Taiz, amid an escalation in hostilities and conflicting reports over which group was responsible for the attack.

 

The explosion targeted the busy al-Hadara market, while the Yemeni government and the Houthis traded blame over the attack.

 

The local authority in the Taiz governorate and government forces accused the Houthis of launching a ballistic missile. However, the Houthis have denied responsibility and pointed the finger at Saudi aircraft.

 

In the wake of the attack, Taiz authorities reiterated that no operations had been carried out in the area, condemning the targeting of the market. The authorities said that Houthi claims over the incident were an attempt to mislead public opinion and exploit the deaths of the victims.

 

The local authority further added that the use of ballistic missiles in the ongoing conflict pose a grave threat to the lives of civilians and is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. It also added that markets and populated areas are fully protected under international humanitarian law and must be kept out of the conflict.  

 

According to local media, the local authority has called for an investigation into the attack and the documentation of any evidence, also warning citizens not to near the area.

 

The development comes as the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, accused Saudi warplanes of launching three airstrikes on the market.

 

In the statement, Saree said that an F-15 fighter jet took off from the Khamis Mushait airbase at 7.10 AM and targeted the market before leaving it around 8 AM, and returning to its base.

 

“These brutal crimes will not go unanswered and unpunished,” he vowed in his statement.

 

Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the government forces, responded to the Houthi claims, calling the attack “a new terrorist crim against civilians” and adding that it was another example of the Houthi approach of targeting civilian areas for revenge for battlefield defeats.

 

Al-Nuzaili added that the international community must uphold its legal and moral responsibility and take rapid action to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organisation.

 

The exchange of accusations has prompted widespread debate in the country.

 

Activists in the area told local media that the death toll was likely to rise as there are several wounded and missing people, as well as unidentified bodies, and traders who had come to the market from other cities.

 

Clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis have resumed on several fronts in recent weeks.

 

Taiz, which is the country’s third-largest city, has been largely besieged since the start of October, with the Houthis taking key towns and roads around it. As a result, the price of basic goods in the city has skyrocketed, while the UN warned last week that road closures had blocked vital supplies.

 

Earlier this week, dozens of newly recruited soldiers were killed and wounded in a Houthi attack on a military training camp near Qataba, in northern Yemen's al-Dhale governorate.

 

Military sources in al-Dhale told The New Arab that the death toll among the recruits could exceed 25, with dozens more wounded.

 

The soldiers were undergoing training at the Al-Ulala camp, west of Qataba city in the northwestern part of the governorate, when the Houthis launched a missile attack as they gathered for training. - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/08 November 2026 - - -