At least 30 people were killed and eight wounded when strikes hit a crowded market in southwestern Yemen on Friday morning, according to the Houthi-run health ministry — one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since fighting resumed between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces. Rescue teams were still searching through the rubble hours later, and the toll is preliminary: the ministry's own figure rose from 20 dead to 30 within hours of the attack.
The attack struck al-Hadara public market in the al-Waziyah district of Taiz province at about 7am on Friday, when the market was crowded with shoppers, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. Within hours, the two sides were blaming each other for the strike — and neither account has been independently verified.
What happened
Three strikes hit the market on Friday morning, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, who said the warplanes took off from Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait air base and left Taiz province around 8am. He provided no evidence for the claim, the Associated Press reported, and the AP said it could not independently verify the Houthis' account.
The casualty toll moved quickly as the day went on. A Houthi health ministry spokesman, Anees Alsabahi, first told al-Masirah TV that at least 20 people had been killed and 15 wounded, and warned that the death toll was expected to rise. A later health ministry statement put the toll at 30 killed and eight wounded, adding that rescue teams were searching for bodies under the rubble.
Saudi Arabia's information ministry did not immediately respond to the AP's requests for comment. It was not immediately clear how many people were at the market when the strikes hit, although markets in Yemen typically see an influx of shoppers on Fridays.
Two accounts, no agreement
Yemen's government forces and the Houthis offered starkly different versions of the same event, and there is no independent account of what struck the market.
| Houthi account | Government account | |
|---|---|---|
| What hit the market | Three Saudi airstrikes | A Houthi ballistic missile |
| Death toll | At least 30 killed, eight wounded, per the Houthi-run health ministry | Casualties acknowledged; no figure given |
| Evidence offered | Warplanes said to have flown from Khamis Mushait air base; no evidence provided, the AP noted | Statement denying that any air raids took place in the area |
| Language used | A "horrific crime", per the Houthi-run health ministry in Sanaa | A "war crime" of "indiscriminate Houthi missile fire", per government forces |
Responsibility for the attack is disputed and unverified. The casualty figures come from the Houthi-run health ministry and have not been independently confirmed. The Associated Press said it could not independently verify the Houthis' claims, and Saudi Arabia's information ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This article attributes every casualty figure and every claim about who carried out the attack to the side that made it.
It would be one of the deadliest attacks since fighting resumed between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces.
— Associated Press
A front line under siege
The attack landed in a province that has become one of the main front lines of Yemen's renewed war. Yemen slipped back into war between the Iran-allied Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in July, after years of relative calm, according to Agence France-Presse. Since then, Saudi Arabia has regularly bombed Houthi positions, while the group has multiplied its attacks against Saudi Arabia.
In September, the Houthis ramped up their advance on Taiz, a strategic gateway to southern Yemen, after capturing the port city of Mokha, about 130 kilometres away — an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea. The rebels have since tightened their encirclement of the city of Taiz, which is controlled by the internationally recognised Yemeni government, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. Residents are struggling to secure drinking water and food as the Houthis have restricted movement into the city, the AP reported.
In the hills surrounding Taiz, government forces are trying to repel the Houthis but face stiff resistance, especially east of the city. Analysts say gaining control of Taiz city is vital to the Houthis if they seek to advance south towards Aden and Lahj — but that will not be easy, experts previously told the AP.
Taiz has been encircled for weeks. The market attack is the latest civilian toll in a campaign that has turned one of Yemen's largest cities into a front line, with food and water shortages deepening as the siege tightens.
A wider escalation
The market attack is part of a rapid escalation on both sides of the conflict. Earlier on Friday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a drone in the region of Mecca, Islam's holy city, without specifying where it came from. On Thursday, the coalition reported intercepting a Houthi missile around Medina, another sacred city — a claim the group dismissed as "slander", AFP reported.
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for numerous strikes on Saudi airports, oil facilities and military sites, but they regularly deny targeting the holy cities.
The tempo of the fighting has risen sharply since the summer. 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. In September, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking a prison in Hazm, the capital of Jawf province, in the country's north. The prison collapsed when coalition strikes hit the area, killing at least 23 people, according to the AP.
Friday's market attack also comes four days after at least eight people were killed and dozens more injured when Saudi-led forces attacked the al-Makh'af market in the al-Misrakh district of Taiz, according to Iranian state media — a reminder that markets in the province have now been hit twice in a week.
Frequently asked questions
What do we know for certain?
That a crowded market in Taiz province was struck on Friday morning, that at least 30 people were killed according to the Houthi-run health ministry, and that both sides acknowledge there were casualties. The exact weapon, the party responsible, and the final toll are not yet established.
What is still disputed?
Almost everything about how the attack happened. The Houthis say three Saudi airstrikes hit al-Hadara market; the government says a Houthi ballistic missile did, and denies any air raids took place. Neither side has produced evidence that independent observers have been able to verify, and Saudi Arabia has not yet commented.
Why does Taiz matter so much?
Taiz is a strategic gateway to southern Yemen. The Houthis have been advancing on it since September after capturing the Red Sea port of Mokha, and the city — held by the internationally recognised government — is now encircled. Control of Taiz would open a route south towards Aden, the government's seat, and Lahj.
Could the death toll change?
Yes. Rescue teams were still searching through the rubble hours after the attack, and the health ministry's own figure rose from 20 to 30 within hours. The toll should be treated as preliminary until an updated count is confirmed.
How is this different from earlier fighting in Yemen?
Yemen had years of relative calm before the war resumed in July 2026. Since then the fighting has escalated quickly — airstrikes on Houthi positions, Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, and now some of the deadliest strikes on civilians since the fighting resumed.
Key takeaways
- At least 30 people were killed and eight wounded at al-Hadara market in Taiz on Friday morning, according to the Houthi-run health ministry — a toll that is preliminary and may rise.
- Responsibility is disputed: the Houthis blame three Saudi airstrikes; government forces blame a Houthi ballistic missile and deny any air raids took place. Neither claim has been independently verified.
- The attack is one of the deadliest on civilians since Yemen's war resumed in July, and it comes as the Houthis tighten their encirclement of Taiz city.
- The wider escalation includes a coalition drone interception near Mecca on Friday and a missile interception near Medina on Thursday.
The next facts to watch are a Saudi response to the Houthis' accusation, an updated casualty count once rescue teams finish searching the rubble, and any statement from the United Nations or aid agencies about access to Taiz — where residents are already struggling for drinking water and food under the encirclement. If independent observers reach the market, their account will settle the central question this story cannot yet answer: what actually struck al-Hadara market.
