Airstrikes on a market in southwestern Yemen kill at least 30

An airstrike on a market in Yemen’s southwestern province of Taiz killed at least 30 people on Friday morning, the Associated Press reported, citing an official from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said three airstrikes hit the al-Hadara market in the al-Waziyah area at about 7 a.m. He said warplanes took off from Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait air base, carried out the attack and left Taiz at about 8 a.m. He provided no evidence for the claim.

Anees al-Sabahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi health ministry, initially said at least 20 people had been killed and 15 wounded. The death toll later rose to 30.

The government side offered a different account. Authorities in Taiz loyal to Yemen’s government blamed the Houthis for the incident and said no airstrike had taken place in the area. Taiz province’s government media office acknowledged in a Facebook statement that the busy market had been attacked and that there were casualties, but it did not give a figure.

Saudi Arabia’s information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The AP said it could not independently verify either side’s claims.

Most of Taiz province is controlled by the Houthis. The provincial capital, where the Saudi-backed government and its forces are based, remains under Houthi siege. Markets typically fill with shoppers after Friday prayers, but it was unclear how many people were at the market at the time of the attack.

Fighting in Yemen has intensified again since a truce collapsed in September, and Taiz has become one of the main front lines of the civil war.