Saudi strike killed 22 people, mostly women & kids, near Yemen's capital: Houthi official

At least 22 people were killed and 30 others wounded in airstrikes on a village near Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The latest attack takes the reported death toll from two separate strikes in the country over two days to at least 52, with 38 others injured.Most of those killed or wounded in Saturday's attack on al-Shariya village were women and children, said Anees Alasbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry. He accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the strikes. Riyadh had not issued an immediate response to the allegation.The latest attack came a day after a deadly strike on al-Hadara market in al-Waziyah district of southwestern Yemen's Taiz province. Houthi officials said at least 30 people were killed and eight others wounded in that incident.The Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces have blamed each other for the market attack, with neither side's claims independently verified by The Associated Press.Market turns into deadly strike zoneThe earlier attack took place at around 7 am on Friday, according to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree. He said three airstrikes hit al-Hadara market and accused Saudi Arabia of carrying them out.Saree claimed the warplanes had taken off from the Khamis Mushait air base and left Taiz province around 8 am. However, he did not provide evidence to support the allegation.Authorities aligned with Yemen's Saudi-backed government blamed the Houthis for the attack and denied that any airstrikes had taken place in the area.The provincial media office acknowledged that the busy market had been attacked and that there were casualties, but did not provide a death toll. It also accused the Houthis of carrying out "indiscriminate Houthi missile attacks", including the use of ballistic missiles.Footage aired by Houthi-run Al-Masirah television showed smoke rising from the market, with damaged buildings, destroyed vehicles, scattered fruit boxes and debris.Fighting intensifies around TaizThe two deadly incidents come amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and forces backing Yemen's internationally recognised government.Taiz remains a strategically important province. The Houthis control much of the surrounding territory and have besieged the provincial capital, which remains under government control.The rebels stepped up their advance towards Taiz in September after capturing the port city of Mokha, around 130 km away. The port is strategically important because of its location near the Red Sea shipping route.The Houthis have also carried out deadly attacks on government forces. Last month, a ballistic missile strike by the group on a military camp in the southern province of Shabwa killed at least 75 soldiers and wounded around 200 recruits. The rebels acknowledged carrying out that attack.In September, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking a prison in Hazm, the provincial capital of al-Jawf. At least 23 people were killed after the prison collapsed during coalition airstrikes in the area.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.