7 killed, 40 wounded as Saudi airstrike hits Yemen market amid fresh Houthi offensive

A Saudi airstrike killed seven people and wounded 40 others, including children, at a market in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province on Sunday. According to the Houthi-run health ministry and Houthi media, the strike hit shops in a central marketplace in Taiz, a major city controlled by Yemen's internationally recognised government.Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that a Saudi fighter jet targeted the area. The channel said the strike took place minutes before it reported the casualties.Three military sources within the Yemeni government said that Houthi militants had recently established a military camp near the market, according to news agency Reuters.The strike came a day after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted two Houthi drones heading towards the capital Riyadh.Schools in Riyadh said on Sunday they would shift to remote learning for a week, according to messages emailed to parents and seen by AFP. The messages did not give a reason for the move.Fighting intensifiesThe latest strike comes as Yemen's war has reignited after years of relative calm, amid the widening conflict in the Middle East.Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday that Saudi air forces had carried out 27 strikes targeting Taiz, Marib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah provinces.Fighting intensified in September after the Houthis launched a major offensive and seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping route.The Houthis have also imposed a blockade on Saudi energy exports, which have already been affected by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.Yemen's long-running warTaiz has become a key frontline in the fighting between Houthi forces and forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government.The conflict began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa from the Saudi-backed government. They later took control of large parts of northern Yemen.Saudi Arabia has backed the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis. However, government forces have been unable to repel the group's latest offensive.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.