Deadly attack on a crowded market

Airstrikes hit a market in southwestern Yemen on Friday, killing at least 20 people, according to an official with the Iran-backed Houthi movement. The attack struck al-Hadara market in the al-Waziyah district of Taiz province, in the early morning, when the market was busy.

A Houthi health ministry spokesperson, Anees Alsabahi, told Houthi-run television Al Masirah that 15 people were also wounded in the attack. He said Saudi warplanes had fired several missiles at the vegetable market. The toll was expected to rise as rescue teams searched the wreckage, and later Houthi-linked reports put the death toll higher.

Conflicting accounts

Responsibility for the attack was immediately disputed. Houthi officials blamed the Saudi-led coalition, which has been carrying out an air campaign in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Local authorities in Taiz acknowledged that an attack on the market had killed and wounded people, but blamed the Houthis and said no airstrikes had been carried out in the area.

The Associated Press said it could not independently verify either side's claims about responsibility. No independent body, such as a United Nations agency or a hospital outside Houthi control, had confirmed the casualty figures by the time of publication.

Wider fighting in Yemen

The attack comes as fighting continues across Yemen. Government forces launched Operation Dawn of Yemen on 5 October to retake territory held by the Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it had intercepted a Houthi missile, while Houthi-affiliated media reported seven people wounded in coalition strikes on the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. In Taiz, the Houthis have besieged the city for weeks, blocking food, fuel and medical supplies, according to authorities and aid warnings.