Smoke rose over the outskirts of Yemen’s Taiz on 27 September after air strikes that the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia, while Yemen’s government said it hit a Houthi camp. Casualty figures come only from Houthi sources, and neither account has been independently verified.

Smoke Over Taiz After Reported Strikes

Smoke rose over an area on the outskirts of Yemen’s Taiz on Sunday, 27 September, after air strikes that Houthi authorities blamed on Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its own forces struck a Houthi military camp at the same location. Neither account has been independently verified, and the number of dead is disputed.

Smoke and Damage Near the Mawiya Junction

Reuters reported the strikes at the Mawiya junction in Taiz province. Footage broadcast by the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV showed large plumes of smoke and a destroyed warehouse stacked with food in cardboard boxes, according to a report carried by Yahoo News UK. AFP said the same channel’s images also showed vehicles with blown-out windows and damaged warehouses, with goods covered in a thick layer of dust. The Houthis told AFP the area is under their control.

Casualty Figures Reported by Houthi Sources

Al-Masirah first reported that a strike killed seven people and wounded 40 at a market in Taiz. Citing the Houthi health ministry, it later said five children were among the wounded. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree then said two Saudi air raids hit the market and that nearly 50 people were killed or wounded, without giving a breakdown. Later, multiple Houthi sources told AFP that nearly 30 Houthi fighters and eight civilians had been killed in the series of strikes. These figures come only from Houthi sources, they do not match one another, and none has been independently confirmed.

What the Houthi Side Said

According to Reuters, Saree said the attack was carried out by Saudi Arabia and not by Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and that it involved a squadron of Saudi F-15 aircraft. The Houthi health ministry described the strike as a crime that deliberately targeted civilian sites, according to the Yahoo News UK report. Saree said the killings would have severe consequences for Saudi Arabia. He also said Saudi aircraft hit four sites in Al-Jawf province, without giving casualty figures.

What Yemen’s Government Said

Yemen’s internationally recognised government gave a different account. Reuters reported that it said its forces had targeted a Houthi military camp and vehicles at the same junction. Three military sources in the government told Reuters that Houthi fighters had recently set up a camp near the market. Earlier on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported that the government’s military media centre had claimed air raids in the east of the governorate over the previous 24 hours, including on weapons sites and ammunition depots at Mafraq Mawiya. Al Jazeera said it could not verify those claims.

Saudi Arabia’s Position

None of the reporting reviewed for this article included a response from Saudi Arabia to the Houthi accusation. It is worth separating the two parties. Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s government and led an international coalition that intervened in the war in 2015, AFP noted, but the government’s forces are a separate Yemeni force. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted two Houthi drones heading towards Riyadh, according to AFP.

Why Taiz Matters

Taiz matters because it has been a front line for years. AFP said the city remains under government control but has long been besieged by Houthi fighters. Yemen’s war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and it flared again in July after a period of relative calm. In September the Houthis took Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, AFP reported. UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, Akhil Iyer, said at least 146,000 people have been displaced since July, most of them from or within Taiz governorate, Al Jazeera reported on 27 September.

Latest Situation and What Remains Unclear

As of Monday, 28 September, the Houthi-reported casualty figures remain unverified, and the government’s description of the target has not been independently confirmed. It is still unclear which aircraft carried out the strikes, whether the market, the camp or both were hit, and how many of the dead and wounded were civilians and how many were fighters.

By MAIRA NOOR