The key facts
- UN: food and fuel prices in Taiz have more than doubled, water production has fallen to half capacity
- Yemen's government reported nearly 750 military operations and an ambulance shelling that killed two people
- The attack on a training camp in Shabwa a day earlier: at least 73 killed, more than 200 wounded, 14 missing
Humanitarian situation in Taiz
The UN humanitarian representative in Yemen, Laurent Bukera, said on Tuesday that in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz, food and fuel prices have risen more than twofold, increasing pressure on families who already struggle to cover basic needs. Fuel shortages for hospitals and a lack of medical oxygen, he said, are putting the lives of hundreds of patients at risk. Water production in the city has fallen to half capacity, alternative sources are exhausted, and hundreds of thousands of families are struggling to access water. Bukera called on the Houthi authorities to open 'safe corridors' for the delivery of basic goods, noting that road closures and the lack of security are hindering the delivery of supplies, and that the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.
Accusations and military operations
The Yemeni government on Tuesday accused the Houthis of mortar shelling an ambulance in Taiz, killing two people, including an 18-year-old girl. The authorities said the rebels are conducting 'indiscriminate shelling of residential areas.' Official media reported that government forces carried out nearly 750 operations using aircraft, drones, artillery, rocket launchers, and snipers. Army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said targets included Houthi firing positions and command centers, and that troops are 'increasing combat pressure' in Taiz — a city that has become key in the battle for western Yemen.
Attacks on Saudi Arabia and escalation
The Houthis, whose repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia have, according to the publication, caused hundreds of casualties and blocked flights to the kingdom, claimed attacks on the border regions of Jizan and Asir on Tuesday. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government reported destroying a drone over Riyadh. The Houthi advance along the western coast has raised fears of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, with possible consequences far beyond Yemen.
Attack on the camp in Shabwa
The UN warning came a day after a Houthi attack on a military training camp in Shabwa province, which killed at least 73 people and raised fears of further escalation. Shabwa Governor Awad al-Wazir said more than 200 people were wounded and 14 remain missing. A wounded recruit, Nasser Sheikh Bahaj, told Yemeni media that three rockets hit the camp during a personnel training session, and that for the three previous nights reconnaissance drones had flown over the camp, filming the facility. Chaotic scenes were described at the Shabwa hospital and other medical facilities in the city of Ataq, as ambulances and private cars ferried the wounded.
Expansion of the conflict
Fighting has spread across Yemen following the Houthis' initial advance toward the sea last month. Last Thursday, Houthi rockets were fired at the Presidential Palace in Aden; five people were killed. The Iran-backed group's offensive in recent weeks has reignited Yemen's civil war and opened a new front in the broader Middle East conflict.
