Yemen's government and Houthi rebels blame each other for market strike in Taiz
Both Yemen's government forces and the Houthi movement accuse each other of carrying out an air strike on the al-Hadara market in Taiz, which left at least 30 civilians dead and several injured.
Yemen's government forces and the Houthi rebel group are each accusing the other of striking the al-Hadara market in the al-Waziiya district of Taiz governorate on Friday, an attack that killed at least 30 civilians and wounded eight others, according to local reports.
Colonel Majed al-Nazili, a spokesperson for the Yemeni government forces, said the market was hit by ballistic missiles launched by the "terrorist" Houthis, calling the incident a war crime and urging accountability.
The Houthi side, through its Ministry of Health and Environment in the capital Sanaa, blamed Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognised government, for three air strikes on the market and described the act as a "horrific crime". The Houthis called for an independent international investigation into what they said was systematic targeting of civilians.
Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the claims, and the Saudi-led coalition has not responded to the accusations.
Reporter Yousef Mawry, based in Sanaa, noted that fighting continues in the al-Waziiya district, which is under Houthi control, and that the Saudi-led coalition conducts daily attacks to seize the strategic area that includes much of the western Red Sea coastline.
"Whoever controls the al-Waziiya district controls the majority of the western Red Sea coastal line," Mawry said.
The Yemeni army announced that it recaptured several locations in Taiz governorate on Friday, including al-Nidani village, Shaab al-Sarari, parts of the Sanamat area and the Ribat al-Qarn area in Dhi al-Barh, and imposed a siege on entrances to the al-Sarari area.
While the Houthis retain control over much of the governorate, the city of Taiz remains under government control, but has been under a Houthi siege for a month, affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. The United Nations has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the city as food and medical supplies dwindle.
The internationally recognised government launched Operation Dawn of Yemen on October 5 to reclaim territory held by Houthi fighters, but both sides have continued to experience missile attacks since the operation began.