Yemen airstrikes kill at least 25 people in Houthi-held town

Yemen's Houthi movement has reported that an aerial bombardment conducted by Saudi Arabia resulted in the deaths of at least 25 individuals, among them women and children.

The strikes hit al-Shariyah, a town situated east of Yemen's capital, Sanaa. According to Houthi-operated media, several structures were destroyed in the assault. Broadcasts on the group's television network, Al Masirah, showed emergency workers recovering bodies, including young children, from collapsed debris, while injured survivors were transported to medical facilities. The Houthi-aligned Saba news agency attributed the operation directly to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led military coalition, which supports the internationally recognised administration of Yemen, has not publicly responded to the allegations. However, just hours prior to the reported bombardment in al-Shariyah, coalition forces announced that they had successfully stopped an incoming missile directed at the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Following the reported incident, Mahdi al-Mashat, a prominent figure within the Houthi leadership, declared that the group intends to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for the recent strikes across the country.

The latest escalation follows the collapse of a period of relative calm in Yemen's protracted conflict, which has been fought for over a decade. Tensions flared significantly after Saudi forces targeted Sanaa's airport to block an Iranian flight from landing. In turn, the Iranian-backed Houthis launched strikes against Abha airport within Saudi territory and subsequently disrupted maritime transport by targeting Saudi vessels navigating Red Sea export channels.

Ground combat has concurrently expanded between Houthi rebels and government-aligned troops. Just days earlier, an attack on a marketplace located in the heavily contested province of Taiz claimed approximately 30 lives. Both factions traded blame for that incident, with Houthis alleging a Saudi air raid and government representatives accusing Houthi forces of launching a missile into the market area.

Data from the United Nations indicates that the renewed wave of hostility has caused severe humanitarian fallout, resulting in more than 1,600 fatalities and displacing over 300,000 residents across the nation. Air operations against Houthi strongholds and cross-border missile launches targeting Saudi infrastructure, including energy and aviation hubs, have continued to destabilise the region.