Urgent: The Houthis announce the killing of 7 people and the wounding of 40 in a Saudi raid on Taiz

Seven people were killed and 40 others were injured in a Saudi air strike that targeted a market in the center of the city of Taiz, southwest of Yemen, according to what media outlets affiliated with the Houthi group reported on Sunday.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said, “A Saudi fighter carried out the raid,” without any immediate comment from the Saudi side regarding the attack or the death toll.

The raid comes amid escalation of fighting between the Houthis and forces affiliated with the internationally recognized Yemeni government, after a period of relative calm.

The military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said on Saturday that the Saudi Air Force carried out 27 raids targeting the governorates of Taiz, Ma’rib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah.

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday the interception of two drones launched by the Houthis towards the capital, Riyadh.

Government forces control the city of Taiz, which has recently become one of the main fighting fronts with the Houthis.

The war broke out in Yemen in 2014, when the Houthis took control of the capital, Sanaa, before expanding their influence to large areas of the north of the country. A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

Schools in Riyadh announced on Sunday the move to distance education for a week, without explaining the reasons, according to letters sent to parents and seen by Agence France-Presse.