Houthis claim 13 killed in Yemen market strike

Thirteen people died and 16 were injured when Saudi-led airstrikes struck a central market in al-Hazm, Yemen, on Wednesday. The Houthi-run Health Ministry stated that the attack occurred while the market near a gas station was full of shoppers. Three of the injured were women. Shops and homes in the surrounding area sustained heavy damage. The ministry described the incident as a war crime and called for an international investigation. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government had not issued a statement by the time of reporting.

Yemeni officials are asking the international community for help to protect civilians in Taiz. The city, a gateway to the south, has taken in about half of the population displaced by recent fighting. Governor Nabil Shamsan said residents lost access to roughly 3 million liters of water from wells in Wadi al-Dhubab, an area now under Houthi control. He noted that fighting has intensified as the Houthis deployed reinforcements to multiple fronts, encircling the city on all four sides.

Eshraq al-Maqtari, the legal affairs minister in Yemen’s internationally recognized government, reported that more than 2,000 projectiles and explosives had struck Taiz city districts in recent days. She called for measures to cut off the rebels’ weapon supplies and funding. An Associated Press reporter in Aden witnessed explosions that shattered windows at the airport building and nearby homes. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree urged everyone at the airport to evacuate, claiming a Saudi military cargo plane carrying weapons was present, though he provided no evidence.

In Gaza, two Israeli strikes in the south killed one person and wounded at least six others on Wednesday. Health officials at Nasser Hospital said the first strike killed a man and critically wounded a woman. The second strike injured at least five others. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More than 1,550 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in October 2025, according to the territory’s health ministry. U.N. agencies and independent experts generally regard the ministry’s records as reliable.

In Belgrade, Serbia, a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy shot and killed a man who attacked him with knives just after midnight on Wednesday. The officer, from an elite unit, was slightly wounded in the face. Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack and have raised the threat level to the highest. Dacic described the attacker as a minor who shouted Allahu Akbar while wielding two knives. He added that the officer killed the assailant in self-defense. Police have increased their presence at key locations.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a Monday meeting in Tehran with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey offered a chance to advance dialogue and regional peace. In social media posts, Araghchi stated that these countries should be responsible for their own security without the military presence of extraregional powers. He provided no specific details about the discussions. The talks occurred amid speculation about a return to all-out war and continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held telephone calls with his Saudi and Emirati counterparts to discuss containing the regional crisis. He spoke with Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan about political solutions. Egypt announced this month that it will provide military support to Saudi Arabia to defend against Houthi attacks. The country’s highest security body made the decision, and lawmakers approved it in a closed-door vote earlier this week.