Sanaa: Three civilians were killed and five others injured in shelling blamed on Yemen’s Houthis in Taiz province, as renewed fighting in Yemen, attacks on Saudi infrastructure and maritime incidents intensified concerns over regional security.
The government run Office of Siege Affairs in Taiz said late Friday that shelling struck Sabir al Mawadim district, south of Taiz. It identified those killed as Safwan Saeed Obeid, 28, Asia Abdulsamad Saeed Ahmed, 55, and Safiya Hazza Saif al Baadani.
Separate shelling in al Shaqab, south of Taiz, and Aqaqa to the west injured five civilians, including two women, the office said.
The civilian casualties came alongside renewed fighting around the city. The Taiz Military Axis said Yemeni troops repelled a large Houthi attack on the al Shaqab front after approximately eight hours of clashes, claiming that 16 Houthi fighters were killed and others wounded.
The army also reported air strikes against Houthi positions at the al Hangar checkpoint and the al Maqbaba and al Kamil hills in the al Dabab area, west of Taiz. It said reinforcements, weapons and equipment east of al Shaqab were also targeted.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on those military claims.
Separately, Saudi led coalition spokesperson Turki al Maliki said late Friday that coalition forces destroyed two Houthi ballistic missile launch platforms in Saada province, northwestern Yemen. No further operational details were provided.
The developments follow recent Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy facilities, widening the security pressures accompanying the continuing US and Israeli war on Iran.
Two tanker attacks reported near Saudi Arabia added a separate maritime dimension to the escalation.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said one vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile approximately 68 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubayl. Its crew were reported safe and evacuated, with no environmental impact reported at that stage.
Another tanker was attacked approximately 78 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubayl. Its master reported that a small boat fired a rocket propelled grenade, damaging the vessel’s rear left section.
All crew members were accounted for and safe, while assessments of damage and possible environmental effects remained incomplete.
The supplied report identified no perpetrators in either incident and established no connection between the tanker attacks and the fighting in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia meanwhile welcomed a UN Security Council presidential statement condemning Houthi attacks against the kingdom and threats to navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al Mandeb.
Riyadh supported its call for cooperation to prevent the group from acquiring weapons and reaffirmed its right to defend its territory and population.
The escalation also carries economic implications for Pakistan. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure could prolong disruption even after hostilities ease.
While Pakistan has procured supplies through November, damage to production and transport facilities threatens a slower return to normal energy markets.
Yemen’s conflict dates to the Houthi takeover of Sanaa in September 2014. The Saudi led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
