At least 25 civilians have been killed and many others injured in three consecutive Saudi airstrikes on a crowded market in Yemen’s southwestern province of Ta’izz, less than a week after Saudi-backed forces targeted another busy market in the same province.
Al-Mayadeen television, citing local sources, reported that Saudi warplanes struck al-Hadhara market in the al-Wazi’iyah district on Friday, when the popular bazaar was at the height of its commercial activity and crowded with shoppers and traders.
The initial toll put the number of injured at 40, with fears that the death toll could rise further.
Health authorities have warned that the death toll could rise further, as several of the injured remain in critical condition.
Footage broadcast by Yemen’s al-Masirah television showed the aftermath of the attack, with bodies and human remains scattered across the market as shocked residents struggled to come to terms with the carnage.
Relatives of the victims rushed to the scene in search of their loved ones, as the full scale of the attack and the human toll it had taken became painfully clear.
The development came four days after at least eight people were killed and dozens more injured when Saudi-led forces launched an attack on al-Makh'af market in the al-Misrakh district of Ta’izz province.
Yemen's Ministry of Human Rights has denounced the Saudi targeting of popular markets, stressing it constitutes a direct attack on civilian sites protected under international humanitarian law, citing Article 52 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions and Article 8 of the Rome Statute.
The ministry described Saudi attacks on markets and commercial shops as part of a policy of starvation and collective punishment aimed at disrupting the economic lifeline of Yemenis and depriving people of their livelihood.
The ministry held Riyadh fully responsible for the October 31 airstrike on al-Hadhara market in al-Wazi’iyah district, urging the United Nations and international organizations to condemn the attack and take action against the targeting of civilians in commercial areas.
The latest escalation began after Saudi Arabia bombed Sana’a international airport in July. The Yemeni armed forces responded by enforcing a “blockade for blockade” policy and declaring an embargo on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
In recent months, the Yemeni military has announced several successful naval operations targeting ships linked to Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, enforcing the blockade and impacting Riyadh's energy exports.
The Yemeni forces have also carried out retaliatory attack on targets deep inside the kingdom, and made a lightning advance across Yemen’s coastal plain in September, reinforcing control over the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The conflict traces back to March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and a US-backed coalition launched a sweeping military campaign and blockade aimed at reinstalling a favorable regime in Sana'a.
While hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have been killed, Saudi Arabia has not succeeded in its main objective of reinstating a puppet government in Yemen that aligns with its interests.
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