At least seven people were killed and about 40 others injured after a Saudi airstrike reportedly hit a busy marketplace in Taiz, southwestern Yemen, on Sunday.
The casualties were reported by Al-Masirah TV, a media outlet affiliated with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement.
According to the report, the strike occurred in a central market in Taiz, shortly after the channel reported that a Saudi fighter jet had targeted the area.
The latest attack comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen following years of relative calm, as the country’s long-running conflict has become increasingly linked to the wider war in the Middle East.
Tensions escalated in September after the Houthis launched a major offensive and reportedly took control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s key maritime routes.
The Houthis have also imposed restrictions on Saudi energy exports, while Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has further disrupted regional energy shipments.
On Saturday, Saudi authorities said they had intercepted two Houthi drones travelling towards Riyadh.
Meanwhile, schools in the Saudi capital announced that classes would move online for one week from Sunday. Messages sent to parents and seen by AFP did not state the reason for the decision.
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Taiz, a strategic city held by Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has become a major flashpoint in the renewed confrontation between government forces and the Houthis.
Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 after Houthi fighters seized the capital, Sanaa, from the Saudi-backed government and subsequently expanded their control across large parts of northern Yemen.
Despite years of Saudi military support for government forces, the latest Houthi advances have put additional pressure on government-held areas.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday that Saudi aircraft had carried out 27 strikes across Taiz, Marib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah provinces.
The latest casualty figures and details of the reported airstrike could not be independently verified.