Yemeni Government Conducts Air Strikes on Houthi Positions Amid Rising Taiz Violence

What happened

Al Jazeera Yemen reports that forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government conducted nine air strikes targeting Houthi positions and military equipment in Taiz governorate on Tuesday, striking five locations in Dhubab district and four in al-Masrakh district. The Taiz Military Axis Media Center, affiliated with the Yemeni Ministry of Defence, confirmed ongoing clashes between government forces and Houthis in al-Shaqab, south of Taiz.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedom accused the Houthis of killing at least five civilians, including a five-year-old girl, and injuring 17 others in Taiz over the previous 24 hours. The organisation further alleged that Houthi shelling damaged at least seven homes and involved firing over 180 projectiles in residential neighborhoods within the same period. These claims, while detailed, require additional verification beyond the rights group’s account.

Yemen’s conflict reignited in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate. Although a UN-brokered truce in 2022 paused much of the fighting, tensions — especially around strategic areas such as Taiz and the Bab al-Mandeb strait — have surged. The Houthis have recently declared a naval blockade and launched offensives capturing territory along the western coast, aggravating regional instability.

Known from the source

• Yemeni government forces report they conducted nine air strikes on Houthi positions in Taiz governorate on October 13, 2026.
• The strikes targeted five locations in Dhubab district and four in al-Masrakh district.
• Clashes continue between Yemeni government forces and Houthis south of Taiz city in al-Shaqab area, per Taiz Military Axis Media Center.
• The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedom reports that Houthis allegedly killed five civilians and injured 17 others in Taiz within 24 hours preceding the report.
• The same rights group claims Houthi shelling damaged at least seven homes and launched over 180 projectiles in residential neighborhoods of Taiz.

What remains unclear

Humanitarian concerns are mounting: the International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric highlighted the heavy civilian toll amid escalating fighting across the Middle East, noting that Yemen sees mounting death, displacement, and damage to civilian infrastructure. According to the UN, at least 46 civilians have died and more than 130 been injured in Yemen since August, with over 200,000 displaced since September.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Independent verification of reported civilian casualties and injuries attributed to Houthi shelling by Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedom. Details of the nine air strikes credited to the Yemeni government from additional sources. Confirmation of ongoing fighting location specifics and scale from military or neutral observers.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: Al Jazeera Yemen. Open the source.