Yemen: 22 killed, 30 injured in Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa, say Houthi media

At least 22 people, most of them women and children, were killed and 30 others injured in airstrikes allegedly carried out by Saudi Arabia in Yemen's Sanaa province on Saturday, according to media outlets affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi movement. The reported casualties come amid a renewed escalation of Yemen's civil war, which has intensified since fighting resumed earlier this year.

The strikes reportedly hit the Al-Shariyah area, where rescue operations were continuing as emergency workers searched through the rubble for survivors and bodies. The Houthis' Saba news agency reported that the death toll had risen to 22, with most of the victims being women and children.

"The number of victims of the Saudi enemy warplane massacre in the Al-Shariyah area... has risen to 22 citizens, most of them children and women, while the number of wounded has risen to 30," Saba reported.

The group's television channel, Al-Masirah, reported the same casualty figures. A Houthi health ministry official also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attack. However, the allegations could not be independently verified, and Saudi authorities had not issued an immediate response.

Houthis allege rescuers were targeted in follow-up strikes

According to Saba, rescue teams were continuing efforts to recover victims trapped beneath the rubble following the airstrikes. The agency further alleged that aircraft carried out two additional strikes targeting paramedics involved in the rescue operation.

Footage broadcast by Al-Masirah, which the channel said was filmed in Al-Shariyah, showed smoke rising from the affected location, damaged structures, piles of debris and injured people receiving treatment in hospital.

The reports also indicated that emergency operations were being carried out amid continuing security concerns in the area. The Associated Press separately reported that the strikes had hit a village near the Yemeni capital, killing 22 people and injuring 30, according to a spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry.

Saudi-led coalition reports interception of Houthi missile

While Houthi media accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the latest airstrikes, the Saudi-led military coalition issued a separate statement on Saturday claiming that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi missile launched towards Riyadh province.

Saudi Arabia has been supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government in its conflict against the Iran-backed Houthi movement. Riyadh has regularly conducted airstrikes against Houthi positions since fighting escalated.

The latest exchange of attacks highlights the widening confrontation between the two sides, with cross-border missile attacks and airstrikes adding to the security challenges facing the region.

Market attack in Taiz leaves 30 dead

The latest reported airstrikes came a day after another deadly incident in Yemen's Taiz province, where an attack on a market killed 30 people on Friday.

The Houthis blamed Saudi airstrikes for the attack, while Yemen's government forces accused the Iran-backed group of firing a ballistic missile at the market.

The competing accusations have made it difficult to establish responsibility for the incident independently.

The two attacks within 48 hours have raised further concerns over civilian casualties as fighting intensifies across different parts of the country.

Renewed fighting deepens Yemen's humanitarian crisis

Yemen returned to a more intense phase of conflict in July after several years of relative calm between the Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government. The renewed fighting has opened another front in the wider Middle East conflict and increased fears of a prolonged humanitarian emergency.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since the latest escalation began.

The renewed violence has also drawn international attention to the strategic importance of Yemen, particularly its proximity to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

In September, UN officials warned the Security Council that the relative calm maintained since the 2022 truce had ended, with fighting intensifying along several front lines, particularly along Yemen's western coast. The renewed military operations have also raised concerns about the safety of commercial shipping and the potential disruption of international trade routes.

Since the escalation began, Saudi Arabia has continued to launch airstrikes against Houthi positions, while the group has stepped up attacks against the oil-rich kingdom, including targeting strategic infrastructure.

The latest casualties in Sanaa and Taiz underline the growing toll on civilians as the conflict enters another dangerous phase, with no immediate indication of a reduction in hostilities.