12 killed, including 3 children, as Saudi strikes hit Yemen’s Taiz: Houthis

At least 12 people, including three children, in Yemen have been killed after Saudi Arabia launched strikes that began overnight, Houthi media reported on Saturday. Targeting 'civilian homes', Saudi warplanes launched the strikes in Taiz governorate on Saturday, where nine people were killed and 16 were injured, the Iran-backed group's news agency said.

The media report also suggests that people were still trapped under the rubble after the strike. Earlier, the agency had reported that overnight strikes which were carried out using banned cluster bombs in Dhamar province killed three children and wounded 17 other people.

The Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis has been conducting daily strikes across Yemen in support of the internationally recognised government, as the country’s protracted civil war continues. Having lain dormant for years, the conflict flared up again in July and escalated further after the Iran-backed group took control of the Red Sea coast last month.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have carried out repeated attacks on Saudi targets, including Red Sea vessels, oil facilities and Riyadh’s international airport, where a single strike last week killed 13 people. The Houthis report that Saudi strikes between September 3 and October 15 have left 115 people dead and 305 wounded.