Yemen market strike kills 13, officials say

Thirteen people died and sixteen others were injured when Saudi-led airstrikes hit a crowded market in northern Yemen on Wednesday. The Houthi-run Health Ministry reported that three women were among the wounded. Shops and homes near the strike site suffered heavy damage. The ministry labeled the incident a war crime and called for an international investigation.

The attacks targeted a central market in al-Hazm, the capital of al-Jawf province. Officials said the market was near a gas station and full of shoppers at the time. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government did not immediately comment on the strikes. In the southern city of Aden, an Associated Press reporter heard explosions that broke windows at the airport and nearby homes. This followed a warning from Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, who told people to evacuate the airport. Saree claimed a Saudi military cargo plane carrying weapons was present, though he offered no proof.

Government officials in Yemen asked the international community for help protecting civilians in Taiz. They also requested the reopening of roads into the city as Houthi forces tightened their siege. Taiz province has become a major battlefield in recent weeks. The city, a gateway to the south, has taken in about half of Yemen’s population displaced by the fighting. This influx has strained local resources.

Nabil Shamsan, the Taiz governor, said residents lost access to roughly 3 million liters of water from wells in Wadi al-Dhubab. He stated that the area is now under Houthi control, a claim the Associated Press could not independently verify. Shamsan noted that fighting has intensified as Houthis sent reinforcements to multiple fronts. He said the city is now encircled on all four sides.

Eshraq al-Maqtari, a legal affairs minister in Yemen’s recognized government, said more than 2,000 projectiles and explosives hit Taiz in recent days. He called for measures to cut off the rebels’ weapon supplies and funding. In southern Gaza, Israeli strikes killed one person and wounded at least six others on Wednesday. Health officials at Nasser Hospital said the first strike killed a man and critically wounded a woman. A second strike injured at least five more people. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. More than 1,550 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October 2025, according to the territory’s health ministry.

In Belgrade, Serbia, a police officer shot and killed a man who attacked him with knives just after midnight on Wednesday. The officer was guarding the Israeli Embassy. He was from an elite unit and was slightly wounded in the face. Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the attacker as a minor who shouted Allahu Akbar. Dacic said police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack and raised the threat level to the highest. Police increased their presence at key locations.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised a Monday meeting in Tehran with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey. He called it a step toward dialogue and regional peace. Araghchi said the countries should manage their own security without extraregional military powers. He gave no details on the talks. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone with his Saudi and Emirati counterparts to discuss containing the crisis. Egypt approved military support for Saudi Arabia to defend against Houthi attacks earlier this week.