Yemeni government forces accused the Houthi militia of carrying out an attack on Friday against the al-Hadara popular market in al-Wazi'iyah district, located in western Taiz governorate, with a ballistic missile that killed at least 30 people according to a toll announced by the Houthis. Earlier on Friday, local sources reported to Al-Masdar Online that at least 20 people were killed and others were injured in shelling that targeted the market in the morning, before the casualty count was updated. Media outlets aligned with the Houthis circulated a list containing the names of 29 individuals said to be victims of the attack. Al-Masdar Online reported that it could not independently verify the names or the competing narratives from both parties regarding who was responsible, while local media reported differing accounts regarding the source of the projectile.
The official spokesman for the armed forces, Colonel Staff Majid al-Nazili, stated that the Houthis targeted the market with a ballistic missile, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties. Al-Nazili described the attack as a war crime requiring accountability for those who ordered and carried it out. He accused the group of directing its weapons toward civilians whenever it suffers battlefield losses or fails in missile tests, stating that these crimes will only increase the armed forces' determination to eradicate their threat and continue Operation "Fajr al-Yemen." Al-Nazili called on the international community to assume its responsibilities regarding crimes committed against civilians by taking urgent steps to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, drying up their funding sources, and cutting off arms supplies.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the market was subjected to three Saudi airstrikes, holding Riyadh responsible for the attack and the casualties. The local authority in Taiz governorate condemned the attack and held the Houthis responsible, stating, based on a report from the operations room, that warplanes did not carry out any air operations or airstrikes in al-Wazi'iyah district during that day. The director general of al-Wazi'iyah, Ali al-Dharafi, issued a statement similarly relying on the operations room report regarding the absence of airstrikes in the district. Sheikhs and notables of the western coastal districts in Taiz also condemned the attack, held the Houthis responsible, and demanded an examination of projectile remnants to uncover the circumstances of the incident.