Seven people were killed and 40 others, including children, were injured on Sunday, 27 September 2026, in air strikes targeting the Mafraq Mawiyah area in Al-Ta'iziyah district, east of Taiz province, according to figures announced by the Houthi-affiliated Health Ministry, amid conflicting accounts of the strikes’ target. The ministry said the strikes targeted shops in the Economic Institution market at Mafraq Mawiyah, and described the victims as civilians.
Conflicting accounts of the strikes’ target
It accused Saudi aircraft of carrying out several strikes that it said directly and deliberately hit civilian facilities inside the market. Yemen’s government forces gave a different account, saying in a statement that their aircraft had carried out strikes targeting a Houthi camp and military vehicles near Mafraq Mawiyah.
Its announcement did not include a specific casualty figure from the strikes. Three military sources in the Yemeni government said the Houthis had recently established a camp near the market. A pro-government military source said the strikes hit a site believed to be a camp belonging to the group, sending columns of smoke into the air and causing secondary explosions.
The military source added that the strikes were carried out as Houthi fighters and reinforcements gathered inside the camp, and reported deaths and injuries among them. The Houthi-affiliated Health Ministry did not report any casualties among the fighters, limiting its figures to those it said had been killed and injured inside the market.
Fighting intensifies after Houthi advance
The strikes came amid intensifying fighting in Taiz province, following a Houthi advance along Yemen’s western coast during September. The group took control of the coastal city of Mokha on the tenth of the month, then seized Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the following day. This forced government forces to withdraw southwards, with the fighting moving towards the Taiz highlands and neighbouring Lahij province.
The current round of fighting began in July 2026, when the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and began targeting vessels linked to it in the Red Sea.
The fighting later expanded to include ballistic missile and drone attacks towards Saudi Arabia, while air strikes on areas under Houthi control in Yemen intensified.
