At least seven people have been killed and dozens others injured in a Saudi airstrike on a market in Yemen, amid a sharp escalation in the country’s long-running conflict.
The strike reportedly hit shops near the Mawiya junction, with at least five children among those wounded.
The casualties and the intended target could not be independently verified.
Yemeni government forces, however, said the Saudi-led coalition had targeted a Houthi military position and vehicles in the area rather than the market.
The latest attack came amid renewed fighting in Yemen, with Houthi forces advancing along the Red Sea coast towards Bab al-Mandab, one of the world’s strategically important maritime passages.
Saudi Arabia has responded with a series of airstrikes. The Houthis claimed that 27 strikes were conducted across six Yemeni provinces in the 24 hours preceding the latest attack.
The renewed hostilities have reportedly killed nearly 700 people and displaced more than 130,000 others, according to the United Nations.
The conflict has also raised concerns over the security of international shipping through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi Arabia also said it intercepted two Houthi drones heading towards the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday.
The latest escalation adds to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where years of conflict have left millions dependent on humanitarian assistance.
