Airstrikes Near Sanaa Kill at Least 25, Houthi Official Says

At least 25 people were killed and 30 wounded when airstrikes hit homes in the village of al-Shariya, about 15 kilometers northeast of Sanaa, on November 7, an official with Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry said. Most of the dead and injured were women and children, he said. The official had earlier given a toll of 22 deaths to the Associated Press.

The spokesman, Anees Alasbahi, blamed Saudi Arabia for launching the strikes. The claims could not be independently verified, and Saudi Arabia’s Information Ministry had not responded to a request for comment by publication time. Alasbahi said people remained trapped under rubble and that later strikes hit emergency workers trying to rescue survivors.

Footage broadcast by Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV showed damaged homes, people carrying children from ambulances and a wounded man in an orange first-responder vest being helped from an ambulance.

The strikes came as Yemen’s civil war intensified after a truce reached in 2022 broke down over the summer. The Houthis control Sanaa and much of the north and west, while their Saudi-backed opponents are based in the south and east. The Saudi-led coalition says it has been striking areas controlled by the Houthis to hit the rebels’ military infrastructure.

Fighting has also intensified around Taiz, where the Houthis have encircled the government-held city. The conflict has claimed at least 150,000 lives, figures from the United Nations indicate, with additional deaths from hunger and disease.

Civilian Deaths Mount as Yemen’s Air War Intensifies

The deaths of at least 25 people in al-Shariya, near Yemen’s capital, underscore the steep civilian cost of Yemen’s renewed war. A Houthi-run Health Ministry spokesman said the November 7 strikes hit homes, wounded 30 people and left residents buried beneath rubble. He said later strikes also hit emergency workers trying to rescue survivors.

The spokesman blamed Saudi Arabia for carrying out the attack. The claim has not been independently verified, and Saudi Arabia’s Information Ministry had not responded to a request for comment by publication time. Footage aired by Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV showed damaged homes and injured children being treated at a hospital.

The wider conflict has surged again after the 2022 truce collapsed over the summer. The Saudi-led coalition says its strikes target Houthi military infrastructure, but the latest toll puts civilians at the center of the consequences. The war has already claimed at least 150,000 lives, figures from the United Nations indicate, with further deaths from hunger and disease.

The escalation is also worsening conditions in Taiz, where the Houthis have encircled a government-held city and residents are struggling to obtain food and drinking water. The latest allegations demand scrutiny as fighting spreads and civilians face the danger of being caught in the air campaign and ground war.

Houthi War Escalation Brings New Civilian Toll Near Sanaa

At least 25 people died when airstrikes hit homes in al-Shariya, northeast of Sanaa, on November 7. The figure was provided by a spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, who first gave a total of 22 deaths. He also said 30 people were wounded and accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attack.

That accusation has not been independently verified. Saudi Arabia’s Information Ministry had not responded to a request for comment by publication time. The Houthis’ own military escalation is part of the same worsening conflict: after the truce collapsed over the summer, they launched offensives, advanced along the Red Sea coast and stepped up strikes on Saudi targets and shipping.

The Saudi-led coalition says it is striking areas controlled by the Houthis to hit the rebels’ military infrastructure. The competing claims highlight the stakes of a conflict in which responsibility for attacks is disputed, while civilians face the consequences. Footage from the village showed destroyed homes and injured people being taken for treatment.

The war has claimed at least 150,000 lives, figures from the United Nations indicate, with hunger and disease causing additional deaths. Fighting around Taiz has also intensified, and the Houthis have encircled the government-held city, where residents are struggling to secure food and drinking water.