On a Saturday in November, rescuers in al-Shariyah, a town east of Sanaa, were still lifting bodies, some of them children, from the rubble of collapsed homes, while Houthi-run media reported at least 33 dead and 39 wounded in Saudi air strikes. The old war in Yemen, which had lain quiet for years, has woken again, pulled by the wider storm of the Iran war and the sea lanes that carry the world's oil. Saudi Arabia has not answered the accusation, and the figures remain those of one side's outlets, so the full weight of what happened is still settling into the record. It is one more mark in a c
Houthi-linked media say Saudi air strike killed at least 33 in Yemen; Riyadh has not commented
At least 33 people, including women and children, were reported killed and 39 injured in the al-Shariyah strike, according to Houthi-run media.
The bodies of young children can be seen among those dug out from the ruins
Mark
Start with what we actually know about al-Shariyah. What's on the record?
Mimi
Houthi-run Al Masirah showed live footage of rescuers pulling bodies, including young children, from rubble in the town east of Sanaa. Saba, also Houthi-run, says Saudi Arabia carried out the strike on Saturday, with 33 dead and 39 injured.
Luke
Worth noting that every number there comes from Houthi outlets. The Saudi-led coalition hasn't commented, so the toll and the attribution are unconfirmed by anyone else.
Mark
Why is this happening now, after years of relative quiet?
Mimi
The Iran war reignited it. The truce frayed when Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa airport to stop an Iranian plane landing. The Houthis answered by hitting Abha airport and then Saudi ships in the Red Sea.
Mark
Why the Red Sea specifically?
Mimi
Saudi ships are using it as an alternative oil export route to the Strait of Hormuz, which makes it a target.
Luke
And the Taiz market attack the day before shows how murky this gets. About 30 reportedly died. The Houthis blame Saudi Arabia, government forces blame a Houthi missile. We don't know who is right.
Mark
What's the wider toll?
Mimi
The UN says more than 1,600 killed and over 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed.
Luke
That's a UN figure for the whole renewed conflict, not for these two strikes. Whether the al-Shariyah deaths are included yet, I can't say.
Mimi
Al-Mashat has vowed revenge, and the coalition said it intercepted a missile headed for Riyadh hours earlier. The next steps are coming quickly.
Le Pouls
- Rescuers are digging through collapsed buildings in al-Shariyah, pulling out young children as the death toll climbs toward at least 33.
- The Saudi-led coalition has stayed silent, leaving the Houthi-run media's account as the only word on the strike.
- A market attack in Taiz that killed about 30 people has deepened the blame game, with each side accusing the other.
- The Saudi-Houthi truce has shattered, and missiles now fly between Yemen, Riyadh and Abha while ships in the Red Sea are targeted.
- Mahdi al-Mashat has vowed revenge, and the coming days will show whether Houthi retaliation hits Saudi soil or shipping lanes.
On a Saturday in November, rescuers in al-Shariyah, a town east of Sanaa, were still lifting bodies, some of them children, from the rubble of collapsed homes, while Houthi-run media reported at least 33 dead and 39 wounded in Saudi air strikes. The old war in Yemen, which had lain quiet for years, has woken again, pulled by the wider storm of the Iran war and the sea lanes that carry the world's oil. Saudi Arabia has not answered the accusation, and the figures remain those of one side's outlets, so the full weight of what happened is still settling into the record. It is one more mark in a conflict where each strike seems to answer the last.
On Saturday, live footage broadcast by Al Masirah, the Houthi-run television station, showed rescuers working through the rubble of several buildings in al-Shariyah, a town east of Sanaa. Among the bodies they lifted out were those of small children, and the injured were carried away on stretchers toward hospital.
Houthi-linked media say at least 33 people, women and children among them, were killed in Saudi air strikes, with 39 injured. The figures come from Houthi-controlled outlets. The Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, has not commented.
The strike comes as a war that had gone quiet for years flares again. The conflict reignited with the Iran war. The truce began to break when Saudi Arabia hit the airport in Sanaa to stop an Iranian plane from landing. The Tehran-backed Houthis answered by targeting Abha airport, then began striking Saudi ships in the Red Sea, an alternative route for oil that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. Major fighting has since resumed.
The day before, a market in Taiz province was reported to have killed 30 people. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia, while government forces said the Houthis had fired a missile at the site. That question remains unresolved.
The United Nations counts more than 1,600 dead and over 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed. In the hours before the al-Shariyah strike, the coalition said it had intercepted a missile aimed at Riyadh, and Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat vowed revenge. What comes next depends on whether the coalition confirms the strike and whether the Houthis act on that vow.
On Saturday, live footage on Al Masirah, the television station run by the Houthis, showed rescuers working through the rubble of several buildings in al-Shariyah, a town east of Sanaa, Yemen's capital. Among the bodies they pulled out were those of young children. Injured people were carried away on stretchers to hospital.
Media linked to the Houthi movement say at least 33 people, including women and children, were killed in air strikes carried out by Saudi Arabia. Saba, the Houthi-run news agency, attributed the attack to Saudi Arabia on Saturday and put the number of injured at 39. These figures come from Houthi-controlled outlets, and the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, has not commented.
The strike lands in a war that had been dormant for several years. The Saudis have led a coalition fighting the Houthis for more than a decade, but the conflict reignited as a result of the Iran war. The truce began to come apart when Saudi Arabia struck the airport in Sanaa, which the Houthis control, to stop an Iranian plane from landing there.
The Tehran-backed Houthis then targeted Abha airport in Saudi Arabia. After that, they began hitting Saudi ships using the Red Sea off Yemen's coast as an alternative oil export route to the Strait of Hormuz. Major fighting has since resumed between the Houthis and forces fighting for the Saudi-backed government.
The day before, on Friday, an attack on a market in Taiz province, the focus of much of the recent fighting, is reported to have killed 30 people. The Houthis blamed the Saudis. Government forces said the Houthis had fired a missile at the site. That dispute over responsibility is unresolved in the available reporting.
The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since the fighting resumed. The Saudis have regularly bombed Houthi positions, while the Houthis have fired multiple missiles at targets inside Saudi Arabia, including airports and oil facilities.
There was one more development in the hours before the al-Shariyah strike: the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a missile heading toward Riyadh. Afterward, Mahdi al-Mashat, a Houthi leader, vowed that the group would take revenge for the latest attacks in Yemen.
What to watch now is whether the coalition confirms or disputes the al-Shariyah strike and its toll, and whether the Houthis follow through on al-Mashat's vow, particularly against Saudi targets and Red Sea shipping.
Citations marquantes
The group will take revenge for the latest attacks in Yemen.— Mahdi al-Mashat, Houthi leader (paraphrased)
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