Two Killed in Taiz Gas Station Strike as Houthi-Government Fighting Escalates

Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that at least two people died and several others were wounded in strikes on a gas station in Taiz province. The ministry accused Yemeni government forces of targeting the facility late Monday night, a day as combat intensified around the besieged provincial capital.

Spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi detailed the incident for the media. Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah television broadcast footage of the aftermath, showing two bodies placed in bags and injured individuals receiving treatment in a hospital. The Associated Press noted it had not independently verified the casualty figures or the specific target of the strike.

The local conflict occurred alongside a new assessment of the humanitarian crisis. Human Rights Watch released a report on Monday stating that Houthi rebels used explosives to severely damage the Hayjat al-Abd road, a primary entry point for food, fuel, and medicine into Taiz city. The organization warned that the destruction of this infrastructure could violate international law if the October 18 attack was intended to disable facilities indispensable to civilian survival.

The report highlighted that the damage to the road worsens an already dire situation for residents in the besieged city. The rights group indicated that the attack may also have harmed civilians directly, adding to the pressure on local resources and access routes.

Regional dynamics shifted further as Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti commented on Egyptian involvement. In a video interview, al-Bukhaiti stated that the Egyptian parliament's decision to support Saudi Arabia would draw the country into what he termed aggression against Yemen. He described the Egyptian move as a hostile action, arguing that Saudi Arabia is the aggressor in the conflict and does not require external defense.

Egyptian lawmakers approved the support measure in a closed session on Monday at the request of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. The decision follows a pledge by Egypt's highest security body to provide all necessary forms of support to Saudi Arabia to defend its security, resources, and territorial integrity. Concerns are growing among ordinary Egyptians that their nation could be drawn deeper into the Yemen conflict.

In a separate development, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki stated on X that coalition forces intercepted four Houthi drones targeting the southern region of the kingdom and three ballistic missiles aimed at its eastern region. He provided no further details or evidence for the interceptions.