Twenty-one civilians have been killed in attacks launched by the Houthi group against areas under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government since August 6, amid UN warnings that escalating hostilities could plunge the country back into a full-scale conflict.
The death toll rose to 21 after four civilians, including a child, were killed on Tuesday in Houthi missile and artillery attacks targeting Al-Khawkhah district and its surroundings in southern Hodeidah governorate, western Yemen.
Local media reported that the group targeted areas east of Al-Khawkhah with ballistic missiles while simultaneously shelling the Al-Haymah area, north of the district, with mortar rounds.
According to local media, the victims were identified as 13-year-old Mohammed Hatem Mohammed Battah, 42-year-old Hussein Yahya Ali Jamaei, 19-year-old Ahmed Abdu Ali Mohammed Mukallafad, and Abdu Ali Mohammed Mukallafad, who was in his forties.
The Houthi group launched two ballistic missiles from the Mirab area in Maqbanah district, western Taiz governorate. One was used in the attack on Al-Khawkhah, while the other fell in Al-Akamah village, Mirab subdistrict, seconds after launch, destroying a house, killing several livestock and damaging nearby homes.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk announced on Monday that 17 civilians had been killed in Houthi attacks on Yemeni government-controlled areas since August 6, expressing concern over the growing civilian death toll resulting from the escalation of hostilities.
Türk called on all parties to “exercise restraint and immediately de-escalate,” refrain from targeting civilians and civilian objects, and take the necessary precautions to prevent further casualties.
The UN official warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure were deepening the suffering of the population at a time when at least 18 million Yemenis face food insecurity. He called for an immediate halt to any actions that could plunge the country back into a full-scale conflict.
Several front lines across Yemen, including in Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea and Taiz, have witnessed increasing military escalation in recent weeks, following more than four years of relative calm that began with the UN-brokered truce in April 2022.
