Taiz, Yemen – Houthi forces launched a significant offensive targeting the city of Taiz early Sunday, firing ballistic missiles and drone-launched ordnance that struck residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including the Faculty of Medicine at Taiz University. This escalation intensifies the long-standing risks faced by civilians in the governorate.
Local residents reported hearing six explosions across Taiz as dawn broke, attributing them to ballistic missiles and drone attacks by the Houthi militia. The militia reportedly fired three ballistic missiles that landed near the Social Welfare building, the Faculty of Medicine, and the vicinity of the central prison to the west of the city, causing fear and panic among the population.
Information from local sources indicates that the Faculty of Medicine sustained damage, with reports of extensive destruction to large sections of the institution. This raises serious concerns regarding the potential repercussions for medical education and healthcare services in the governorate, particularly given the increasing demands on Taiz's health sector.
The Houthi escalation follows a day after Houthi snipers injured four civilians, including three children and a woman, in the Al-Kadha and Al-Rahba areas west of the governorate. Previously, the militia targeted travelers on the Hajjah Al-Abid road in southern Taiz with a ballistic missile, which, according to local sources, resulted in the deaths of four civilians and the injury of nine others.
The targeting of civilian and educational facilities has provoked widespread anger among activists and citizens, who view the bombardment as a continuation of Houthi tactics that place civilians and vital infrastructure in the line of fire, disregarding the consequences for residents' lives and the governorate's future.
Activist Akram Al-Hamiri stated that the destruction of the Faculty of Medicine constitutes an assault on the future of the health sector in Taiz. He emphasized that the shelling did not merely damage a building but impacted medical students and patients who depend on the future medical personnel being trained in the governorate. The Houthi shelling exacerbates Taiz's existing humanitarian and service challenges, with attacks on educational and medical facilities delivering another blow to efforts to rebuild basic services and highlighting the persistent dangers posed by Houthi attacks on populated areas.
