Saudi airstrikes kill eight fishermen off the coast of Taiz Province in southwestern Yemen, while separate attacks claim one civilian and wound four others in the same province.
The fishermen were targeted on Tuesday in two strikes off the al-Kadha coast in the Dhubab district, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The first Saudi strike hit a fishing boat anchored near the shore, while a second attack targeted survivors attempting to escape in another boat, killing them all, according to the Health Ministry.
Yemen’s Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry condemned the attack as a “crime against civilians,” saying the fishermen were pursued and struck while working in coastal waters and trying to flee.
The ministry also rejected the Saudi-led coalition’s allegation that traditional boats were being used to smuggle weapons, missiles and military equipment into Yemen, stressing that such claims could not justify targeting civilian fishermen and their boats.
A day before the deadly assault, Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, released footage of strikes on vessels he claimed were involved in weapons smuggling, but the coalition issued no statement on Tuesday’s killings at the time of the report.
Since 2018, the Saudi-led coalition has killed dozens of Yemeni fishermen, including children, according to rights organizations.
In a separate attack on Tuesday, Saudi fighter jets bombed the al-Nashma area of al-Ma’afer district in Taiz province three times, killing one civilian and wounding four others, including a mother and her three children.
Taiz has become a major focus of fighting between Yemeni forces and Saudi-backed forces in recent weeks, with Saudi warplanes striking different parts of the province on a near-daily basis.
Saudi air support, however, has failed to stop the repeated setbacks suffered by forces aligned with Riyadh as Yemeni forces continue advancing in the province.
The US has supported the Saudi air raids by providing intelligence and targeting assistance and has resumed refueling Saudi fighter jets involved in the aggression.
Yemeni Armed Forces launched a counteroffensive after more than a decade of Saudi-led war and blockade against Yemen, which began in 2015 when Riyadh intervened militarily to restore the former regime.
In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has sharply escalated its aggression, with Yemeni officials reporting hundreds of airstrikes across the country.
In response, Yemeni Armed Forces have carried out several major operations along the Red Sea coast, driving Saudi-supported militants from strategic positions, capturing the port city of Mokha, and advancing toward Bab el-Mandeb.
The Yemeni forces have since seized strategic areas and islands around the waterway, significantly strengthening their position at one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
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