Civilians and rescue workers killed by Houthi shelling in Taiz

Ten civilians were killed and six others were injured when Houthi forces shelled an underdeveloped area in the besieged city of Taiz, local sources reported yesterday.

Three of the victims were killed when the rebels shelled a home on Wednesday night in Al-Noor neighbourhood, which is currently held by the Hadi government. When rescue workers arrived on the scene the Houthis then began to shell them as well, killing seven, said one of their colleagues who survived the attack, Mohammed Azazi.

“There are no military targets in Al-Noor, and most of the residents there are poor people,” Azazi told The National. “However, the Houthis do not discriminate between civilians and military targets, and they are targeting residential areas randomly.”

Meanwhile, a UN official praised Kuwait’s efforts in hosting last year’s Yemen peace talks, reported Kuwait News Agency. The talks began in April 2016 and ended without reaching any agreement.

“Kuwait played a very significant role during the last round of talks,” said Jamie McGoldrick, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen. “[The Kuwaitis] housed the peace talks for months and we hope the same offer and support will be there.”

McGoldrick expressed his hope that peace talks between the warring Yemeni factions would be restarted and that Kuwait will host them again.