{"id":593,"date":"2026-10-20T16:45:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/20\/houthis-attack-city-in-yemen-that-un-says-is-at-grave-risk-national-globalnews-ca\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:45:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:45:49","slug":"houthis-attack-city-in-yemen-that-un-says-is-at-grave-risk-national-globalnews-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/20\/houthis-attack-city-in-yemen-that-un-says-is-at-grave-risk-national-globalnews-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"Houthis attack city in Yemen that UN says is at \u2018grave risk\u2019 – National | Globalnews.ca"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Iran-backed Houthi rebels<\/a> struck a residential area in Yemen\u2019s<\/a> third-largest city on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and renewed attention to the dangers faced by civilians in Taiz, which has been under attack and siege during the country\u2019s escalating conflict.<\/p>\n

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The Houthis<\/a> have largely encircled Taiz and cut off most supply routes from government-held areas, putting civilians at \u201cgrave risk,\u201d U.N. human rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk said Tuesday. The U.N. says the siege has sent prices soaring, leaving many residents without food and other necessities.<\/p>\n

Also on Tuesday, a senior Yemeni government official said the death toll from a Houthi missile strike a day earlier on a government military camp rose to 73 people, making it the deadliest strike since the resurgence of the conflict over the summer.<\/p>\n

The conflict has only intensified since forces from the internationally recognized government and Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport in July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal that largely stopped fighting in the country\u2019s civil war.<\/p>\n

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Yemen has become a widening front in the Iran war that began in February \u2014 and the Houthis have increasingly launched attacks on Saudi Arabia because it supports Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government. Britain said Tuesday it is expanding its military support for Saudi Arabia to include \u201cdefensive\u201d air patrols by Royal Air Force jets.<\/p>\n

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In the deadly strike on Taiz, six other people were wounded and several buildings were damaged, local authorities said.<\/p>\n

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The Houthis have besieged Taiz as part of their monthslong offensive against Yemeni government forces, repeatedly targeting it with missiles and artillery.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHumanitarian aid must be immediately allowed to enter the city and its passage must be facilitated. Civilians wishing to leave must be allowed to do so freely and safely,\u201d T\u00fcrk, the human rights chief, said.<\/p>\n

He urged the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces to avoid using explosive weapons in areas where they could hit civilians and civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n

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The Houthis have also fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, which has struggled to counter the attacks, even with far superior U.S.-supplied arms.<\/p>\n

Tom Barrack, the U.S. envoy to Syria and Iraq, told the Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar, that while he understood that \u201cSaudi Arabia is in a very difficult position,\u201d the United States was not prepared to send troops to help.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think the president has been clear that he supports Saudi Arabia, and the backing that they need logistically we\u2019ll supply, but America getting involved in a ground kinetic battle somewhere else seems fruitless,\u201d said Barrack, who is also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.<\/p>\n

U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the British government would expand its support to Saudi Arabia to include defensive patrols by RAF jets to protect Saudi cities from attacks but would not strike Houthi targets.<\/p>\n

It means the British planes would attack missiles or drones in the air, but Streeting said they would not strike Houthi targets on the ground. Britain had already offered to help with in-air refueling of Saudi planes.<\/p>\n

The Egyptian government also will deploy air defense systems and aircraft to help repel missiles and drones fired toward Saudi Arabia but won\u2019t deploy ground troops to Yemen, according to a regional official who was briefed on the matter. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn\u2019t authorized to speak to reporters.<\/p>\n

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