Fighting around the besieged capital of Yemen's Taiz province is intensifying, with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Tuesday accusing Yemeni government forces of an attack on a gas station that has killed at least 2.
Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday that a Houthi attack that severely damaged a road leading to Taiz city where the humanitarian situation is worsening may be in violation of international law.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full coverage here.
Houthis say strike on gas station kills at least 2
Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry on Tuesday blamed government forces for strikes on a gas station in Taiz province that killed at least two people and wounded several others.
The attack occurred as fighting around the besieged provincial capital intensified.
Health Ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi accused government forces of targeting the gas station late Monday.
Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV aired footage showing two bodies in body bags and several wounded people receiving treatment at a hospital. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claim.
Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki posted on X overnight Tuesday that coalition forces had intercepted four Houthi drones targeting the kingdom’s south and three ballistic missiles aimed at its eastern region.
He didn't provide further details or evidence and The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claim.
Human rights watchdog says Houthi damage to Taiz road worsens humanitarian situation
Human Rights Watch says the Iran-backed Houthi rebels used explosives to severely damage a road leading into the besieged city of Taiz, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
The rights group said in a report released Monday that the Hayjat al-Abd road is a crucial entry point for food, fuel and medicine.
It warned that destroying the road would violate international law if the Oct. 18 attack was intended to “disable infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival.”
The attack may also have harmed civilians.
Houthis say Egypt's support for Saudi Arabia could drag it into ‘aggression’ against Yemen
A Houthi official said Tuesday the Egyptian parliament's decision to support Saudi Arabia would draw the Arab world's most populous nation into what he called “aggression” against Yemen.
Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told The Associated Press in a video interview that Egyptian support for Saudi Arabia would be considered “hostile action” because the kingdom is the aggressor in Yemen and doesn't need anyone to defend it.
Egyptian lawmakers approved the measure requested by the country's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in a closed session Monday as concern among ordinary Egyptians that the country could be drawn into the conflict in Yemen grows.
Egypt’s highest security body had earlier pledged to provide “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia to defend its “security and stability,” protect its resources and territorial integrity, and safeguard Islamic holy sites.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
