A senior Yemeni official has condemned a brutal Saudi airstrike on a crowded market in the southwestern province of Ta'izz that left dozens of civilians dead, warning that the Yemeni Armed Forces retain "many surprises" to retaliate against the ongoing aggression.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, described the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including markets, schools, and hospitals, as a "war crime" that is not subject to any statute of limitations.
In a statement on Friday, al-Houthi emphasized that the repeated targeting of civilians is proof of a deliberate "criminal practice" rather than an accidental occurrence.
He held the US-backed aggressor states fully responsible for the killing and destruction, warning that the continuation of the war and siege will only multiply the strength and readiness of the Yemeni people.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces and the Yemeni Army still retain many surprises that they have not yet activated," al-Houthi cautioned.
The strikes hit the popular bazaar at the height of its commercial activity while it was packed with shoppers and traders.
At least 30 civilians were martyred and 21 others injured when Saudi warplanes carried out three consecutive airstrikes on the bustling al-Hadhara market in the al-Wazi’iyah district of Ta'izz on Friday, according to the Yemeni Health Ministry.
The ministry noted that the death toll from the broader, recent Saudi escalation has now reached a staggering 981 casualties, including 306 martyrs and 675 injured.
Footage broadcast by Yemen’s al-Masirah television showed the horrific aftermath of the Friday massacre, with bodies and human remains scattered across the bazaar as shocked residents and relatives rushed to the scene to search for their loved ones.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, confirmed that an F-15SA fighter jet belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force took off from King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia to execute the attack.
“These brutal crimes will not go unanswered or unpunished,” Gen. Saree warned.
This massacre comes just four days after at least eight people were killed and dozens more injured when Saudi-led forces attacked the al-Makh'af market in the al-Misrakh district of Ta’izz.
The latest wave of Saudi aggression and subsequent Yemeni retaliation traces back to July, when Riyadh bombed Sana’a International Airport.
In response, the Yemeni Armed Forces enforced a strict "blockade for a blockade" policy, declaring an embargo on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea. In recent months, the Yemeni military has executed several successful naval operations against Saudi-linked vessels, severely impacting Riyadh's energy exports.
Yemeni forces have also carried out retaliatory strikes deep inside the kingdom and made lightning advances across Yemen’s coastal plain in September, reinforcing their strategic control over the vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The war began in March 2015 when Saudi Arabia and a US-backed coalition launched a devastating military campaign and blockade aimed at reinstalling a puppet regime in Sana'a.
Despite killing hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and creating the world's worst humanitarian crisis, Riyadh has failed to achieve its primary military and political objectives.
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