The Ministry of Human Rights condemns in the strongest terms the two crimes committed by the terrorist Houthi militias on Monday, targeting Al-Suqya Health Center in Al-Mudaribah District of Lahj Governorate and Al-Najd popular market in Al-Makha’af village in the Al-Aqroud area of Taiz Governorate with ballistic missiles. According to preliminary figures, the attacks left 46 people dead and injured, including medical personnel, women, and children, in a blatant assault on the right to life and a grave violation of the rules protecting civilians and medical facilities.
The Ministry states that the attack on the health center in Lahj killed five people, including three members of the medical team, and injured 15 others, including seven medical personnel. Meanwhile, the shelling of the popular market in Al-Aqroud left 26 civilians dead or injured, according to preliminary information. The Ministry also condemns the indiscriminate shelling of civilian homes in Al-Rahn village in Saber Al-Mawadem District, which terrorized families and endangered residents’ lives.
The Ministry affirms that striking a health center and a market frequented by civilians seeking to meet their daily needs reflects a complete disregard for civilian lives and a deliberate targeting of the essentials of their survival, from healthcare to food and livelihoods. Targeting medical personnel further compounds the gravity of the crime, claiming the lives of those working to save the injured and depriving residents of the limited healthcare services they desperately need.
The Ministry stresses that directing attacks against civilians, civilian objects, and medical facilities, as well as launching indiscriminate attacks, are acts prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes. It holds the terrorist Houthi militias fully responsible for these two attacks and their humanitarian consequences, emphasizing that accountability must extend to everyone who planned, ordered, or carried them out, and that impunity must not continue to provide cover for the continuation of these crimes.
The Ministry considers these two attacks an extension of the escalation witnessed in Taiz Governorate and neighboring areas since the beginning of September, accompanied by shelling of residential neighborhoods, villages, and markets, the tightening of the siege, and the closure of supply routes. It warns that the continuation of this escalation and the expansion of attacks on healthcare facilities and civilian gatherings threaten further casualties and exacerbate displacement and deprivation of essential services.
The Ministry calls on the United Nations, the international community, and bodies responsible for civilian protection to explicitly condemn these two attacks, take practical measures and exert effective pressure to halt attacks against civilians and medical facilities, and support documentation, investigation, and accountability efforts. It affirms that merely expressing concern, without taking steps to end these attacks, leaves civilians exposed to further killing and intimidation.
The Ministry affirms that it is working to monitor and document both crimes, collect relevant information, testimonies, and medical reports, coordinate with the competent authorities, and cooperate with national mechanisms to support the completion of investigations and the preparation of the necessary legal case files to prosecute those responsible before the competent courts, while ensuring the rights of victims and their families to justice and reparations.
The Ministry of Human Rights extends its deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of those killed and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. It affirms that the rights of victims and their families to truth, justice, and reparations will remain at the heart of its efforts, and that protecting civilians and safeguarding their lives and dignity is a non-negotiable commitment.
Issued by: Ministry of Human Rights
Aden | 02 November 2026
