The Armed Forces of the internationally recognized coalition in Yemen, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, have accused the Houthi rebel militia of firing projectiles with toxic substances on the combat lines of the city of Taiz, which would have caused episodes of suffocation and fainting among the civilian population.
In an official note released by its spokesperson, Colonel Majid al Nuzaili, the military establishment has underlined that it takes these reports from the fronts with "the utmost seriousness" and has called for the launching of an urgent international investigation to clarify what chemical components would have been used, record their consequences, and identify their origin and the actors involved in their supply.
The Yemeni Army links this incident with the escalation of violence that, as it denounces, the insurgents have been exerting against the inhabitants of Taiz, with actions that include sniper fire, indiscriminate bombardments on residential areas, and a siege that hinders the arrival of water, food, and basic medication.
In this regard, the military authorities have issued a warning to the Houthis about the use of prohibited combat methods and have reiterated that safeguarding the civilian population and breaking the siege constitutes a constitutional obligation, in view of which they assure that they will adopt all the measures they consider necessary.
At the same time, the Armed Forces have called on the United Nations and specialized international bodies to assume their responsibilities to stop the violations attributed to the militia, demand the opening of humanitarian corridors, and ensure that those responsible for these attacks answer for their actions.
The region continues to be the scene of intense clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi rebels for control of the country's western coastline, following the offensive launched by the insurgents on September 3 against the government recognized by the international community. A month later, at the beginning of October, the coalition led by Riyadh announced a broad counteroffensive with the aim of recovering the lost ground and advancing toward Sana'a, the capital controlled by the rebels since 2014.
The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) alerted this Thursday that the prolonged humanitarian crisis in Taiz, the third most populated city in Yemen, has deteriorated sharply since the beginning of October, holding the Houthi forces responsible for having completed the siege of the city and for blocking its main supply route toward Aden. According to the NGO, this deprivation of food, water and medicines could constitute a war crime by using the starvation of the population as a war tactic.