Period: October 10–13, 2026
Geneva – October 13, 2026
SAM for Rights and Liberties said that information and reports it has monitored in recent days reveal a serious escalation in attacks and violations threatening civilian lives and safety in Yemen and the wider region. These include the shelling of residential neighborhoods, homes, and a healthcare facility in Taiz Governorate; the killing of children and injuries among women and older persons; reports of continued landmine-laying and displacement from villages; and increasingly severe restrictions on the delivery of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies to Taiz city.
These developments coincided with renewed attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, one of which killed 12 people and injured 309 others, according to Saudi authorities. Meanwhile, the number of people displaced in Yemen by the latest escalation has exceeded 217,000, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
SAM warns that the combination of military operations, road closures, and deteriorating essential services is compounding the risks facing civilians and threatens to push the humanitarian crisis in Taiz into an even more critical phase, particularly given limited food and medical supplies and the difficulties humanitarian organizations face in reaching displaced communities.
On October 13, the Yemeni News Agency (SABA), citing the Human Rights Office in Taiz Governorate, reported that 17 civilians, including six older persons, five women, and six children, had been injured and seven residential homes damaged by shelling attributed to the Houthi group, which struck populated neighborhoods in Taiz city during the preceding 24 hours.
The office indicated that the shelling had also extended to residential villages in rural areas of the governorate, killing five civilians and injuring others, according to its reported figures. It also reported the death of the young girl Ahlam Abdulsalam Abduh in a shelling incident in the Haisaban area of Al-Misrakh District.
These figures raise serious concerns about the expanding use of explosive weapons in residential areas and the resulting direct threats to civilian lives and damage to homes and property. The published information does not establish whether all the reported incidents in rural areas were separate from those documented by other sources during the same period. Casualty figures should therefore not be combined without independent verification.
On October 12, the Taiz Human Rights Center announced that it had documented injuries to six civilians, including four children, following artillery shelling attributed to the Houthi group that targeted residential neighborhoods in Taiz city.
The center explained that the casualties included a mother and two children who sustained shrapnel injuries to the head in Bir Basha, with their conditions described as critical. Another mother and her child sustained shrapnel injuries when a shell struck their home, while a child was injured by shrapnel from a shell that landed on his family’s house in Al-Dahi neighborhood.
The center also documented mortar shells landing in Bir Basha, Al-Dahi, and Aqaqah, as well as additional shelling of villages in Sabir Al-Mawadim District. Howitzer shelling was also reported in the Al-Ikhwa, Al-Dhabuah, and Zaid Al-Mawshaki neighborhoods.
In a medical report published by the Yemeni News Agency (SABA) on October 12, five civilians, including three children, were reported injured following shelling of residential areas in Taiz city. Four of the injured belonged to the same family.
The agency identified the injured as Suleiman Hani Ali (4), Adham Hani Ali (12), Alaa Imad Ali Hamid (6), Hadaya Suleiman Hassan (30), and Rahma Amin Mohammed (30).
This information is consistent with an account published by Mohammed Al-Haidari concerning injuries among members of two families in Bir Basha. Meanwhile, Hadeel Al-Yamani reported continued shelling of residential neighborhoods from areas where Houthi forces were positioned north and east of the city.
On October 12, Ahmed Al-Bakari reported that five-year-old Ahlam Abdulsalam Abduh had been killed after sustaining shrapnel injuries from a projectile attributed to the Houthi group that struck her family’s home in the Haisaban area of Al-Misrakh District, southern Taiz.
The Yemeni News Agency (SABA), citing the governorate’s Human Rights Office, also confirmed the girl’s death in the same incident as part of its report on casualties from shelling in rural Taiz.
SAM stresses that the killing of a young girl inside her family home requires an independent investigation into the origin and launch location of the projectile, the nature of the objective the attacking party sought to strike, and the precautions taken to avoid civilian harm.
In the early hours of Tuesday, October 13, the vicinity of Al-Safwa Hospital in central Taiz city was struck by an artillery shell attributed to the Houthi group, causing material damage to hospital facilities and spreading fear among patients and healthcare workers.
According to the Taiz Human Rights Center, the shell landed near the hospital at 12:03 a.m., damaging inpatient rooms.
The Yemeni News Agency (SABA), citing local sources, also reported that the shelling injured a civilian and damaged hospital departments and the windows of patient rooms. It noted that the attack followed shelling of residential neighborhoods and occurred while emergency responders were gathering to transport and assist injured people.
SAM considers artillery shelling in the vicinity of a healthcare facility providing treatment to patients and wounded persons an extremely serious threat, particularly because of the potential danger to patients, medical personnel, and emergency response operations.
The organization emphasizes that hospitals and medical units enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law. Parties to the conflict must respect and protect them, refrain from directing attacks against them, and avoid exposing patients and healthcare personnel to unlawful risks.
On October 13, Nada Mahmoud published a personal account stating that she had been standing in the courtyard of her home at approximately 10:00 a.m. when she saw a shell pass overhead before striking a neighboring house and causing damage.
She reported that a person who had been sleeping inside the house sustained minor injuries, while the explosion left her extremely frightened and experiencing headaches and ringing in her ears. She also shared photographs that she said documented the resulting damage.
In another firsthand account, Anwar Saeed Al-Sharaabi reported that a sudden explosion occurred while his family was sleeping, injuring his son Hussam with shrapnel and causing minor injuries. He published video footage showing damage to his home.
These accounts coincided with reports of intensive shelling of residential neighborhoods. Abdulqader Al-Junaid shared a message from a Taiz resident reporting that approximately 15 shells had fallen within an hour in areas including Jamal Street, Al-Tahrir, Al-Dhabuah, and Zaid Al-Mawshaki.
Journalist Ahmed Al-Shalafi also reported artillery shelling of Al-Dhabuah and other residential areas in central Taiz. Ahmed Basha reported that more than 15 shells had landed within a short period, while Mohammed Taher stated that residential neighborhoods had been subjected to howitzer and mortar shelling.
SAM regards these accounts as direct indicators of the impact of shelling on residents, including fear and damage to homes. However, it emphasizes the need to verify the timing and location of each incident to avoid treating simultaneous accounts of the same shelling as separate incidents.
On October 12, Taha Saleh published an account from a resident of the Inbiyan subdistrict, located between Al-Misrakh and Mashraa wa Hadnan, concerning the displacement of hundreds of civilians from their villages as clashes and shelling intensified.
According to the account, displaced families arrived in Mashraa wa Hadnan after urgently fleeing their homes. Some were walking barefoot and carrying their children, having been unable to bring essential belongings.
The source reported the use of tanks, Katyusha rockets, and artillery in clashes in the area, generating fear among residents and forcing them to leave their communities.
SAM warns that exposure to shelling and military operations may effectively force villagers to flee even in the absence of direct evacuation orders, increasing the risks faced by children, older persons, patients, and those unable to travel.
The organization stresses the need to verify the number of displaced families and the circumstances of their departure, ensure their safety, and guarantee access to shelter, water, food, and healthcare.
On October 11, the Yemeni Landmine Observatory announced that 12-year-old Shuaib Ali Thabet had been killed by a landmine explosion attributed to the Houthi group while herding livestock in Al-Udhair village, Jabal Habashi District, in rural Taiz Governorate.
The observatory warned of intensified landmine-laying across extensive rural areas in the preceding days, endangering herders, farmers, and residents who use secondary roads.
SAM emphasizes that the presence of landmines around villages and farmland turns everyday activities into sources of persistent danger and continues to threaten civilians even after hostilities have ended.
The organization calls for an urgent survey of areas suspected of landmine contamination, identification and marking of hazardous locations, accelerated clearance operations, and an investigation into Shuaib’s death to establish responsibility for laying the mine.
On October 11, journalist Fares Al-Humairi, citing an eyewitness, reported that a missile had fallen in the Shu'ub area of the capital, Sana’a, and that Houthi personnel had confiscated surveillance camera recordings from nearby shops and homes.
In another post by Al-Humairi, he suggested that the incident resulted from a failed missile launch carried out by the group.
Abdullah Al-Harazi also published a geographical comparison between the reported missile impact site near the Al-Zumar entrance and the location of the Furwah Market incident on April 20, 2025. He estimated the distance between the two locations at approximately 400–500 meters and questioned whether the incidents might be linked to missile launches from a nearby area.
SAM emphasizes that the reported confiscation of surveillance recordings, if substantiated, requires the preservation of evidence and its availability to any independent investigation. Such material must not be used to pressure witnesses or obstruct efforts to establish the truth.
On October 13, Mohammed Ismail published allegations that Houthi-affiliated personnel had raided and looted a World Food Programme (WFP) facility in Al-Turbah, Taiz Governorate.
The published material did not provide sufficient details about the precise timing of the alleged raid, the nature of the property reportedly taken, or any official statement from the WFP confirming the incident.
SAM stresses the need to urgently verify this information and establish whether humanitarian facilities, equipment, or relief supplies were confiscated or looted.
The organization emphasizes that attacks on humanitarian personnel, facilities, and property, if substantiated, may disrupt the delivery of assistance to affected populations and warrant investigation and accountability.
In a statement dated October 12, the Industry and Trade Office in Taiz Governorate condemned what it described as the Houthi group’s prevention of drinking water, food, and fuel supplies from entering Taiz city through the closure of vital roads and obstruction of supply movements.
The office warned that these measures threatened residents’ basic needs, disrupted the flow of goods to markets, and increased transport and supply costs, aggravating economic hardship and jeopardizing access to essential commodities.
These concerns are consistent with the findings of the Studies and Economic Media Center in its briefing paper, “Taiz Under Siege: The Economic and Humanitarian Consequences of Road Closures”, which reported that Taiz city had shifted from prolonged partial isolation to near-total isolation from regular commercial supply routes during the first week of October.
The center explained that the city had lost the Taiz–Al-Turbah–Lahj–Aden route, a major corridor for incoming goods, following the Houthi group’s military advance in southern and western areas. At the same time, government authorities closed the eastern crossing toward Al-Hawban for security reasons.
The report noted that, as of October 9, the city had not regained a regular commercial corridor, directly affecting the movement of goods, fuel, and services.
SAM emphasizes that responsibility for protecting civilians and ensuring access to essential supplies rests with all parties according to their legal obligations and effective control. Security and military considerations do not justify using the deprivation of food and water as a means of pressure or punishment against civilians.
The Studies and Economic Media Center, drawing on field accounts collected during the first week of October, documented the disappearance of gasoline from filling stations in Taiz city and its sale on the black market, where the price of a 20-liter container exceeded 100,000 Yemeni rials.
The center reported that the price of 20 liters of diesel had reached approximately 90,000 rials on the black market after supplies became scarce at filling stations, while the price of a domestic cooking gas cylinder exceeded 30,000 rials during certain periods.
According to the economic briefing, wheat and flour supplies had declined, with some traders beginning to sell wheat in small bags weighing no more than one kilogram. Traders also reported that white flour had disappeared from most shops included in the monitoring.
Based on a local emergency plan reviewed by the center, wheat and flour stocks in government-controlled districts of Taiz Governorate were estimated at approximately 20,000 tonnes, equivalent to around 19 days of consumption under the plan’s assumptions. This figure does not represent a separate estimate of stocks available within Taiz city alone.
The emergency plan also indicated limited stocks of other essential commodities, including cooking oil, milk, rice, and sugar, amid difficulties replenishing supplies and continued restrictions on roads.
SAM warns that simultaneous shortages and price increases place a heavier burden on low-income families, displaced persons, and daily-wage workers, threatening to reduce food consumption, delay medical treatment, and increase households’ reliance on debt and humanitarian assistance.
The Studies and Economic Media Center, citing an official letter from the Governor of Taiz dated October 8, reported the suspension of approximately 65,000 liters of diesel supplied monthly to the water utility through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). This amount represents approximately 72% of the utility’s estimated operational requirement of 90,000 liters.
The report warned that continued fuel shortages could reduce the capacity to pump water through the public network and increase households’ reliance on commercial water tankers, whose prices are also affected by rising fuel costs and road closures.
It further noted that the fuel crisis threatened the continued operation of hospitals, public service facilities, flour mills, and transport services, while increasing the cost of delivering goods and services to residents.
SAM emphasizes that ensuring access to drinking water and the fuel required to operate essential facilities is an urgent humanitarian priority, particularly in a city that has suffered from fragile water, sanitation, and healthcare services for years.
In a statement dated October 10, published through the page of the Supreme Board for Drugs and Medical Appliances in Taiz, Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population warned of an imminent health and humanitarian catastrophe in Taiz city due to continued closures of supply routes and the near depletion of medicines, medical solutions, medical supplies, and fuel.
The ministry explained that the continuing crisis threatened the suspension of emergency services, surgical operations, intensive care, kidney dialysis, and neonatal incubator services, directly endangering patients, wounded persons, pregnant women, and newborns.
It also warned that fuel shortages could shut down electricity generators and ambulances and disrupt the cold chains used to preserve medicines and vaccines, increasing the risk of preventable complications and deaths.
The ministry called for the opening of supply routes, safe passage for patients, ambulances, and healthcare personnel, and the urgent provision of medicines, oxygen, medical solutions, and fuel.
SAM considers that continued restrictions obstructing the delivery of life-saving supplies could have consequences extending far beyond reduced services, directly endangering patients’ lives. This requires an urgent humanitarian response and an independent assessment of remaining medical stocks.
In a follow-up statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on October 11, the General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on the afternoon of Saturday, October 10, had killed 12 people and injured 309 others, including critically injured patients. The attack also caused material damage that was still being assessed.
According to the authority, those killed included four Saudi nationals and eight foreign residents of various nationalities: two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan.
SAM stresses that deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law. The high number of casualties at a civil aviation facility warrants an independent and effective investigation to establish the circumstances of the attack and the legal responsibilities arising from it.
On October 11, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, through the Saudi Press Agency, announced that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had been subjected to another attack on Sunday afternoon, resulting in injuries whose final number was not specified in the preliminary statement. The authority explained that the relevant agencies were continuing to assess the damage and verify the safety of airport facilities.
On October 12, the authority announced in a further statement an extension of the suspension of airport operations to complete safety inspections and assess operational readiness.
These developments indicate that the consequences of such attacks extend beyond casualties and immediate damage, disrupting air traffic and related services and exposing passengers, airport personnel, and air transport users to additional losses and risks.
In an official statement issued on October 12, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that 217,303 people, representing 36,216 families, had been displaced by the latest escalation as of October 12, 2026.
The organization explained that Taiz Governorate was hosting approximately 55% of displaced persons, while Lahj was hosting 45,390 people and Aden 26,112.
According to the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, Jabal Habashi District was hosting 32,346 displaced people, Al-Maafir 31,230, and Al-Shamayatayn 24,942, making them among the districts most affected by the latest wave of fighting.
The organization indicated that most displacement sites in Taiz were difficult to access because of ongoing military operations and security restrictions.
In an interview conducted by Al Jazeera with Abdusattor Esoev, IOM Chief of Mission in Yemen, on October 12, he explained that approximately 60% of displaced persons were women and children, noting that some families had walked for days to reach safety.
The IOM Chief of Mission reported that approximately 55% of those displaced by the escalation were located in about 16 districts of Taiz Governorate, and that nearly half of them were living in areas difficult for humanitarian teams to access because of insecurity and shifting frontlines.
He explained that shelter was among the most urgent needs and was the leading priority for approximately 35% of displaced people, according to the data presented, followed by food, protection, and basic services.
He also noted that Yemen had already been hosting approximately five million internally displaced persons before the current escalation, that around 22 million people required humanitarian assistance, and that available funding amounted to only about 20% of the financial requirements he cited.
SAM emphasizes that the continued presence of displaced people in unsafe or inaccessible areas increases the likelihood of deteriorating health and food security conditions and exposes women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons to additional protection risks.
At the United Nations press briefing on October 12, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson announced that the United Nations and its partners had reached approximately 143,000 people affected by the escalation with emergency assistance, including food, hygiene supplies, and cash assistance.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that continued hostilities and large-scale displacement were deepening humanitarian needs, particularly in Taiz Governorate, where road restrictions were obstructing civilian movement, commercial supplies, and humanitarian assistance.
The spokesperson also highlighted specific risks facing displaced women and girls, including inadequate shelter, unsafe sanitation facilities, food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare, which increase their vulnerability to violence, exploitation, and abuse.
He explained that funding cuts had forced the closure of 72% of safe spaces for women and girls across Yemen and that 73,000 dignity kits were urgently needed to meet the needs of displaced and affected women and girls.
SAM stresses the need to prioritize protection, shelter, healthcare, water, and sanitation services, and to ensure that women and girls have access to safe services tailored to their specific needs.
SAM considers that the incidents outlined in this briefing reveal a dangerous convergence of armed attacks against civilians, deteriorating essential services, restrictions on roads and humanitarian assistance, and expanding displacement. These developments must be addressed as interconnected risks rather than isolated incidents.
The organization emphasizes that international humanitarian law prohibits deliberately directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. It requires all parties to the conflict to respect the principles of distinction and proportionality and to take all feasible precautions during military operations.
Hospitals, medical facilities, healthcare personnel, and patients also enjoy special protection and must be respected and safeguarded against attacks or actions that endanger their safety or the continuity of medical services.
SAM stresses that sieges or restrictions on movement must not be used to starve civilians or deliberately deprive them of objects indispensable to their survival. Parties to the conflict must respect their obligations to facilitate the rapid and unhindered passage of impartial humanitarian relief, without unlawful restrictions, to populations in need.
The organization considers that the combination of road closures, shortages of food and fuel, disruptions to water supplies, and warnings of dwindling stocks of medicines and medical supplies in Taiz is an extremely serious indicator of the potential for widespread humanitarian harm, particularly if restrictions persist and prevent the delivery of life-saving supplies.
Regarding landmines, SAM emphasizes that the use of anti-personnel mines is prohibited under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, to which Yemen is a party, and that the placement of explosives in areas frequented by civilians requires investigation, accountability, and protective measures.
Incidents involving missiles falling in residential areas, the confiscation of visual evidence, and reported attacks on humanitarian facilities require independent investigations to preserve evidence and establish responsibility, without prejudging the outcome of cases in which verification remains incomplete.
The organization further stresses that deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as the intentional killing of protected persons, may constitute war crimes when the relevant legal elements are met. Responsibility may extend beyond direct perpetrators to those who ordered or assisted in committing violations and to commanders who meet the legal requirements for command responsibility.
SAM for Rights and Liberties calls on the Houthi group to immediately cease attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects, particularly artillery shelling of residential neighborhoods, homes, and medical facilities, and to strictly comply with international humanitarian law.
The organization also calls for independent and effective investigations into the shelling incidents in Taiz city and its rural areas on October 12 and 13, including the killing of Ahlam Abdulsalam Abduh, injuries sustained by women, children, and older persons, and damage to Al-Safwa Hospital and residential homes. Those responsible for any violations must be identified and held accountable.
SAM urges an immediate investigation into the death of Shuaib Ali Thabet in a landmine explosion in Jabal Habashi, together with urgent surveys and mine-clearance operations in agricultural areas, villages, and secondary roads suspected of explosive contamination.
It also calls for verification of reports concerning a missile falling in the Shu'ub neighborhood of Sana’a, preservation of surveillance recordings and other evidence, protection of witnesses, and prevention of any interference that could obstruct efforts to establish the truth.
SAM calls on the Houthi group to cease attacks against airports and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia and Yemen and urges independent investigations into the attacks that caused deaths and injuries at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, with accountability and reparations for victims and their families.
Regarding Taiz city, the organization calls for the opening of roads and corridors essential to civilian movement and humanitarian and commercial supplies, the removal of unlawful restrictions preventing access to drinking water, food, fuel, and medicines, and the implementation of necessary security arrangements to ensure safe civilian passage.
It further calls on the authorities and humanitarian agencies to urgently prioritize the provision of diesel required to operate water networks and hospitals, secure medicines, oxygen, medical supplies, and food, and establish clear emergency plans to prevent the suspension of life-saving services.
SAM urges all parties to the conflict to protect displaced persons and migrants, facilitate humanitarian access to areas hosting displaced families, and provide shelter, food, healthcare, water, and protection services, with particular attention to women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
The organization also calls for investigations into any attacks on humanitarian organizations’ premises, property, or personnel, and for guarantees that military control or security measures will not be used to obstruct the delivery of assistance.
SAM calls on the international community, donors, and relevant United Nations mechanisms to take urgent action to address Yemen’s worsening humanitarian crisis, provide adequate funding for the displacement response, strengthen monitoring and investigations into attacks against civilians and civilian facilities, and exert pressure to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.
In conclusion, SAM emphasizes that the protection of civilians cannot be measured solely by the number of people killed or injured. It also requires ensuring continued access to food, water, and medicine; protecting homes, hospitals, roads, and humanitarian facilities; and preventing populations from being repeatedly exposed to displacement, hunger, and fear. The organization warns that continued attacks and restrictions on essential supplies, in the absence of effective accountability, threaten to deepen the humanitarian crisis and expand the number of victims in Yemen and the wider region.