Taiz:At least two civilians, including a 14-day-old infant, were killed and seven others injured on Friday during separate shelling incidents attributed to Yemen's Houthi group across Taiz province.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms reported that a woman was killed when a shell fired by the Houthis hit a residential home in the Al-Turbah area of Taiz. Additionally, a 14-day-old infant, Mohammed Muheeb Saeed Abdo Qassem, died from shrapnel wounds to the head during Houthi shelling in the Al-Dhabab area. A 2½-year-old child, Ahmed Aref Abdo Qassem, was also injured in this attack, suffering shrapnel wounds to multiple parts of his body.

Local sources informed the state-run Saba news agency that Houthi artillery targeted residential areas in the Old Airport and Wadi al-Qadi neighborhoods in central Taiz city, injuring six civilians and damaging several homes. The attacks caused fear and panic among residents.

There has been no response from the Houthis regarding these reports. Earlier on Friday, the Yemeni army reported intense clashes with Houthi forces on the northern front of Taiz city, with fighting ongoing in several other areas of the province.

The army conducted 20 airstrikes over three hours against Houthi movements and military assets in various locations. Government forces also announced strikes on 'high-value targets' in Sanaa and 11 targets in Saada province. Additionally, air defenses intercepted Houthi suicide drones over the interim capital, Aden.

This escalation marks the most significant military confrontation between government forces and the Houthis since September 10, when the group took control of the strategic city of Mokha. The fighting is part of a broader escalation that began in July, following a period of relative calm after a 2022 truce. The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.