Houthi Gunfire Targets Medical Transport in Sabr al-Mawadim
According to local and medical sources cited by Yemen's official Saba news agency and reported by Al-Masdar Online, Houthi fighters opened fire on an ambulance on Sunday in the al-Awat area, located west of al-Shaqab in the Sabr al-Mawadim district southeast of Taiz. The emergency vehicle was ambushed while traveling along the public road to transport a wounded patient for medical treatment.
The reported assault killed two civilians—the wounded patient inside the vehicle and his father—while injuring a member of the paramedic crew attempting to administer aid. According to official reports, the shooting originated from Houthi positions on the outskirts of the al-Sayina area, where fighters deployed sniper rifles and modified machine guns against the vehicle. The sustained gunfire damaged the ambulance and trapped it on the roadway, leaving rescue workers unable to retrieve the casualties until a second ambulance team was dispatched from the heights of Jabal Sabr to assist.
Concurrent Fire on Civilian Vehicles
The attack on the ambulance occurred alongside broader fire directed at civilian movement in the area. Citing Saba, Yemen Monitor reported that Houthi militants also fired upon three vehicles carrying civilians and women along a public road in the villages of Uzlat al-Najjada, situated within al-Shaqab.
Mounting Toll on Humanitarian Operations in Taiz
Yemeni reporting indicated that Sunday's incident marked the third attack directly targeting ambulances conducting humanitarian operations in the governorate in recent weeks. On October 20, an ambulance driver was killed and an accompanying physician was injured when Houthi fire struck an ambulance attempting to evacuate an injured girl in Sabr al-Shaqab; the girl died from her wounds shortly thereafter. Two days later, a Houthi sniper targeted an ambulance attempting to transport wounded residents from the village of Kahlan in Jabal Sabr following artillery shelling on a residential home that had injured several members of a single family, including children.
These attacks coincide with severe operational disruptions across Taiz's regional medical infrastructure. According to figures released by the Ministry of Health in late October, medical services have halted completely at 120 health facilities and partially ceased at 66 others across the province. The ministry further documented the seizure of 15 ambulances and the continued obstruction of vital medical supplies entering the governorate.