Houthi defense minister targeted in Taiz

Shafaq News- Sanaa

A Yemeni government airstrike reportedly hit a meeting of senior Houthi (Ansarallah) commanders in Al-Barh, west of Taiz, on Wednesday, with military sources saying Houthi-appointed Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Al-Atifi was among those present.

Yemeni and regional outlets, citing military sources, reported that those inside the building had been killed. The reports could not be independently verified, and the Houthis had issued no confirmation or denial at the time of publication. Al-Atifi’s fate remained unclear.

Al-Atifi was targeted in an Israeli strike on a Houthi government meeting in Sanaa in August 2025. Houthi media later showed him at a cabinet meeting in January 2026, saying he had recovered from injuries sustained in the attack.

National Resistance military media said on Sept. 8 that government aircraft had struck Houthi reinforcements in Al-Barh and Al-Kadha in western Taiz.

Separately, the Houthis said Saudi forces carried out 32 airstrikes overnight across Taiz, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.