Father and son killed by Houthi attack in Taez

Six children in total injured in two separate attacks

A man walks past buildings damaged by the war in Taez, Yemen. Reuters

A father and son were killed when Houthi rebels shelled their house in Yemen's government-held city of Taez, local health officials said.

Speaking to The Associated Press, one witness described seeing the man's mangled body after the attack, which took place on Sunday.

The victim's three children were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. One of the children's legs was amputated and another later died.

“When the shell hit the house, we felt a shake in the neighbourhood, what can I say?” neighbour Ali Saleh told AP.

“It is something I can't describe — the shrapnel reached inside my house. When I went out, it felt like doomsday, smoke and dust covered the whole area, it is something I can't describe.”

Yemen's Information Minister Moammar Eryani said six children in total were injured in two separate attacks.

“Houthi artillery shelling on the house of Sahim Al Amri in the Old Airport neighbourhood resulted in [the father's] death and the injury of his two children, Sami and Amir, whose leg was amputated, and his brother Hashem, and a citizen was wounded by sniper bullets in Al Shaqab area,” he said.

Mr Eryani called on the international community to “immediately include the Houthi militia on international terrorist lists”.

A truce between Yemen's warring sides expired at the beginning of October after holding for six months. Efforts are being made by the UN special envoy to Yemen to reinstate the truce.

Last week, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning a Houthi drone attack on an oil terminal in Hadramawt governorate.

The statement, "stressed that any escalation will only exacerbate the suffering of the Yemeni population and called on the Houthis to immediately cease such attacks, respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, prioritise the Yemeni people and engage constructively with the efforts to renew the truce."