Armed Forces: We are seriously addressing reports of Houthis using poison gas in Taiz
The Armed Forces announced they are seriously addressing field reports about the Houthi group using projectiles suspected of containing toxic materials on the fronts of Taiz governorate, noting that civilians and members of the popular resistance have suffered from suffocation and fainting.
The official spokesman for the Armed Forces said in a statement issued Friday that the reports require an urgent investigation to determine the nature of the materials used, document their effects, and uncover their sources and the parties involved in providing them.
The statement added that these reports come amidst what it described as a continuous Houthi escalation in Taiz, which includes sniping, indiscriminate shelling of residential neighborhoods, siege, road closures, and preventing the arrival of water, food, and medicine.
The Armed Forces warned the Houthi group against continuing to target civilians or using prohibited combat methods, stressing that protecting citizens and lifting the siege on Taiz are the responsibilities of the state and its armed forces.
It called on the United Nations and relevant international bodies to take action regarding the reported violations, support the investigation into the incidents, and pressure for the opening of roads and ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid and supplies, warning against allowing those responsible for attacks on civilians to escape accountability.
Earlier, the local authority in Taiz confirmed receiving reports from several fronts, the most recent being the al-Aqrouḍ and Kahlan fronts in the governorate, revealing the Houthis' use of projectiles suspected of containing internationally banned toxic materials.
The governorate's authority clarified in a statement on Wednesday that the reports point to previous similar incidents in which civilians and members of the popular resistance suffered from suffocation, sometimes accompanied by fainting, demanding that the relevant government agencies conduct an urgent technical investigation, document the cases, testimonies, and medical reports, and determine the nature of the materials used and their link to the recorded symptoms.
It also stressed the need to involve the United Nations and relevant international bodies in verification efforts and to hold those responsible for any proven use of prohibited materials accountable.
Source: Official Spokesman for the Armed Forces
