Yemeni government declares Taiz a disaster area

The Yemeni government declared the city of Taiz as a disaster area due to what it called the "horrific and brutal killings being committed almost daily against civilians at the hands of Houthi militias and their followers," the state news agency reported on Tuesday.

The Yemeni government issued an urgent appeal to the international community and the Security Council to urgently intervene to stop the bloodshed, the Yemeni news agency quoted a government statement as saying.

The World Health Organization said on Monday it was coordinating a rapid response to provide emergency health access to the injured due to the growing humanitarian crisis in Taiz and Hodeida, saying there were more than 350 casualties reported in Taiz in the past week alone.