Taiz Asks UN to Probe Claimed Houthi Use of Toxic Shells in Yemen

Authorities in Yemen’s Taiz governorate, which is held by the internationally recognized government, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, asked for an urgent technical investigation into reports that Houthi forces fired artillery shells suspected of carrying banned toxic substances on two frontlines near the city. They also asked the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations to support the inquiry. The allegation has not been independently verified, and the Houthis had not publicly responded as of Thursday morning, according to Yemen Online.

What the Taiz statement says

The statement came from the governorate’s media office and was carried by the government-run Saba news agency. It said the local authority had received consistent field reports from several fronts, most recently Al-Aqroud and Kahlan, about shells suspected of containing internationally prohibited materials. It linked those reports to earlier incidents in which, it said, civilians and members of the pro-government Popular Resistance suffered breathing problems, and some lost consciousness, Khabar Agency and CNN Arabic reported, quoting the text.

The authority asked national agencies to send a specialized team to inspect the affected sites, document cases, witness accounts and medical reports, and determine what substances, if any, were released. It held the Houthi movement responsible for the attacks and said any violations proven by an investigation would be pursued “through the competent legal mechanisms,” according to CNN Arabic’s quotation of the Saba report (TBR translation from Arabic). The statement also said the government’s armed and security forces would take the measures needed to deter such attacks.

Government minister calls on the OPCW

Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani raised the same allegation in a post on X on Wednesday. “Field reports from the Al-Aqroud and Kahlan fronts concerning the use by the Iran-backed Houthi militia of shells suspected of containing banned toxic substances represent an extremely dangerous development,” he said, as quoted by Iran International. He called on the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the alleged use and smuggling of chemical materials.

Separately, Saudi outlet Ajel News reported that the government repeated the call for an international probe at a conference in Aden on the effects of the war and the Houthi siege of Taiz, where officials described road closures, disrupted supplies and harm to patients and families.

What is confirmed and what is not

• Confirmed: Taiz’s local authority and Yemen’s information minister publicly made the allegation and requested UN and OPCW involvement, as reported by several outlets including CNN Arabic and Iran International.
• Not confirmed: that any shell contained a chemical or toxic agent. Claimed by the Yemeni government, a party to the conflict. No medical test results, sample analysis or number of people affected have been released, Yemen Online noted, and no independent investigation has been reported.
• Not yet available: a response from the Houthis, or any statement from the OPCW or UN about the request.

Breathing trouble near a battlefield can have several causes, including smoke and dust from conventional explosives, which is why the statement itself asked for forensic and medical checks before any conclusion is drawn.

Why Taiz matters

Taiz, one of Yemen’s largest cities, has been split by frontlines for most of the war that began when the Houthis took Sanaa in 2014, with the Houthis controlling surrounding high ground and key roads. The Boston Report has covered earlier fighting on Taiz’s frontlines. Rights groups have long documented shelling and sniper fire on the city’s civilians. Yemen is a member state of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the development, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons; the OPCW can carry out investigations of alleged use at a member state’s request.

The allegation lands as the Houthis are active on several fronts in the wider regional conflict, including attacks claimed against Saudi energy sites. The Boston Report covered the group’s recent claimed strike on the Ras Tanura refinery and the tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. More regional coverage is on our Iran hub.

About the original report

Khabar Agency (khabaragency.net) is a Yemeni news site that publishes mainly in Arabic, with an English section, and its coverage is consistently critical of the Houthis. Its English report, published Wednesday, follows the governorate’s statement closely. Yemen Today, another anti-Houthi channel, published a similar account. The Boston Report checked the wording against CNN Arabic’s quotation of the original Saba text.

The Boston Report will update this story if the OPCW, the UN or the Houthis respond, or if test results are released.

Sources

• Khabar Agency: Taiz Authorities Call for UN Probe into Alleged Houthi Use of Chemical Weapons
• CNN Arabic, Oct. 29, 2026 (quoting Saba)
• Iran International: Yemen accuses Iran-backed Houthis of using suspected toxic shells
• Yemen Online: Taiz calls for urgent investigation

Additional sources

• Ajel News: Yemeni government urges international probe
• Yemen Today: Taiz Authority Urges UN Probe
• OPCW: Member states