Five civilians were killed and ten others injured in a preliminary casualty count after a gunman threw a grenade at a passenger bus in the Al-Maqatira district of Lahj governorate (southern Yemen) on Thursday, June 13th, 2024.

Local sources told "Barran Press" that the gunman, identified as "Mohammed Al-Tarshi," hurled the grenade at the bus on the "Hayjah Al-Abd" road in Al-Maqatira district following a verbal altercation with passengers.

The sources indicated that the gunman attempted to use a Kalashnikov rifle, but after being prevented, he detonated a hand grenade, killing himself and five others, including passengers and residents who tried to intervene and resolve the issue.

The sources noted that the gunman "had a history of creating problems with residents and was wanted by security forces in the district."

The Hayjah Al-Abd road, connecting the governorates of Lahj and Aden from one side and Taiz from the other, has witnessed several explosions, the most recent being in July 2023, which claimed the lives of soldiers belonging to the Taiz-based military axis of the Yemeni army.

Subsequently, security and military authorities apprehended those involved and announced that they were part of cells operating for the Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization.

Since the start of the war in Yemen in 2015, the Houthis have attempted to reach the Hayjah Al-Abd road to cut off the only lifeline to Taiz from the temporary capital Aden at the time.

Houthi militants are stationed in Al-Ahkum areas in the Hifan district bordering the road, while the Yemeni army forces stationed in the highlands overlooking the road, located within the Al-Maqatira district and the Hifan and Al-Shamaytein districts belonging to Taiz, are responsible for its protection.