A/HRC/42/17 32. Examining emblematic situations from 2015 not previously covered, the Group of Experts investigated shelling and sniper fire by Houthi-Saleh fighters in populated areas in and around Aden and Ta’izz cities that killed and injured hundreds of civilians. In Aden, in five emblematic incidents between March and July 2015, the Group documented nearly 200 civilians killed and 350 injured. The most egregious incident, on 19 July, affected a residential area in Dar Sa’ad district, where the shelling continued for hours, resulting in the death of 107 civilians (including 32 women and 29 children) and the injury of 198 (including 42 women and 28 children). In Ta’izz city, on 21 October, at least 11 civilians were killed (including two children and a woman) and 29 injured (including four children and a woman) when Houthi-Saleh fighters fired 10 to 15 rockets into residential and commercial areas, including the central market. Regardless of whether there were legitimate military objectives in the areas, the imprecise nature of the weapons used and the areas at which they were directed rendered the attacks indiscriminate. 33. In Al-Hudaydah Governorate, where the parties clashed heavily at times between June and November 2018, the Houthis regularly used indirect fire weapons, such as mortars and rockets, in attacks that affected civilians. One such attack, on 5 October, in Al-Khawkhah, appeared to target a military base near a camp for internally displaced persons. During the attack, multiple Houthi shells landed near and inside the camp, resulting in the death of a woman and the wounding of seven civilians (including five boys and one girl). In another incident, on 19 July, in Al-Durayhimi district, Houthi shelling hit civilians fleeing the conflict, with no military targets nearby. The shelling killed four people and injured nine, including three women. In both cases, the imprecise nature of the weapons used rendered the attacks indiscriminate. 34. Over the past year, shelling by the Houthis in and around Ta’izz city continued to harm civilians, despite a decrease in fighting in the areas. In one instance, on 28 April, a rocket landed on a home in Jabal Habashi district, killing five female members of a family, including three children aged 7, 10 and 17. Three other children (aged 3, 4 and 12) were injured. The Group of Experts found that the attack was indiscriminate because of the imprecise nature of the weapon and the area at which it was directed. 35. The Houthis also recklessly or intentionally caused harm to civilians through the use of small arms fire. The Group of Experts investigated incidents where Houthi-Saleh fighters shot at, killed and injured civilians in Aden in 2015. In one case, a civilian was deliberately targeted, while the other attacks appeared to be indiscriminate. On 5 June 2019, in Ta’izz, a Houthi sniper killed a 13-year-old boy near a water collection point. The Group has reasonable grounds to believe that, given the precision of the weapon and the location and timing, the sniper deliberately targeted the boy. 36. From January to March 2019, Houthi fighters and armed members of the Hajour tribes clashed heavily, with Houthis allegedly using indiscriminate shelling. Further allegations of indiscriminate shelling and destruction of protected objects by the Houthis were made following the fighting that began in early 2019, in Al-Dhale’e, between the Houthis and Yemeni armed forces supported by the Security Belt Forces backed by the United Arab Emirates. The Group of Experts was unable to complete its investigations into these incidents at the time of finalizing the present report. 37. The Group of Experts found reasonable grounds to believe that the Houthis were responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law for having launched indiscriminate attacks resulting in the death or injury of civilians and, in some cases, by directing attacks against civilians. These acts may lead to criminal responsibility for war crimes. (c) Shelling by Yemeni armed forces and affiliated groups 38. The Group of Experts examined a range of allegations of indiscriminate shelling by Yemeni armed forces and affiliated groups, including armed groups backed by the United Arab Emirates, particularly in Ta’izz, since 2015, and in Al-Hudaydah in 2018. 39. In four of the incidents investigated by the Group in Al-Hudaydah in 2018 and 2019, Yemeni armed forces and affiliated groups backed by the United Arab Emirates used indirect fire weapons with wide-area impact to launch attacks. Two shelling incidents took place in 7