Iran-Backed Houthis Surround Taiz As Yemen War Escalates

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have surrounded Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, threatening a strategic link to the country’s south as fighting with Saudi-backed forces intensifies.

Combat now cuts across every main approach to the city. Residents say a small number of vehicles still get through from the south, but only by crossing areas of heavy fighting.

Control of Taiz would strengthen the Houthis’ position between the Red Sea coast and southern Yemen, potentially giving them a route toward Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based.

The encirclement follows a rapid coastal offensive last month that brought Mokha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait under Houthi control.

Government-aligned forces have since recovered some nearby ground, but analysts say the rebels still hold strategically important positions.

A City With Few Escape Routes

Residents describe mounting shortages of food, medicine and fuel. The speed of the advance left many unable to leave before roads became battle zones.

“It is risky to flee now because we would have to cross active front lines,” said Shehab, a driver in his fifties identified only by his first name for his protection.

He said fuel costs had more than doubled, leaving him without work as passengers struggled to pay fares. With tanker deliveries disrupted, black-market fuel prices had risen threefold.

The surrounding countryside offers little refuge. Houthi territorial gains have restricted access to areas where residents sheltered during the city’s previous siege in 2015.

People displaced from those rural areas are now arriving in Taiz, adding to pressure on supplies and services.

The UN World Food Program says the city has received the largest number of internally displaced people since the crisis began and that it cannot reach more than 600,000 people reliant on aid.

Salwa, a teacher who endured the earlier siege, said her household had tried to secure a month’s food and water. Wheat was hard to find, and traders with stock charged 50% more.

Strategic and Political Stakes

Taiz has remained a center of resistance to the Houthis and is the hometown of President Rashad al-Alimi, giving the battle political significance alongside its geographic importance.

“If things are going to escalate, seizing control of Taiz and making sure it is not going to be a thorn in their back would be quite significant,” said Adam Baron, a fellow at New America’s Future Security Program.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba described the offensive as a “war crime.”

She said the government was discussing deliveries of food, water and fuel with companies and the Red Cross.

Pressure Extends to Aden and Saudi Arabia

The latest escalation began in July, when the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia and a fragile truce dating from 2022 broke down.

Riyadh intervened in 2015, leading a coalition to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

The government launched a counteroffensive this month. Its limited advances around Mokha and Bab al-Mandeb have so far failed to halt the Houthi pressure on Taiz.

On Thursday, Houthi missiles struck the al-Maashiq presidential palace complex in Aden, killing and wounding several guards, according to the Saba state news agency.

It was the first strike on the government’s headquarters since fighting resumed.

The rebels have also attacked Saudi energy infrastructure and airports.

Analysts say those strikes aim to raise the cost of Riyadh’s involvement and push it to abandon government-aligned forces, giving the Houthis greater scope to expand their control.