Buildings stand in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen (Reuters)
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are tightening their grip on Taiz, cutting key supply routes to the southern port city of Aden. The advance threatens to deepen the government’s military crisis and could have wider implications for security around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.According to Reuters, the Iran-backed Houthis have made gains around Taiz, the last major urban stronghold of anti-Houthi forces in Yemen’s southern highlands. Government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition are struggling to reclaim lost territory and reopen the road to Aden.Taiz has long been a government stronghold surrounded by Houthi-controlled territory. In recent weeks, the Houthis seized sections of the 200-km road to Aden, including around al-Turbah and al-Misrakh, encircling the city since early October.Government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, are attempting to reopen the route but were still losing ground in mid-October.The fighting has also raised fears of a prolonged siege, with food, fuel and medical supplies running short for hundreds of thousands of civilians. The battle’s significance extends beyond control of the city, threatening to further weaken the government’s position and complicate efforts to secure vital shipping routes linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Why Taiz is strategically importantTaiz has remained a major centre of resistance to Houthi rule since Yemen’s civil war escalated in 2015.Taiz occupies a critical position in Yemen’s southern highlands, between Houthi-controlled territory in the north and government-held areas around Aden in the south. Its location along key road networks makes it an important corridor for military reinforcements, commercial supplies and humanitarian aid.The city is also close to the western coastal approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. The narrow passage is a vital route for international trade, including shipments travelling between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal.A Houthi takeover of Taiz could further weaken the internationally recognised government’s position in southern Yemen and make it harder for its forces to move between strongholds.Houthis continue to attack Saudi ArabiaYemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have vowed to continue attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities as the conflict with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government intensifies.According to Reuters on October 14, the Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes targeting Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and an Aramco refinery.
Saudi authorities reported a limited fire at the Aramco headquarters complex, while the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh.The escalation follows a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including a deadly strike on Riyadh airport on October 10 that killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned that attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities would continue.On the Yemeni battlefield, government forces have launched a counteroffensive to recover coastal territory seized by the Houthis near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.The fighting has also deepened the humanitarian crisis, with food and medical supplies running low and more than 121,000 people displaced across Taiz province.