Yemeni government forces and local anti-Houthi fighters are preparing to launch a counteroffensive to break the tightening Houthi siege of Taiz, after a series of battlefield setbacks left the country's third-largest city increasingly isolated, a senior military commander has told The New Arab.
Brigadier General Mohamed al-Mahmoudi, Yemen's deputy interior minister and commander of anti-Houthi forces on Jabal Sabir in Taiz governorate, said government forces had begun regaining the initiative after reorganising their ranks and strengthening defensive positions around the besieged city.
He warned, however, that the rapid collapse of government-held positions in the surrounding countryside had left Taiz facing a deepening humanitarian crisis, with around two million people at risk of being cut off from essential supplies.
"If Taiz falls it means the fall of the Yemeni republic and the legitimate government," al-Mahmoudi said. "It is the first and last stronghold of the republic. If it falls, that will carry huge symbolic significance."
Al-Mahmoudi attributed the latest setbacks to the collapse of National Resistance forces on Yemen's western coast, followed by the loss of al-Kadha, Shamir and Maqbana, and the Houthi advance into Jabal Habashi district and parts of the Al-Hujariyah region.
He said these areas had fallen rapidly because they were predominantly civilian population centres with a limited military presence, allowing Houthi forces to advance with little resistance and tighten their siege of Taiz.
"The Houthis' incursion into Jabal Habashi had extremely serious consequences," he explained, "as did their expansion into al-Hujariyah and their capture of its towns, which they were able to overrun at great speed, leading to a suffocating siege on Taiz."
Government complacency blamed for military setbacks
Al-Mahmoudi accused Yemen's internationally recognised government and military leadership of failing to prepare for the Houthi offensive, despite years of warnings about the group's intentions.
"Since the legitimate government agreed to a truce with the Houthi militias in 2022, they've been preparing for this day," he said.
He argued that the army, local authorities and other government factions had become distracted by internal disputes and secondary issues while neglecting the growing Houthi threat.
"Complacency, turning a blind eye and failing to focus on the real enemy led to this outcome."
Al-Mahmoudi said the country's military and political leadership must bear substantial responsibility for the territorial losses, calling for an investigation into how government-held positions had collapsed so rapidly.
Jabal Sabir becomes key to defending Taiz
The loss of surrounding territory has left around two million people facing an increasingly severe siege, according to al-Mahmoudi, who warned that prolonged isolation could have devastating consequences for civilians and the forces defending the city.
He identified Jabal Sabir, the strategic mountain overlooking Taiz, as central to the city's defence, recalling its importance during the fighting in 2015.
However, he acknowledged that the mountain had not been adequately prepared to serve as a frontline defensive position when the latest Houthi advance began.
Since Sunday, 18 October, government forces and local anti-Houthi fighters have reorganised their ranks, halted parts of the Houthi advance and reinforced their positions on the mountain, he said.
Al-Mahmoudi said the forces were now preparing to move beyond defensive operations towards a counteroffensive aimed at "breaking the siege".
He identified the battle for al-Misrakh as particularly important to reopening access to Taiz, warning that a prolonged blockade would deprive civilians of fuel, food and freedom of movement.
"All these factors will put enormous pressure on the resistance and the national army. We must act as fast as possible," he said.
Preparing to shift from defence to attack
Al-Mahmoudi said the immediate priority was to consolidate Taiz's defences before launching a separate military operation to push Houthi forces back from the city's southern approaches and reopen vital supply routes.
"It is essential to move the fighting out of Taiz city and into the southern rural areas of Taiz, and to open supply routes from Taiz to the interim capital, Aden, through Al-Hujariyah," he said.
The commander acknowledged that government forces remained constrained by limited military resources, particularly following the loss of key supply routes.
"Nevertheless, the national army is capable of standing firm. We must also work to arm ourselves and develop our own capacity using what we seize from the enemy."
He also highlighted Saudi Arabia's continued military support, saying Riyadh had maintained assistance through air power, communications and intelligence.
Despite the territorial losses and worsening siege, al-Mahmoudi expressed confidence that Taiz would withstand the offensive and that Houthi forces would ultimately be defeated.
He argued that domestic, regional and international developments were increasingly working against the group, which he accused of seeking to use the siege of Taiz to strengthen its negotiating position.
"The Houthis are weak internally right now and wish to wield greater leverage in negotiations by strangling the city and its civilians," he said. "However, Taiz will emerge victorious."