Houthi Rebels Advance on Taiz, Tightening Siege on Yemen's Third-Largest City
The Iran-backed group is encircling Taiz, a major metropolis that previously withstood years of civil war, raising concerns over dwindling supplies for its over one million residents.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels are advancing on the Yemeni city of Taiz, the country’s third-largest metropolis, tightening a siege that evokes the city's prolonged struggle during Yemen's civil war. Rebel fighters clashed with Saudi-backed coalition troops on multiple fronts as they encircled the city on Tuesday, according to officials.
The Houthis have reportedly cut off most supply routes from government-held areas surrounding Taiz, creating significant concern among the city's more than one million residents about diminishing food and energy reserves.
"If the siege continues, then these stocks will run out," local resident Shaif al-Gabiri told the Associated Press. The main roads leading out of the city are now closed, while pro-government forces attempt to break the rebel stronghold southwest of Taiz.
Residents have reported shelling and explosions near their homes, with one child hospitalized due to shrapnel injuries. Dr. Fahd Nazary of the Taiz provincial health office warned of a potential humanitarian catastrophe as hospitals face a diesel shortage and limited access to medical supplies due to the ongoing fighting.
Taiz had been a frontline city during the civil war between 2014 and 2022, resisting rebel advances. The city's strategic position as a gateway to southern Yemen, which is largely controlled by the Houthis, makes its potential fall significant. By Tuesday evening, the rebels had reportedly seized Taiz's central prison and reached the city's eastern and western entrances, according to local sources cited by The Telegraph.
Intense fighting persists at the southern gate and around Jabal al-Aroos Mountain, a key defensive position. Some commanders and politicians within the Saudi-backed coalition have reportedly evacuated to Aden and Marib, seemingly accepting the potential loss of the city.
Houthi officials have expressed confidence that the city will soon fall under their control and have pledged to restore normalcy, reopen roads, and resolve the fuel shortage once they are in charge. However, Mustafa Noman, the deputy foreign minister of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, criticized the Houthis' actions, predicting that the siege would ultimately fail and calling it a potential turning point in Yemen's history.
A Houthi victory in Taiz would represent a significant gain for the rebels amid their ongoing offensive across the country, which has raised concerns about global oil supplies and the security of Saudi Arabia.