Yemen Appeals for International Aid as Houthis Tighten Siege on Taiz

Yemeni government officials have urged the international community to assist in protecting civilians and reopening routes into the besieged city of Taiz, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels have intensified their encirclement.

Taiz province has become a significant battleground recently, with the city itself hosting approximately half of Yemen's displaced population, thereby straining limited resources. Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan stated that residents have lost access to an estimated 3 million liters of water from wells in Wadi al-Dhubab, which is now reportedly under Houthi control. The Associated Press has not independently verified this claim.

Eshraq al-Maqtari, a legal affairs minister in Yemen's internationally recognized government, reported that over 2,000 projectiles and explosives fired by the Houthis have struck districts within Taiz city in recent days. She called for measures to disrupt the rebels' weapon supplies and funding.

Governor Shamsan indicated that fighting has escalated across the province, with the Houthis deploying reinforcements to multiple fronts, effectively surrounding the city on all sides.

The Houthi military issued a warning for people to immediately evacuate Aden airport, alleging without evidence that a Saudi military cargo plane carrying weapons was present at the facility. The Associated Press has not independently verified this claim. This is the first time the Houthis have issued an evacuation warning for Aden airport, which has been targeted multiple times this month, most recently by two missiles, with police attributing these attacks to the Houthis.

In a separate development, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described a meeting in Tehran involving high-level security officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey as a step toward regional dialogue and peace. He also emphasized that regional security should be managed by the countries themselves, without external intervention.

Egyptian officials have also engaged in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions. Egypt’s Foreign Minister held calls with his Saudi and Emirati counterparts to discuss containment of the ongoing crisis, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Egypt had previously announced its intention to provide military support to Saudi Arabia for defensive purposes against Houthi attacks. This decision, made by Egypt’s highest security body, was later approved by lawmakers.

This report will be updated as new information becomes available.