Houthis push for Taiz as fighting intensifies around strategic Yemeni city

Fighting has intensified around the strategic city of Taiz in Yemen, as the Houthis attempt to break into the area, according to latest reports. Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Col Majed Al Nazili confirmed that government warplanes launched 15 air strikes on several Houthi positions, killing dozens of fighters and destroying their equipment.

The rebels had clashed with government forces in residential neighborhoods east of Taiz, which is located about 100km from Mokha, a city previously seized by the Houthis. The strategic significance of Taiz lies in its geographic location, bridging the Houthi-held north and government-held south, as well as connecting to the Red Sea coast.

Controlling Taiz would grant access to weapons and supplies along these fronts, including the southern port city of Aden.

A safety warning was issued to residents by Yemen's Defence Ministry, urging them to stay away from combat zones and avoid numerous roads across Taiz to ensure personal safety. The UN has reported that the renewed conflict has displaced over 133,000 people, predominantly from Taiz and Lahj, with the number expected to increase further.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expressed alarm over the intensified fighting in Taiz, urging the Houthis to cease their military offensive, emphasizing the city's importance as the third-largest in Yemen and the governorate hosting the majority of recently displaced individuals.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed rebels carried out an attack on a power distribution station in Madinah, targeting a transformer supplying electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. The Saudi-led coalition intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait earlier on Friday, though the attack did not cause any damage or casualties.

The conflict between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis resumed full-scale fighting last month after a truce was agreed upon in 2022. The Houthis have controlled Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and various other regions since the beginning of the civil war in 2014.