{
  "id": 11623664,
  "title": "Yemen's Houthis set to face costly battle for control of Taiz, stronghold of the anti-rebel resistance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/yemens-houthis-set-to-face-costly-battle-for-control-of-taiz",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T05:45:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/03/yemens-houthis-set-to-face-costly-battle-for-control-of-taiz-stronghold-of-the-anti-rebel-resistance/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Yemen's Houthis are poised to engage in a costly struggle to seize control of Taiz, a city that has long served as a bastion for the anti-rebel resistance, according to officials quoted by The National. Situated in southwestern Yemen, Taiz is presently under the sway of Yemeni government forces, yet it has been besieged by the Houthis for decades and remains a focal point of the country's civil war. Strategically located, Taiz is considered a symbol of resistance against the Iran-aligned group.\n\nDuring the Houthis' military push in 2015, local fighters, armed primarily with personal weapons, thwarted the group's full takeover of the city. A Yemeni official told The National, \"In Taiz the people will fight the Houthis, there is a popular resistance from civilians.\" Many top Yemeni government officials hail from Taiz, so its populace will not relent until the Houthis are expelled, the official added.\n\nRecent intensification of fighting around Taiz has raised concerns that the Houthis might aim to tighten their hold on this crucial front. Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen expert at the Crisis Group, stated, \"It is not going to be easy for the Houthis to take Taiz, as the city boasts a strong tradition of local resistance and has become a symbol of opposition to Houthi rule.\" He further cautioned, \"If the Houthis continue to intensify their attacks and attempt to capture Taiz, it is likely to cost them heavily in terms of fighters and time.\"\n\nAlthough the rebels are not attempting to storm the city directly, they are concentrating on encircling Taiz, cutting its main supply route, and applying pressure from the outside. Such an operation would prove formidable for the Houthis, who have already dominated much of northern Yemen and stand to gain a significant military and political victory if they succeed in capturing Taiz.",
  "summary": "Yemen's Houthis are set to face a costly and difficult battle as they attempt to capture the city of Taiz , a stronghold of anti-rebel resistance that has withstood attacks for more than a decade, officials told The National . Located in southwestern Yemen, Taiz is currently under the control of Yemeni government forces but has been long besieged by the Houthis and remains the main front in the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}