Key facts
- Fighting has intensified around Taiz, Yemen, as Houthi forces advance.
- Houthi fighters seized the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha on September 10.
- The conflict has led to civilian casualties, including children.
- Thousands of families have been displaced by the fighting.
- The Houthis are reportedly using drones and have been accused of recruiting child soldiers.
- A Saudi-led coalition is backing the Yemeni government with weapons and air strikes.
Fighting has intensified around Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, as Houthi forces push further inland after seizing the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha and controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The conflict, which has seen a ceasefire largely unravel, has led to widespread displacement and civilian casualties.
Saudi-backed pro-government forces are engaged in fierce battles with Houthi fighters in the mountains southwest of Taiz. Many homes in the area are abandoned as families flee the shelling and gunfire. Residents like Ali have remained behind to care for livestock, fearing starvation if they leave, despite the constant danger.
Reports indicate that Houthi forces are consolidating troops for a major offensive on Taiz, a city of nearly a million people that sits at a vital intersection between Houthi-controlled north and government-held south. The Houthis are reportedly utilizing drones and have faced accusations of recruiting child soldiers, though they have pledged to end the practice.
Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence. At Taiz's main hospital, intensive care units are full of casualties, including fighters and civilians. Twelve-year-old Ghana Nabeel was severely injured by mortar shrapnel while herding goats, sustaining brain damage. Displacement camps south of Taiz are receiving hundreds of families fleeing Mokha and surrounding villages, many having lost everything and walking for days.
Iran is identified as the main external supplier of weapons, funding, and military advice to the Houthis, a claim Iran denies, stating it only offers political support. Meanwhile, a Saudi-led coalition is providing weapons to the Yemeni government and conducting air strikes against Houthi positions.