Inside Yemen's front-line city as Houthis battle for control

Saudi‑backed government forces and Houthi rebels are locked in fierce fighting on the outskirts of Taiz, Yemen’s third‑largest city, after the Houthis seized the Red Sea port of Mokha on 10 September. The battle has pushed both sides to the mountains that fringe the city, creating a shifting front line where drones buzz overhead and artillery shells land indiscriminately. Soldiers and civilians alike are caught in the crossfire as each side prepares for a new offensive.

The clash comes after a four‑year ceasefire collapsed in early September. The Houthis’ capture of Mokha gave them control of the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a vital shipping lane that links Europe and Asia. The loss threatened global oil supplies and pushed prices higher, prompting Saudi Arabia to back a renewed push to retake the area. Government troops have moved from checkpoints in Taiz toward the mountains, trying to halt the Houthi advance and protect the city’s nearly one‑million residents.

On the ground the situation is chaotic. A soldier accompanying a news crew described hearing a drone, then a series of loud thuds as strikes fell, though their exact points of impact remained unclear. In a nearby village, Ali, a farmer, said two mortars landed on his property and forced him to send his children to a displacement camp. He stays with his wife and sisters to tend to their goats, fearing hunger if the animals are lost. At a checkpoint close to the front line, fighters recounted seeing the bodies of 18 government soldiers lying in a crater they could fire over but not retrieve. The mountains are dotted with abandoned homes, and the only sounds are livestock bleating and intermittent gunfire.

The fighting around Taiz threatens to deepen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Thousands more may be forced from their homes as the front line moves, and aid deliveries remain hampered by insecurity. International observers warn that renewed hostilities could further disrupt the Bab al‑Mandab corridor, affecting global trade. Both sides say they are ready for a major push, leaving the city’s residents in a precarious limbo as the war’s next chapter unfolds.