Forces aligned with the internationally recognized Yemeni government conducted nine air strikes on Tuesday, targeting Houthi military assets and positions across the Taiz governorate. According to official reports, the operations included five strikes in the Dhubab district and four in the al-Masrakh district. The Taiz Military Axis Media Center, which operates under the Ministry of Defence, confirmed that active ground fighting continues between government troops and Houthi fighters in the al-Shaqab area, located south of the provincial capital.
This escalation coincides with a report from the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedom, which alleges that the Houthis killed at least five civilians, including a five-year-old child, in Taiz over a 24-hour window. The group further stated that 17 other individuals were wounded. The organization claims that Houthi forces launched over 180 projectiles into the region during the same period, causing damage to residential property, including at least seven homes. It also alleged that the group had fired more than 180 projectiles across Taiz during the previous 24 hours.
Yemen’s broader conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, seized Sanaa. The situation intensified in 2015 with the intervention of a Saudi-led military coalition supporting the government. While a 2022 UN-backed truce had largely quieted the frontlines, tensions surged again in July after the Iran-aligned group declared a naval blockade affecting the Bab al-Mandeb strait. In September, Houthi forces conducted a significant ground offensive, seizing territory along the western coast and securing strategic locations such as Mayyun Island. An armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), seized the capital Sanaa and forced the government to flee, the war in Yemen erupted in 2014 when the Houthis.
The human cost of the ongoing violence has drawn urgent appeals from global bodies. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, warned that the regional escalation is forcing civilians to pay an unacceptable price. Highlighting the mounting rates of displacement and infrastructure destruction in cities like Sanaa and Aden, the ICRC called for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities. Current UN data indicates that since August, at least 46 civilians have been killed and 130 injured, while the International Organization for Migration reports that over 200,000 people have been displaced since September. Civilian infrastructure has repeatedly been hit and lives have been lost,” she said, across the Middle East.
The conflict has expanded beyond Yemen’s borders as the Houthis carry out missile attacks against infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Recent strikes on King Khalid airport in Riyadh resulted in 14 fatalities, prompting significant international condemnation. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has pledged a serious response to these provocations, leading to widespread flight cancellations by major international carriers, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, serving Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
Diplomatic efforts to contain the fallout are active. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently pressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the necessity for Iran to engage in substantive negotiations, citing Tehran’s role in destabilizing the region. Simultaneously, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, emphasizing that the security of the Gulf is essential to Egypt’s own national interests.
Minister Abdelatty also engaged in discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, demanding an immediate end to Houthi attacks on Saudi targets. While Iran maintains deep financial and military ties with the Houthis, analysts remain divided on the extent of Tehran’s actual influence over the group’s independent military decisions. Several analysts suggest that Iran holds little sway over the group, although Tehran provides the Houthis with crucial financial and military support.
