Fighting between government forces and Iran-backed rebels around the strategic city of Taiz in south-west Yemen has intensified, with the Houthis attempting to break into the area.
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Col Majed Al Nazili said government warplanes carried out tens of air strikes on several Houthi positions on the outskirts of Taiz. The rebels had clashed with government forces in residential neighbourhoods east of the city, about 100km from Mokha, which the Houthis seized last month.
“The strikes killed dozens of Houthi fighters and reinforcements, and destroyed equipment and vehicles belonging to the group,” Col Al Nazili said.
Taiz is strategically vital because of its geography. It links the Houthi-run north and government-held south, as well as the Red Sea coast. Whoever controls the city will control the movement of weapons and supplies between fronts and the southern port city of Aden.
Yemen's Defence Ministry issued an urgent safety warning to residents late on Thursday. It advised people to stay away from active combat zones and avoid dozens of roads across Taiz to stay safe.
Renewed fighting in Yemen has displaced more than 149,000 people, mostly from Taiz and Lahj governorates, with the figure expected to rise, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Many had previously been displaced by the conflict.
The World Food Programme said on Friday hunger in Yemen is accelerating, as conflict intensifies in the country.
At least 74 per cent of households were unable to meet their basic food needs, the WFP has found. This represents a record number for this year and indicates food security is significantly deteriorating, the agency said.
Within the last few weeks, a record number of people in government-controlled areas of the country that the WFP can access are no longer able to meet their food needs, with three out of four households skipping meals, according to Matthew Hollingworth, assistant executive director for programme operations.
The population of government-held areas is estimated at around 10 million.
“The effect of this latest flare-up of insecurity on the food situation threatens to be absolutely devastating,” Mr Hollingworth said.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said he was alarmed by developments in Taiz, “where fighting has significantly intensified”, urging the Houthis to halt their military offensive.
“Taiz is the third-largest city of Yemen and it is the governorate that is currently hosting the majority of the newly displaced Yemenis following the recent fighting in other areas,” he added in a statement.
The latest developments came as the Iran-backed rebels conducted an attack on a power distribution station in Madinah, according to the Saudi-led coalition. The power station supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. The attack put one transformer out of service, but did not affect the power network.
The Houthis have denied the attack.
Additionally, on Friday morning, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the rebels towards the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. It gave no details on any damage or casualties.
In recent weeks, the rebels have increased missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The conflict between Yemeni government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis returned to full-scale fighting last month, having been largely frozen since a truce was agreed upon in 2022. The Houthis have controlled Yemen's capital Sanaa and several other parts of the country since the start of the civil war in 2014.
