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 15 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, located 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,” he said.
Taiz is strategically vital because of its geography. It links the Houthi-held 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 133,000 people, mostly from Taiz and Lahj, with the figure expected to rise, according to the UN.
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.
