Yemen’s Hadi briefed on developments in Taez as battle rages on

In the provincial capital, also called Taez, residents are battling against a months-long siege by the Houthis, bolstered by airdrops of weapons from the Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE.

Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi attends Friday prayers in Aden, a week after returning to the country to lead the campaign to liberate Taez. EPA

ADEN // Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, who on Friday led prayers in Aden, has been briefed by military commanders about developments in the southwestern province of Taez province where pro-government forces are battling Houthi rebels.

During the briefing, Mr Hadi, who last week returned from exile in Saudi Arabia to lead the campaign to liberate Taez, praised the heroism of Yemeni soldiers and local resistance forces, who are backed by a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states.

In the provincial capital, also called Taez, residents are battling against a months-long siege by the Houthis, bolstered by airdrops of weapons from the Saudi-led coalition.

Mr Hadi urged the province’s residents to close ranks and back the national army and resistance forces on all fronts to rid Taez city of the rebels.

The briefing, which took place on Thursday, came as the president ordered the Yemeni military to speed up the process for recruiting resistance fighters to the national army.

In a potentially pivotal battle in the country’s war, the Houthis have surrounded Taez city for months, shelling neighbourhoods and battling local fighters.

Anti-Houthi forces are trying to advance from further south, fighting their way towards the city to break the siege.

If the Houthis lose at Taez, on the border between northern and southern Yemen, it would cement their loss of the south, reducing their areas of control to the capital and their strongholds in the far north, along with some areas in the centre with little strategic significance.

It is a scenario that could force them into negotiations with the internationally recognised government, led by Mr Hadi.

Residents in the city of about 250,000 say more than 1,600 civilians have been killed since March, largely by the Houthi shelling.

“The shelling is indiscriminate, on houses and schools,” said Samir Al Mekhlafi, a 35-year-old engineer. “We go to sleep unsure if we’ll wake up alive.”

Farea Al Muslimi, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Centre, said the anti-Houthi coalition appeared to want to take control of Taez and force the Houthis into making a deal over Sanaa.

* Wam, Associated Press