Inside Taiz, Yemen: Houthis Battle Government Forces for Control as Civil War Intensifies 

For families in Taiz, one steep, winding mountain road can decide whether food arrives or doesn’t. That road is now under attack. Government forces said they repelled overnight Houthi attacks on the Hejat al-Abd pass on September 24. It links the area to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based. The fighting in Taiz, Yemen has become one of the most worrying flashpoints in a war many people thought was winding down. 

A Frozen War Thaws

Yemen’s civil war began when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Since then the Houthis, backed by Iran, have fought a Saudi-backed government. The conflict had been largely frozen since a 2022 truce, but this month’s fighting marks a sharp escalation. Taiz has long been a battleground. It is Yemen’s third-largest city, and the Aden road is critical for goods entering it. It is also the only route for residents who want to travel abroad, since no commercial flights operate from Houthi-held areas. 

What Has Happened This Month

The Houthis moved fast. They seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the port of Mocha, and then tried to push into the Kahboub Mountains in Taiz and Lahj. Control of those mountains would let them cut the coast off from the government-held south. The government has hit back. On September 22 its forces said they had taken full control of Mount Qarfan, which overlooks valleys linking southern Taiz with the western coast. Then, the government’s military media centre said it carried out air raids on Houthi positions in five locations across the governorate in a single day. The latest reports suggest a grind rather than a breakthrough. Fighting continues on the western, southern and eastern fronts, with no major change in territorial control reported. Note that most battlefield claims come from the warring sides themselves and are hard to verify independently. 

Why It Matters Beyond Yemen

This isn’t only a local fight. The Bab al-Mandeb waterway is an economic lifeline for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports, especially with the Strait of Hormuz effectively blocked since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February. Whoever controls Yemen’s coast has leverage over global shipping. For ordinary people, the stakes are simpler. Seizing parts of the Taiz-Aden road could let the Houthis tighten their grip around the city. That would mean higher prices, scarcer goods and fewer ways out. Photos from September 21 already show makeshift camps for people displaced by the clashes. 

What Analysts Are Saying

Local voices expect this to drag on. Al Jazeera’s Yemen affairs editor, Ahmed el Shalfi, said he expects prolonged fighting. Ibrahim al-Huri of the University of Saba said the government’s call for general mobilisation will likely draw the most support in Taiz and Marib, where people have suffered most. Both sides also accuse each other of harming civilians. The Houthis say Saudi forces carried out 52 air strikes and missile attacks across several governorates, killing and wounding people including women and children. These claims are not independently confirmed. 

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