Yemeni Forces Advance in Taiz as Fighting Displaces Thousands

NEW YORK — Heavy fighting has intensified in Yemen’s Taiz province as government forces press a counteroffensive against the Houthis, displacing nearly 260,000 people since August, according to the United Nations.

The renewed military escalation follows the collapse of a 2022 UN-brokered truce in July after the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi ports. Yemen has faced continuous conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several other provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government. The deteriorating security situation has also prompted diplomatic fallout, with the US State Department ordering non-essential staff and family members at its embassy in Riyadh to leave Saudi Arabia.

According to government spokesperson Majid al-Nazili, Yemeni forces have launched 835 targeting operations against the Houthis as part of the “Dawn of Yemen” counteroffensive backed by the Saudi-led coalition. The operations have killed or injured 285 armed group members while destroying battle tanks and weapons stores.

Regional tensions have spilled over through cross-border strikes. Saudi Arabia’s Authority of Civil Aviation reported that the death toll rose to two following a Houthi strike on King Fahd airport in Dammam on Wednesday evening. Yemeni government forces also accused the Houthis of striking airports in Aden and al-Rayyan on Wednesday. Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad Al-Alimi strongly condemned the attacks and called for the group to be formally designated as a terrorist organisation.

In response, Houthi forces stated that their strikes targeting Saudi infrastructure are retaliation for longstanding restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia on Houthi-controlled airports and seaports.

The human toll of the renewed hostilities continues to mount across the country. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has verified 251 civilian casualties, including 57 killed and 194 injured, noting that half of those killed were children. Additionally, Yemen’s Ministry of Education reported that more than 2.5 million children are currently out of school due to the ongoing conflict.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that roughly half of the nearly 260,000 displaced individuals have taken refuge within Taiz province. Displaced families have reported that their most pressing needs are shelter, followed by food and cash. Despite extremely difficult conditions, humanitarian partners have reached more than 174,000 displaced people since August, distributing food, hygiene kits and emergency cash.