Saudi-led coalition forces said they struck multiple Houthi positions around the Yemeni city of Taiz on Saturday and Sunday in an effort to break the siege of the city, which has emerged as a new frontline between Yemen's internationally recognised government and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Taiz, in south-western Yemen, lies outside the boundaries of the old South Yemen, which existed as a separate state from 1967 to 1990. It is one of two remaining cities there, with Marib, that the Houthis have yet to capture.
Houthi-affiliated media gave a different account of the raids. They said overnight Saudi strikes killed at least 12 people, including nine in what they called attacks on civilian homes in Taiz, and three children in Dhamar province. The Houthi news agency also alleged that cluster bombs were used. The coalition did not immediately comment on that claim, and the figures could not be independently verified.
The Taiz operation comes as the Houthis have gained ground. They have seized territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key Red Sea chokepoint, and have repeatedly hit Saudi targets, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and the headquarters of the oil company Aramco. Yemen's government, based in Aden, declared a counteroffensive last week to push the Houthis out of the capital, Sanaa, but it has so far had limited success around Marib and Bab al-Mandab. On Friday, two Houthi missiles hit Aden's airport as a passenger plane prepared to take off; no casualties were reported.
The ground picture is complicated by divisions among anti-Houthi forces. The Guardian reported, citing sources in Yemen, that the United Arab Emirates has agreed to resume payments to some southern forces, notably the Giants Brigades, in return for Saudi air cover. The UAE had quit Yemen in January after a rift with Riyadh over southern separatists. Neither country has responded to separatist demands for a referendum on secession. Analysts cited by PBS note that air power alone has rarely defeated the Houthis, and that any lasting gains would require capable ground forces.
Regional diplomacy is also moving. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was ready to help defend Saudi Arabia if asked, stressing that this meant defence, not offensive action, and parliament was due to hold an emergency session. Iran, which Saudi Arabia accuses of encouraging the escalation, a charge Tehran denies, renewed an offer to mediate. Separately, the Houthis released 159 pro-government fighters under an amnesty, according to the Red Cross.
The fighting matters because it is widening a conflict that has displaced more than 200,000 people since August, according to the UN, while threatening Red Sea shipping and Saudi energy infrastructure.