In the midst of escalating conflict in Yemen, residents of Taiz, the country’s third-largest city, are enduring severe hardship as Houthi forces close in and tighten a siege that has deepened a humanitarian crisis. The city, home to nearly 600,000 people, has become a critical battleground between the Iran-allied Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces amid a broader regional conflict that intensified following US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year.
Ali Hassan, a 42-year-old resident, described the dire conditions as he and his family sought shelter beneath a stairwell at a local school. Hassan recounted multiple displacements caused by ongoing fighting, and his own injuries sustained from a Houthi sniper in 2021 that left his right hand paralyzed. He also said his sister was recently shot in the spine by a sniper, resulting in her permanent disability. These personal accounts illustrate the civilian toll as the Houthis press their offensive deeper into the city.
The Houthis have effectively encircled Taiz by cutting off the primary road leading south to Aden, restricting movement and supplies. This blockade has exacerbated shortages of food, water, and fuel, with residents reporting skyrocketing prices and accumulation of garbage in the streets due to the inability to clear refuse. Wathiq Mahyoub, another local, described the siege as “suffocating” and said the Houthis have refused to open crossings even for humanitarian purposes.
The conflict in Taiz resumed in force after a four-year truce collapsed earlier this year, marking a significant escalation with both sides vying for control. A recent Houthi missile strike targeted the presidential palace complex in Aden, killing five, according to government reports. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has reported numerous Houthi attacks on its infrastructure in the region, signaling a protracted and intensifying struggle.
Taiz has remained a frontline since the war began in 2014 when the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa, forcing Yemen’s internationally recognized government to relocate to Aden. Control of Taiz is strategically important as it is the last major urban center in the southern highlands held by anti-Houthi forces.
Humanitarian agencies warn that conditions in the city are rapidly deteriorating. Ahmed al-Jadal, director of the Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons’ Camps in Taiz, detailed the desperate situation of thousands of displaced families living in unfinished buildings, shops, and other locations ill-equipped to support human habitation. The UN migration agency reported more than 23,000 people displaced in the current surge of fighting, with over 120,000 displaced in Taiz governorate overall.
Health services are also under severe pressure. The World Health Organization’s spokesperson Tarik Ja'arevi said that 12 hospitals in Taiz face imminent fuel shortages, alongside critical deficits in oxygen and medicines, as combat operations approach urban centers housing key medical facilities. Road closures are halting vital supply deliveries, further straining the city’s capacity to respond to an escalating humanitarian emergency.
The situation in Taiz underscores the broader challenges facing Yemen, where renewed hostilities threaten to unravel years of fragile progress and leave millions more vulnerable amid a complex and protracted conflict.