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Control of Taiz could enable the Houthis to threaten the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Mocha, the Gulf of Aden, and the government’s stronghold in Aden.
Taiz has emerged as the new frontline in Yemen’s civil war after Houthi forces resumed their campaign along the Red Sea coast following years of relative calm. Former Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed warned that losing Taiz could give the Iran-backed Houthis access to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, the port city of Mocha, the Gulf of Aden, and the road to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based. He argued that control of Taiz would strengthen the Houthi objective of dominating all of Yemen and would have major implications for regional and Western maritime security. The city, home to more than 500,000 people, is threatened by encirclement and a possible siege worse than that of 2015. Government forces face shortages of heavy weapons, poor coordination, and divisions among Saudi-backed military formations, while the Houthis have expanded their control of surrounding rural areas and developed increasingly capable missiles and drones with Iranian support. Saeed described Taiz as a symbol of Yemen’s modern, democratic state and predicted continued resistance to Houthi religious, financial, and tax systems. He also warned that the Houthis’ transformation into a well-armed semi-state actor represents a broader model of warfare capable of threatening navigation, oil infrastructure, and powerful states with relatively inexpensive technologies.
Control of Taiz could enable the Houthis to threaten the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Mocha, the Gulf of Aden, and the government’s stronghold in Aden.
The Houthis are expanding around Taiz and may impose a full siege on the city, which could create a humanitarian catastrophe.
Government forces have been weakened by light weaponry, inadequate preparation, and poor coordination among allied military groups.
Iranian assistance has helped the Houthis develop long-range missiles, anti-ship weapons, and drones capable of striking regional infrastructure.
The battle for Taiz carries symbolic significance because the city represents resistance to the Houthi vision of a religious and tribal-based state.
The conflict illustrates a wider security challenge involving semi-state militias that use low-cost technology and external support to threaten states and maritime routes.
A major southwestern Yemeni city whose strategic location makes it central to the struggle between Houthi and government forces.
A vital maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.
An Iran-aligned Yemeni movement that controls Sana’a and large parts of northern Yemen and seeks to expand its territorial power.
A strategically located Yemeni coastal city on the Red Sea whose control would support access to maritime routes near Bab al-Mandab.
A militia or armed organization that exercises state-like military and political power without being a fully recognized government.
The religious educational system associated with Zaydi Shiism, which Saeed said the Houthis would seek to impose in areas they control.
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