Taiz, Houthis, and Yemen’s Strategic War

Taiz as the Yemen War’s New Frontline

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.

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Houthi Ambitions to Control Yemen

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