Yemen Clashes Intensify Around Taiz as Strikes Widen

Fighting in Yemen has intensified around Taiz, where Houthi forces have put more pressure on the city. The development extends a civil war that has lasted 12 years. The Houthis are backed by Iran, according to the Associated Press.

Residents of Taiz said they faced intensifying bombardment and dwindling supplies while their city was encircled by Houthi fighters, according to Reuters. Yemeni government forces closed a key crossing connecting Houthi-held al-Houban.

The fighting has reached beyond Taiz. Yemen's capital Sanaa was bombarded overnight after government forces reported intense clashes around Taiz. The Houthis struck Aden airport in Yemen as a flight was due to land, according to Yemen's ministry. Houthi attacks on Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border killed three people and wounded 28, according to the Saudi-led coalition and reported by Reuters.

The head of Yemen's Presidential Council announced a counteroffensive was underway to seize all areas from the Houthis. Yemen's army said it targeted Houthis in hundreds of strikes, killing 700 fighters. The scale described in later figures was larger, with more than 17,000 strikes carried out since the launch of Operation Dawn in Yemen, including more than 1,250 strikes in the past 24 hours neutralizing about 700 Houthi fighters, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Civilian casualties have been reported. A Saudi Press Agency report citing preliminary figures said two children, aged five and seven, were killed and 15 civilians were injured, including eight children. A joint statement published by the agency said only a political agreement between the Yemeni parties can durably resolve the conflict and reverse the dire humanitarian crisis.