Houthi encirclement of Taiz cuts lifeline road as hospitals near collapse
Iran-allied Houthi forces have encircled Taiz, cutting its main road south to Aden and forcing people from their homes. The operation has caused widespread displacement around Yemen's third-largest city, according to Reuters.
Taiz is home to almost 600,000 people. Residents of the encircled city face intensifying bombardment, Reuters reported.
The fighting in Taiz involves the Houthis and the internationally recognised government. Clashes between Yemeni forces and the Houthis have caused casualties on both sides, Al Jazeera reported.
As Houthi forces closed in, Ali Hassan and his family took shelter under a stairwell at a school in Taiz, Reuters reported. Their experience reflects the displacement affecting families around the city after the road to Aden was cut.
The siege follows a longer advance. The Houthis seized Sanaa, Yemen's capital, in 2014 and then expanded across much of northwestern Yemen, according to The New York Times. Houthi forces began blockading Taiz after seizing Sanaa.
The humanitarian impact in Taiz has been severe. Hospitals were near collapse in October 2026 as the Houthis tightened the siege. The United Nations described the humanitarian situation in Taiz that month as "devastating," Al Jazeera reported.
Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Yahya warned the UN Security Council that Yemen's humanitarian crisis had sharply worsened. UN aid agencies warned in October 2026 that renewed fighting is deepening the country's hunger crisis. UN OCHA states that millions of people in Yemen continue to face dire humanitarian conditions struggling to meet basic needs.
