Fighting erupted on the western outskirts of Taiz on Wednesday, 21 October, as Yemeni government forces and allied Popular Resistance fighters clashed with Houthi fighters near the city's old airport and Jabal Han mountain. The internationally recognised government said it repelled the attack and reported air strikes on Houthi positions, while residents and aid agencies warned that the siege is creating a deepening public health crisis.
Fighting broke out on the western outskirts of Taiz on Wednesday, 21 October, where tanks and gunfire were reported near the city's old airport and Jabal Han mountain. Footage showed a government tank firing towards Houthi positions as gunfire echoed across the area.
The internationally recognised government said its forces, alongside allied Popular Resistance fighters, repelled the attack, and reported air strikes on Houthi positions, vehicles and a missile launchpad west, south and east of the city.
The renewed clashes come as Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, faces mounting pressure from Houthi forces that have largely encircled it and cut key supply routes, including the main road to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognised government.
The restrictions have also cut access to the city's main landfill, leaving rubbish to pile up along major streets. Sanitation workers said they could no longer reach the dumping site because of the clashes and had resorted to burning waste in the streets. Footage showed waste burning beside busy roads, thick smoke rising over neighbourhoods and goats feeding among the rubbish.
Aid agencies said fuel shortages were disrupting water pumps, hospitals and waste collection, deepening fears of disease outbreaks. "If we don't die from Houthi shelling, we'll die from this rubbish," one resident said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The fighting risks tightening the Houthi encirclement of Taiz, one of Yemen's largest cities, and cutting the main road to Aden.
- Uncollected rubbish and fuel shortages are creating conditions for disease outbreaks in a city already under bombardment.
- The clashes are a reminder that Yemen's long-running civil war remains active and volatile.
Background
Yemen has been torn by civil war since the Houthi movement seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the internationally recognised government south, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene. Taiz, which sits on the route between Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, has been on the front line for much of the conflict, and the Houthis have kept the city under siege for years.
Key Perspectives
Yemeni government and allied Popular Resistance fighters: They say they repelled the Houthi attack and carried out air strikes west, south and east of Taiz, targeting Houthi positions, vehicles and a missile launchpad.
Residents of Taiz: With the main landfill out of reach and supply routes cut, they describe a city choking on its own waste. "If we don't die from Houthi shelling, we'll die from this rubbish," one resident said.
Aid agencies: They warn that fuel shortages are disrupting water pumps, hospitals and waste collection, deepening fears of disease outbreaks.
Broader concerns: If the siege continues, the public health situation could deteriorate further, and any disease outbreak would be difficult to treat in a city whose hospitals are already struggling.
What to Watch
- Whether the Houthi encirclement tightens and whether the main road to Aden reopens.
- Whether sanitation workers can keep functioning as fuel shortages persist and the landfill stays out of reach.
- Any reports of disease outbreaks or civilian displacement tied to the renewed fighting.