After taking control of the strategic area around the Bab al-Mandab strait, the Houthis aren’t stopping. The Shiite terror organization is now pushing eastward to seize more territory in Yemen—with the city of Taiz as its next target. According to Saudi media, which backs the Yemeni government forces, the Taiz front has become the bloodiest in recent weeks.
1+Government forces reportedly repelled a major Houthi assault on the area—inflicting heavy casualties on the terror group. Saudi sources did not specify the number of Houthi dead, nor did they provide an estimate. Still, the fighting hasn’t let up. The Houthis recently launched a heavy artillery strike on positions outside the city. The government responded quickly with airstrikes in Houthi-held areas.
1+As noted, casualty figures remain unknown and it will likely take time to understand the full scope of the dead. But seizing Taiz would bring the Houthis one step closer to the government’s new capital in Aden—a conquest that could be the most significant move yet in the terror group’s campaign to control the entire country.