Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish their weapons during a protest against US strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on July 10 said the conflict with the United States would not end with Tehran’s surrender, after hostilities between the decades-old foes resumed this week with tit-for-tat attacks. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has reported airstrikes on Houthi positions west of Taiz, as renewed fighting intensifies across the province and forces thousands of civilians from their homes.
A military spokesperson said government aircraft carried out two strikes targeting Houthi positions and military vehicles in the Jabal Habashi district, west of Taiz, Al Jazeera reported early Tuesday, November 3.
The spokesperson said the strikes killed several Houthi fighters but did not provide a precise casualty figure. The claims could not be independently verified, and the Houthis had not immediately commented on the reported attacks.
Meanwhile, Houthi-affiliated media reported that an airstrike hit a plastic footwear factory in the Al-Taiziyah district, north of Taiz, killing three people and injuring eight others.
The latest reports come amid a significant escalation in Yemen’s conflict, particularly around Taiz, where government forces and Houthi fighters have been engaged in renewed battles since July.
Reuters reported on Monday that Houthi forces had advanced to within 80 kilometres of Aden, the government’s temporary capital, according to four military sources. The advance has increased pressure on government forces and raised concerns about the security of routes linking Taiz with other government-held areas.
The fighting has also intensified around the strategic approaches to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major international shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The humanitarian consequences have been severe. The International Organization for Migration reported that nearly 300,000 people were displaced by escalating violence across Yemen between August and the end of October, according to figures published by Al Jazeera on November 2.
Taiz received the largest share of those displaced, with approximately 133,800 people seeking refuge in the province during that period, representing about 45 percent of the total.
Earlier, the United Nations had warned that renewed fighting was driving large-scale displacement and causing civilian casualties across the country.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.
The latest escalation has further weakened prospects for a lasting settlement, while civilians in Taiz and other affected areas face growing insecurity and worsening humanitarian conditions.