Renewed intense fighting in Yemen’s Taiz province has made access to basic services and humanitarian aid in the besieged city even more difficult. Clashes between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Yemeni government in the mountainous area to the south began early in the morning and lasted more than eight hours.
Houthi attack repelled
The Yemeni army said the Houthis had launched an attack from the Shaqab front at the southern entrance of Taiz. According to the army, the Houthi forces were pushed back after the attack and failed to make any advance in the area.
The Yemeni army said 16 people were killed and many others injured on the Houthi side. The Houthis have not yet commented on the clashes.
Mountain route opens onto the city’s south
The fighting was concentrated around Mount Dajij in the al-Misrakh district south of Taiz city. The mountainous area lies on a route that provides access to many key locations in the city.
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan said the Houthis had kept the city under siege for 15 days by closing roads. Shamsan said Taiz’s population was approaching 4 million, including those forced to move to the area because of the Houthis’ long-running attacks.
Fuel cuts halt basic services
Shamsan said power plants, the water network and waste collection had stopped because gasoline and diesel were being prevented from entering Taiz. Noting that shortages of medicine and medical supplies were making it difficult for hospitals to provide necessary care, Shamsan said humanitarian organizations were also unable to reach the city.
UN officials said medical supplies in Taiz hospitals were about to run out. Stating that road closures were preventing fuel, oxygen, medicine and surgical supplies from reaching the area, they called for uninterrupted and safe humanitarian access to Taiz.
Attacks on Saudi Arabia thwarted
Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said six missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia had been thwarted.
Al-Maliki said a ballistic missile detected over the Red Sea city of Yanbu had been intercepted and two cruise missiles detected over the Red Sea had been destroyed. He said three drones detected over Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia had also been shot down.
Crossings to Djibouti and cholera cases rise
UN officials said people fleeing areas of Yemen where fighting continues were still crossing into Djibouti. The number of people arriving in Djibouti from Yemen has exceeded 4,000, while the number of displaced people in Taiz has surpassed 233,000.
A cholera outbreak was reported at the Markazi refugee camp in Djibouti, with more than 30 cases detected and one death.
Yemen casualty toll announced
UN officials said 1,282 people have been killed and 5,891 injured in Yemen since Aug. 6.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said fighting across Yemen had caused displacement and outbreaks of disease. Families in Taiz were facing serious difficulties accessing food, fuel and water, and humanitarian needs were rising rapidly.
Regional dimension of the fighting
The Iran-backed Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa and parts of Yemen since September 2014. Saudi-led coalition forces have supported the Yemeni government since March 2015.
The fighting intensified after the Houthis launched attacks toward Taiz last month from Hodeidah province on the Red Sea coast. The attacks were reportedly aimed at advancing toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
