Houthis Seize Turbah, Threaten Taiz in Major Yemen Government Setback
Houthi forces have captured Turbah in southwestern Yemen, threatening a key supply route to Taiz as Saudi-backed government forces launch a counteroffensive.
Houthi forces have captured the strategic town of Turbah in southwestern Yemen, tightening pressure on government-held areas around Taiz and disrupting an important route toward Aden. The advance marks another setback for Saudi-backed government forces as fighting intensifies.
Turbah sits at a key junction connecting frontline positions in Taiz province with Aden, the interim seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Analysts say Houthi control of the town could severely restrict government forces’ ability to reinforce and resupply positions around Taiz.
The latest advance follows the Houthis’ capture of the Red Sea port city of Mokha in September, expanding their position along a strategically important maritime corridor near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Yemen’s government has responded by launching a major military operation to reclaim territory. Saudi Arabia has pledged operational support, while government forces have also moved against Houthi positions near Bab al-Mandab.
The renewed fighting follows the breakdown of a prolonged period of reduced hostilities. The conflict, which began in 2014, has already produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
For civilians, another battlefield shift means the same old problem: more fighting, more displacement and even fewer safe roads.
