The recent push near Tur al-Bahah represents the closest the group has reached to the temporary capital since 2015. Alongside ground offensives that began along the Red Sea coast in September, fighters have conducted direct strikes against Aden's airport and the presidential palace. Meanwhile, an ongoing siege in Taiz has displaced more than 100,000 residents while cutting off essential supplies of food, fuel, and medicine. Escalating cross-border strikes have also triggered retaliatory air raids by the Saudi-led coalition.
Key points
The offensive threatens to sever the last remaining transit route linking government-held…: The offensive threatens to sever the last remaining transit route linking government-held territory to Taiz.
Advancing forces have created an opportunity to outflank government positions guarding th…: Advancing forces have created an opportunity to outflank government positions guarding the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Escalating ground combat and cross-border attacks have shattered the United Nations-broke…: Escalating ground combat and cross-border attacks have shattered the United Nations-brokered truce established in 2022.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The advance brings the Houthis closer to Aden than at any point since the early months of the war in 2015, when they briefly entered the city before being driven out.
The latest offensive has opened a volatile new front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran, drawing both the Houthis and Saudi Arabia deeper into the regional conflict.
The Houthis have escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government, while the Saudi-led coalition has responded by stepping up strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
The violence has shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce that had largely halted major attacks in a war that began in 2014, when the Houthis drove the government from Sanaa.
ADVANCE THREATENS MAIN ROUTE
The Houthi push threatens strategic positions along the main road linking Aden with the besieged city of Taiz, a vital artery for southwestern Yemen.
It follows a broader offensive that began in September, when the Houthis swept down Yemen's Red Sea coast and seized territory along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most important shipping lanes and a…
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