Fighting intensifies around Taiz as Houthis push inland
Fighting is intensifying around Taiz as Iranian-backed Houthi fighters advance inland after seizing Mokha and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, displacing more than 100,000 people.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Fighting is intensifying around the Yemeni city of Taiz, where government forces are trying to halt a new advance by Iranian-backed Houthi fighters. The Houthis have been closing in on the city after seizing the Red Sea port of Mokha and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait earlier this month. Taiz sits at a vital intersection between Houthi-controlled territory in the north and government-held areas in the south. Government forces in the city are supported by a Saudi-led coalition.
Over the past week, a news team travelled with government forces to Al-Qadhaha, the frontline closest to Mokha. The troops moved through the valleys of Taiz, unsure whether they would return. Artillery could be heard in the distance. The Houthis were based just behind a nearby mountain, and a drone was heard overhead. The team was told it was a Houthi drone and took cover.
Local people are caught in the middle. One man, Ali, chose to stay but asked not to be shown because he fears what would happen if the Houthis take over. The Houthis' recent capture of Mokha and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait has transformed the battle. They are now pushing inland towards Taiz. If the city falls, their grip on Yemen's western coast will be much harder to reverse, and the war will be felt far beyond Yemen.
Fighters returning from the front include two from the Yemeni army. The youngest, Mohammed, has been displaced by war and has taken up arms to defend his land. Some of those they face are even younger. The latest fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people. Many have gone to the Al Muneh camp, around 20 kilometres from the front line. In just 10 days, 200 families arrived. Most had been displaced before. Fatima took two days to reach the camp from Mokha. As fighting closed in, her sons left her behind to save their children.
The human cost is visible in hospitals. One hospital received 24 casualties in 24 hours. A 12-year-old girl was brought in after being hit by shrapnel. Rana was at home when a mortar hit; she lies alone. Yemen's battlefield does not have boundaries, and civilians are paying the price.
A Yemeni specialist said the situation in Taiz was tragic. She said the Houthis had encircled and blockaded the city over the past decade, making life a living hell for people inside it, including by cutting off aid and humanitarian access as recorded by United Nations panels of experts. She added that the Houthis, with help from Iran, are advancing to consolidate after gains over Bab al-Mandab. She called it an existential fight for the Houthis and said it was extremely important for Tehran as it seeks a favourable deal with the Trump administration.
The specialist also said Iran has aided the Houthis through drone coordination. She said Iran had intercepted telecommunications with national resistance forces opposing the Houthis, allowing those forces to withdraw after apparently receiving false orders from their commanders. She said the Houthis have also helped Iraqi militias strike Saudi Arabia, calling the conflict a regional problem for which locals pay the price.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| Iranian-backed Houthi fighters advanced on Taiz after capturing Mokha and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, with government forces attempting to halt the offensive. | ||
| Government forces in Taiz are supported by the Saudi-led coalition. | · | |
| Iran has aided the Houthis through drone coordination. | · | |
| Taiz is at a vital intersection between Houthi-controlled northern Yemen and government-held southern Yemen. | · | |
| Tehran aimed to set the terms of any deal by choking the Bab-el-Mandeb through the Houthis. | · | |
| The Houthis have helped Iraqi militias strike Saudi Arabia. | · | |
| The latest fighting displaced more than 100,000 people. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West carried the full frontline report from Taiz without a studio expert. It focused on the immediate danger to troops and civilians, including the drone scare, displacement and hospital casualties, and it stressed the strategic risk if Taiz falls. It did not include the later expert discussion on Iran's role or the Saudi-led coalition context.
- “Fighting is intensifying around the Yemeni city of Taiz, where government forces are trying to halt a new advance by Iranian-backed Houthi fighters closing in on the city.”
- “The BBC is the first international news organisation to reach Yemen since the Houthis seized the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha earlier this month.”
- “If this city falls, their grip on the western coast will be much harder to reverse.”
BBC News aired the same frontline report but added a studio interview with Yemen specialist Fatima Abo Alasrar. The channel put more weight on Iran's role, Houthi strategy and the regional consequences, including Taiz's long blockade and Tehran's timing. It also gave more detail on aid cuts, intercepted communications and Houthi support for attacks on Saudi Arabia.
- “It's tragic. I'm glad that BBC was able to show the situation on the ground.”
- “Taiz in particular have had bad luck over the past decade as the Houthis have encircled it, blockaded the city, and made life a living hell for the people inside it, including cutting off aid and humanitarian access as recorded by the United Nations panels of experts.”
- “So the strategies of both Iran and the Houthis are complimentary.”
BBC News Verified Live framed the story with a clear geographic and coalition context. It noted that Taiz sits between Houthi-controlled northern territory and government-held southern areas, and that government forces there are backed by a Saudi-led coalition. The frontline report was otherwise the same, with no separate expert interview before the programme moved to unrelated breaking news.
- “in Yemen fighting is intensifying around the city of Taiz where government forces supported by Saudi-led coalition are trying to halt a new advance by the Iranian-backed Houthi fighters”
- “Taiz sits at a vital intersection between Houthi-controlled territory in the north and government-held areas in the south.”
- “Our senior international correspondent Nawal Al-Maghafi, producer Jasmine Dyer and camera journalist Liam Weir have spent the past week there”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 05:19 BST
Fatima Abo Alasrar, Yemeni specialist at the Arab Gulf States Institute
“Well, let's discuss this with Fatima Abo Alasrar, who is a Yemeni specialist at the Arab Gulf States Institute.”
BBC News · Mon 28 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.