Yemen: Tanks fire as fighting erupts on the outskirts of Taiz

Yemeni government forces and allied Popular Resistance fighters clashed with Houthi fighters on the western outskirts of Taiz on Wednesday, 21 October, near the city’s old airport and Jabal Han mountain. The internationally recognised government said its forces repelled the attack, while reporting air strikes on Houthi positions, vehicles and a missile launchpad west, south and east of the city. Those claims could not be independently verified.

Footage showed a government tank firing towards Houthi positions as gunfire echoed across the area. The fighting comes as Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, faces mounting pressure from Houthi forces, which have largely encircled it and cut key supply routes, including the main road to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognised government.

The restrictions have also disrupted access to the city’s main landfill, leaving rubbish to pile up along major streets. Sanitation workers say they can no longer reach the dumping site because of the clashes and have resorted to burning waste in the streets.

Footage showed waste burning beside busy roads, thick smoke rising over neighbourhoods and goats feeding among the rubbish. Aid agencies said fuel shortages were also disrupting water pumps, hospitals and waste collection, deepening fears of disease outbreaks.

“If we don’t die from Houthi shelling, we’ll die from this rubbish,” one resident said.