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

Yemeni government forces conducted a mass funeral on Wednesday for 75 new military recruits who died in a Houthi missile strike earlier in the week. The ceremony took place in a soccer field within south-central Shabwa province, the specific location where the attack occurred on Monday. Troops and security personnel carried the coffins of the deceased soldiers during the proceedings, joined by senior government and military officials. According to authorities, the recruits were lined up in formation for a routine training session at the al-Alam camp when the missile struck. In addition to the fatalities, two hundred other individuals were wounded in the blast. Shabwa’s governor issued a statement following the burial service, pledging to intensify defensive measures for the province. He vowed to identify those responsible for the strike and ensure they face accountability. The governor clarified that the victims were all young men aged between 18 and 20. He stated that these recruits were undergoing training specifically to provide local security within Shabwa, rather than preparing for broader combat operations. While the funeral marked a somber moment for the government-aligned forces, active hostilities continued elsewhere in the country. On Wednesday, October 21, clashes erupted on the western outskirts of Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city. Government forces and allied Popular Resistance fighters engaged Houthi militants near the city’s old airport and Jabal Han mountain. Footage captured the conflict, showing a government tank firing toward rebel positions as gunfire echoed through the area. The internationally recognized government announced that its units repelled the offensive. It also reported conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions, vehicles, and a missile launchpad located to the west, south, and east of the city. Taiz currently faces significant strategic pressure from Houthi forces, which have largely encircled the urban center. Rebel control has severed key supply lines, including the primary road connecting Taiz to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognized government. These disruptions have created severe humanitarian issues within the city. Access to the main landfill site has been blocked by the ongoing fighting, causing garbage to accumulate along major thoroughfares. Sanitation workers reported they could no longer reach the dumping grounds due to the violence. Consequently, crews began burning waste directly in the streets. Residents described scenes of thick smoke rising over neighborhoods and goats feeding amidst the piles of trash. One resident remarked that if they did not perish from Houthi shelling, they would die from the sanitary crisis. Aid organizations noted that fuel shortages were simultaneously disrupting water pumps, hospital operations, and waste collection services, raising concerns about potential disease outbreaks. Simultaneously, the conflict expanded into the north. Houthi media reported that Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed eleven people in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, on Saturday. The Al-Masirah television channel detailed a series of attacks, including a strike on a residential house that killed at least four people and injured others. A separate bomb hit a residence building housing cement factory workers in the Sanaa governorate, resulting in the deaths of six women and one child, with three additional injuries reported. The Saudi-led coalition stated it had intercepted missiles fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh, Taif, and Yanbu. Civil defense authorities in Riyadh warned of threats to four regions in western Saudi Arabia, including Mecca, noting that debris fell in the areas of Mecca and Medina. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that his militia attacked three airports, an air base, two oil facilities, and a pipeline in Saudi Arabia within a 24-hour period. He further asserted that Houthi forces targeted a naval base and an army depot in Aden, claiming these sites were under Saudi control. The current escalation follows the resumption of the Yemeni civil war in July, which had been dormant since a 2022 ceasefire. This renewed intensity coincides with wider regional tensions triggered by recent conflicts involving Iran. Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government against the Iran-backed Houthis for more than a decade. Since early in the month, Saudi territory has faced nearly daily missile and drone attacks from the Houthi militia.