Fighting rages near Yemen’s Taiz as UN urges humanitarian access

Fighting has forced more than 281,000 people from their homes in Yemen since the beginning of August, the UN said.

A fighter from Yemen's internationally recognised government fires from the back of a pick-up truck truck at a position along the front lines against the Houthis in Yemen's western Taiz province. [File: Ahmad al-Basha/AFP]

Fighting has escalated in Yemen, with media affiliated to government forces reporting a surge in hostilities with the Houthis on several fronts south of Taiz in southwestern Yemen.

Yemen Today TV reported on Thursday that fighting was taking place on the Al-Aqroudh and Al-Masrakh fronts, as well as in Al-Rahn village in the Sabir al-Mawadim district.

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Houthi-affiliated media reported four air strikes against the city of Mocha and its port on the Red Sea, west of Taiz.

Yemeni government forces in Taiz said they repelled attacks on Al-Aqroud, as they tried to break the Houthi siege of the area.

“Our forces have carried out 749 military operations over the past 24 hours, resulting in the death or injury of 239 militants and the destruction of 117 vehicles and armoured vehicles,” Majid al-Nazili, a spokesman for Yemeni government forces, told Al Jazeera.

The Houthis – also known as Ansar Allah, Arabic for Supporters of God – also advanced on Jabal Sabr on Sunday, the strategic mountain overlooking Taiz. It has become the focus of the fighting between the Iran-backed group and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, flights have resumed at Aden international airport, the Anadolu news agency reported. Services were suspended on Wednesday after witnesses said a missile had landed on the Al-Nasr Camp, adjacent to the airport, where Yemeni coastguard forces and interior ministry headquarters are located.

A military source told Al Jazeera on Thursday that government forces carried out three air strikes against Houthi military gatherings and vehicles southeast of Taiz, claiming that they targeted the group’s positions and movements on the Al-Aqroud front. This comes as the Houthi group reported more than 100 air strikes targeting the capital city Sanaa, and eight other Yemeni governorates, over the past 24 hours.

The surge in fighting across multiple fronts in Yemen has worsened a spiralling humanitarian crisis .

The conflict has forced more than 281,000 people from their homes in Yemen since the beginning of August, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian agency.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that “time is running out” to deliver aid to the 800,000 people trapped inside the city of Taiz.

Humanitarian access has become increasingly difficult over the past three weeks, OCHA said, due to damage to a key road linking Taiz to southern governorates. Aid supplies now have to pass narrow mountain routes to reach people in need.

OCHA called on fighters not to target civilians or aid convoys. “All parties must respect international humanitarian law and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid can reach people in need,” it said.

The war in Yemen has escalated sharply since the Houthis seized strategic territory from government forces along the Red Sea coast last month, prompting a counteroffensive. Saudi Arabia has since intensified its strikes on the group.

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which is aligned with Yemen’s government forces, have dealt a blow to the kingdom, the world’s biggest exporter of crude oil, disrupting its businesses, airlines and residents, and damaging its international image.

联合国表示，自 8 月初以来，也门已有超过 28.1 万人因战乱而流离失所。

在也门西部塔伊兹省，一名隶属于也门国际公认政府的战士从一辆皮卡车的后车厢向胡塞武装的前线阵地开火。[图片：Ahmad al-Basha/法新社]

也门战事升级，与政府军有关联的媒体报道称，在也门西南部塔伊兹以南的几个战线上，与胡塞武装的敌对行动激增。

也门今日电视台周四报道称，阿克鲁德和马斯拉赫前线以及萨比尔·马瓦迪姆区的拉恩村都发生了战斗。

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列表 2（共 4 个）：海湾国家能否建立新的安全框架？

列表 3/4：绘制也门塔伊兹围城战地图，以及围城家庭为此付出的代价

问题 4（共 4 个）：海湾合作委员会国家是否正在寻求与伊朗达成区域安全协议？

与胡塞武装有关联的媒体报道称，位于塔伊兹以西、红海沿岸的摩卡市及其港口遭到了四次空袭。

也门政府军在塔伊兹表示，他们击退了对阿克鲁德的进攻，试图打破胡塞武装对该地区的围困。

也门政府军发言人马吉德·纳齐利告诉半岛电视台：“在过去的24小时内，我们的部队进行了749次军事行动，造成239名武装分子死亡或受伤，并摧毁了117辆汽车和装甲车。”

胡塞武装（又称安萨尔真主，阿拉伯语意为“真主的支持者”）周日也向俯瞰塔伊兹的战略要地萨布尔山推进。该山已成为伊朗支持的胡塞武装与效忠于也门国际社会公认政府（由沙特阿拉伯支持）的部队之间战斗的焦点。

据阿纳多卢通讯社报道，亚丁国际机场已恢复航班。此前，有目击者称一枚导弹落在毗邻机场的纳斯尔营地，该营地是也门海岸警卫队和内政部总部所在地，因此机场航班于周三暂停运营。

一位军方消息人士周四告诉半岛电视台，政府军对塔伊兹东南部的胡塞武装集结地和车辆发动了三次空袭，声称目标是该组织在阿克鲁德前线的阵地和动向。与此同时，胡塞武装报告称，过去24小时内，首都萨那和也门其他八个省份遭到了100多次空袭。

也门多条战线战事升级，加剧了日益恶化的人道主义危机。

据联合国人道主义机构称，自 8 月初以来，冲突已迫使也门超过 28.1 万人离开家园。

人道主义事务协调厅（OCHA）警告说，向被困在塔伊兹市的 80 万民众提供援助的“时间已经不多了”。

联合国人道事务协调厅表示，过去三周，由于连接塔伊兹和南部各省的一条重要道路遭到破坏，人道主义援助准入变得越来越困难。援助物资现在不得不通过狭窄的山路才能送达需要帮助的人们手中。

联合国人道事务协调厅呼吁武装分子不要以平民或援助车队为攻击目标。该机构表示：“各方必须尊重国际人道主义法，并允许安全、持续和畅通无阻的人道主义援助通道，以便援助物资能够送达需要帮助的人手中。”

自上个月胡塞武装从政府军手中夺取红海沿岸战略要地以来，也门战争急剧升级，引发政府军反攻。沙特阿拉伯随后加大了对该组织的打击力度。

与也门政府军结盟的沙特阿拉伯遭到胡塞武装的袭击，这对世界最大的原油出口国沙特造成了沉重打击，扰乱了其商业、航空和居民生活，并损害了其国际形象。