Fear grips Taiz as Houthi rebels tighten siege of Yemen’s 3rd largest city

They made it out just in time. Shortly after Abdullah, her husband and two young children left, the rebels captured a key town on Oct. 4, largely encircling Taiz and cutting off most supply routes from government-held areas.

“We already feel dead, there was already despair” in the city, Abdullah told The Associated Press by phone from a province farther south. “We feel as if we are cursed. Everyone is conspiring against us even though we’re not affiliated with any party or politics.”

The Iran-backed Houthis are pushing to capture Taiz, a long-sought prize in Yemen’s 12-year civil war, as they also escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a string of deadly strikes on the airport in the capital, Riyadh.

The assault follows a lightning offensive last month in which the rebels seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast, strengthening their ability to attack Saudi oil shipping and plunging global energy prices