Symbolic imageHouthis tighten Taiz siege and claim Riyadh airport strike as fighting spreads
The Houthi siege of Taiz has lasted 30 days, and the group claims a missile strike on Riyadh airport. Yemeni government forces say they are gaining ground in al-Jawf.
According to Al Jazeera, the siege began when Houthi forces seized al-Turbah in western Taiz governorate, cutting the city's main road to Aden. It affects the 1.5 million people in Taiz City and about 180,000 displaced people nearby. The UN has repeatedly warned of a catastrophe as food, medicine, fuel and water run short. The governorate's acting Siege Affairs director, Salah Ahmed Ghaleb al-Majidi, calls it the worst siege of a Yemeni city since 2014.
Riyadh airport claim
On Wednesday, 4 November, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group hit King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile, and he urged airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, TASS reports. The sources carry no Saudi confirmation of damage.
Fighting in al-Jawf and the south
Government forces say they pushed further into the al-Dahida range in al-Jawf with jet and drone support, as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen. A Houthi missile hit the al-Jumaima training camp in al-Dhalea and killed eight people, a military source told Al Jazeera.
Other opinions
Tehran Times blames Riyadh and points to a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa airport in July. Al Jazeera notes that Saree had denied attacking Saudi territory a day earlier.