A family flees as it drives behind Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces ride in a pick-up truck near the Jabal Han front, west of the city of Taiz, following fierce battles earlier in the day against Yemen's Houthis as they reportedly attempted to seize control of the main route between the inland city of Taiz and the coastal city of Aden, on Oct. 3, 2026. (Credit: Ahmad al-Basha/AFP)
The news of the day
Pro-Iranian Houthis from Yemen on Sunday cut off a vital route linking Taiz, the large southwestern city they now encircle, to Aden, the seat of the internationally recognized government, according to security sources and witnesses cited by AFP. "We were notified of the Houthis' capture of the al-Safiya sector, who have cut off the main road and taken control of the police station," said a police source in that locality. Witnesses reported hearing intense fighting in al-Safiya and al-Samsara. Both areas lie along the main road between Taiz — the capital of the governorate of the same name and Yemen's third most populous city — Lahj governorate, and Aden, where the legal authorities are located. The Yemeni capital, Sanaa, is held by the Houthis.
Yemeni Presidential Council chief Rashad al-Alimi subsequently announced in a statement a large-scale offensive to retake all territory from the fighters. "Today I announce the launch of military operations aimed at recapturing all remaining areas of the Republic to expand the authority of the state and its institutions to the entire national territory," he declared. The Houthis currently control large portions of Yemen.
Why is this important?
Closure of the Taiz-Aden route prevents the government from sending supplies and reinforcements to Taiz, which remains largely under its control. Anti-government fighters had already besieged the city in 2015 before government forces partially broke the siege the following year. Since then, they had held positions to the north, east, and west of the city. With this latest advance, the rebels "have achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they have not yet fully taken control," said Farea al-Muslimi, an associate fellow at Chatham House.
Taiz holds significant symbolic value for the Houthis, largely due to the hostility of parts of the local population, he noted. Fighting in Yemen has raged on several fronts for days, inland and in the hills overlooking recently captured coastal regions by the rebels. On Thursday, dozens were killed on both sides.
What to watch
Iran continued to ramp up its rhetoric Sunday as the stalemate persists between Tehran and Washington. The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until all seven Iranian conditions set out in a temporary agreement with the U.S. signed last June are met, said Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The June memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, which included 14 points, notably provides for an end to military operations, including in Lebanon. "If they again move towards military solutions, we are more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, addressing foreign ambassadors in Tehran.
At the same time, Iran announced plans to increase its missile range, with U.S. forces now stationed as close as 1,000 kilometers from the Iranian coast, military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia told Fars news agency Sunday, according to Reuters.
In other news
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- In South Lebanon, a team from al-Jadeed TV reported on the channel's website that two groups of journalists (from al-Jadeed and the Nabatieh news site) were directly targeted by Israeli shells near Mayfadoun, with three shells falling Sunday near the group. The channel's correspondent filmed the scene from the vehicle used to escape the area. According to the journalist, no one was injured, and the four journalists managed to leave the targeted area.
- Iranian airlines sanctioned by the United States resumed flights Sunday between Iran and the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf after an exemption granted by Washington to Baghdad, AFP reported. "Flights between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran have resumed via Najaf International Airport," said airport manager Hussein Mouhanna.
- An airstrike on two UN food aid trucks in Sudan's South Kordofan state killed a driver, the World Food Program (WFP) announced Sunday, without identifying the source of the attack.
2 Israeli soldiers injured in 'operational accident,' as army continues attacks in the South