The future of western security is being fought out in the hills around Taiz, according to Yemen’s former prime minister. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, now an adviser to the president, warned it would be catastrophic if the south-western city fell to Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He said control of the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea and the road to Aden would then be lost.
Appealing for more western help on Tuesday, Saeed stated he had no doubt the Houthis intended to seize all of Yemen to help Iran expand chaos. He admitted that a lack of coordination among government troops, competition between Gulf states, and a slow response to Houthi long-range drones had added to the pressure on his government and Saudi Arabia.
"We only have light weapons and Saudi Arabia did not plan at an early stage for this escalation, but it is never too late to regain our position," he said. He urged the west to consider the consequences of allowing the Houthis to take control, arguing the region would never be secure.
"The battle around Taiz is not just a battle for Taiz, but a broader battle that involves the whole of the western world, and one of the most important maritime straits," Saeed told reporters. If Taiz falls, access to the strait goes with it, and the rest of the country will follow.
Taiz is now the main frontline between the Houthis and government forces. The rebels launched a military campaign last month to take Yemen’s Red Sea coast, ending four years of relative calm after a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. Saeed said intelligence showed the Houthis were already trying to control parts of the south, including al-Sabiha in Lahij and eventually Aden.
Saeed warned that a full siege of Taiz and its 500,000 residents was days away. He described the city as a modern democratic place detached from tribal culture, and predicted the Houthis would rush to impose Zaydi education and tax systems. "The loss of Taiz would have a very significant symbolic impact on the idea of the modern state in Yemen and of resisting the Houthi project which relies on tribal networks and extremist religious education," he said.
Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the exiled leader of the southern secessionist force, called for a mobilisation of southern troops against the Houthis on Tuesday. He also demanded a referendum on secession within two years, bringing tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets on Wednesday.
Saeed said the Houthi coastal offensive coincided with heavy pressure on Iran. He explained that Houthi military capability and negotiating power had grown over the last decade, allowing them to target sites in Saudi Arabia. In December 2020, ballistic missiles fired at Aden airport killed 28 people and injured 107, including Saeed, who had just taken office as prime minister.
