Fighting around Taiz has intensified after Houthi forces captured the Red Sea port of Mokha, bringing them closer to a strategic shipping corridor and threatening government-held territory. The BBC’s correspondent travelled with pro-government forces towards the front line, where a drone warning was followed by air strikes and residents described living under fire.

Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, has nearly a million residents and lies between Houthi-controlled northern areas and government-held territory in the south. The Houthis and government forces are reportedly preparing for a possible major offensive; one fighter said 18 government soldiers’ bodies remained beyond the unit’s reach. Control of the high ground west of Taiz could affect the government’s ability to retake Mokha, around 85km away, while the capture of Mokha and territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait has raised concerns about disruption to shipping and oil supplies.