Yemen: Yemen's city of Taiz is rapidly emerging as a major battleground in the country's renewed civil war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis against the internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
Houthi forces have encircled Taiz in recent weeks by cutting its main road south to Aden, triggering widespread displacement and worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Here is why the battle for Taiz matters and what is at stake.
Why is Taiz so important?
A Houthi victory in Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, would mark one of the biggest turning points in the country's long-running civil war, which resumed this summer after a four-year truce.
Taiz city has an estimated population of nearly 600,000, according to Katja Juric, Aden-based head of programmes for the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Government sources said 80,000 people had fled in the latest fighting.
Taiz has been on the frontline between the Houthis and government forces since the early days of the conflict, which began in 2015. The city has long been regarded as a stronghold of opposition to the Iran-allied group.
It is the last major urban stronghold of anti-Houthi forces in Yemen's southern highlands. The area includes rugged hills above Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based, and the flat coastal plain around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
A Houthi takeover of Taiz would make it more difficult for government forces to maintain their counteroffensive around Bab el-Mandeb and prevent the Houthis from advancing towards Aden.
It would also represent a major symbolic defeat for the government and the Saudi-backed military coalition fighting the Houthis.
What is the military situation around Taiz?
For years, Taiz has sat at the tip of a government-held corridor extending north into Houthi-controlled territory.
The Houthis held areas to the north, east and west of the city, while government forces controlled Taiz and its immediate surroundings, including Jebel Sabar, the high mountain rising above the city to the south.
As fighting resumed in recent weeks, the Houthis advanced south of Jebel Sabar along the road to Aden in an attempt to cut off Taiz. The road stretches about 200 km (125 miles) through rugged hills, where military operations are slow and difficult.
Sections of the road are now under Houthi control, including areas around the towns of al-Turbah and Mudiriyat al-Misrakh. This has left Taiz encircled since early October, with Houthi forces sometimes shelling government positions in and around the city.
Government forces, supported by airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition, are trying to reverse the Houthi advances and reopen the road. However, as of mid-October, they were still losing ground around Taiz rather than recapturing territory.
Why is Taiz a stronghold of opposition to the Houthis?
Taiz has a long history of strained relations with rulers from northern Yemen. It was also a centre of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that led to the removal of veteran former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Houthis follow the Zaydi school of Shiite Islam, while Taiz is predominantly Sunni Muslim.
Saleh and the Houthis joined forces to seize the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The move derailed a political transition that had emerged from the Arab Spring and included a proposal for a federal, democratic state.
In early 2015, army units loyal to Saleh seized positions in Taiz, prompting large protests followed by armed clashes. Protesters accused Saleh and the Houthis of staging a coup.
Months of fierce fighting followed in and around the city. Houthi forces and Saleh's army units fought local fighters and brigades from Yemen's increasingly fragmented military that supported the government.
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Residents endured shelling, sniper fire and severe shortages during a prolonged siege. Government forces eventually drove the Houthis and their allies out of the city and restored a land route to Aden.
Fighting in Taiz continued throughout 2015 and into parts of 2016, while the siege persisted for extended periods until 2017.
What is the humanitarian situation in Taiz?
The latest fighting has displaced at least 121,000 people in Taiz province, according to the IOM, although many of those affected come from rural areas outside the city.
Residents of Taiz have told Reuters they are facing shortages of basic goods and sharp price increases in local markets since Houthi forces cut the road to Aden.
Aid agencies have reported widespread shortages of fuel, food, medicines and clean water. Wheat flour stocks in the city were nearly exhausted, the World Food Programme said in mid-October.
The worsening situation also threatens to aggravate existing health problems. UNICEF recently found that one in three children screened in Yemen was malnourished. Cholera, dengue and malaria are also present in the country.
What happens next?
Government forces, backed by Saudi airstrikes, are continuing efforts to retake territory and reopen the road to Aden, but their success is uncertain.
The Houthis have increased attacks on Saudi targets and demonstrated greater military capability and organisation than in earlier phases of the war. They are also seeking to consolidate their siege of Taiz and advance closer to the city.
The situation could lead to a prolonged siege similar to the one Taiz experienced during the earlier phase of the conflict.
Another possibility is an attempt by the Houthis to capture the city itself. Given the strength of local opposition, such an offensive could face fierce resistance and trigger a prolonged and bloody battle.
