In Yemen's besieged Taiz, families take shelter as Houthis close in

AI Summary

Families in Taiz are sheltering as Houthi forces tighten their siege of Yemen’s third-largest city amid fighting with Saudi-backed government forces. Residents have been repeatedly displaced, and one man described being paralyzed by a Houthi sniper shot in 2021.

TAIZ, Yemen, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Ali Hassan and his family took shelter under a stairwell at a school in Taiz as Iran-allied Houthi forces closed in around them, tightening a siege of Yemen's third-largest city. The 42-year-old said the latest fighting between the group and Saudi-backed government forces had forced him to flee several times. The wider conflict has also left its mark on his body: a shot from a Houthi sniper paralysed his hand in 2021, he said.