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Relief in Yemen’s Taiz as 8-Year Houthi Siege Is Partially Broken

The gas tankers arrive in Taiz after the Houthi siege is partially broken. (Saba)
The gas tankers arrive in Taiz after the Houthi siege is partially broken. (Saba)
    Aden, Riyadh – Ali Rabih and Abdulhadi Habtor
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Relief in Yemen’s Taiz as 8-Year Houthi Siege Is Partially Broken

The gas tankers arrive in Taiz after the Houthi siege is partially broken. (Saba)
The gas tankers arrive in Taiz after the Houthi siege is partially broken. (Saba)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ eight-year siege of Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz was partially broken on Thursday.

A cooking gas shipment was delivered to the city through an under-construction road, revealed official government sources.

Two tankers, loaded with 25 tons of cooking gas, managed to access the city through the al-Mokha-al-Kadha road.

The Houthis have been barring access to the city through main roads.

Director of the Yemen Oil and Gas Corporation Taiz branch, Bilal al-Qumeiri said the shipment will help meet the needs of the people and ease their suffering, government media quoted him as saying.

He revealed that shipments will be rerouted through this strategic road once its construction is completed.

He said living conditions in the liberated directorates will significantly improve once the gas is provided, especially with the advent of the holy fasting month of Ramadan that begins later this month.

Member of the Presidential Leadership Council Tariq Saleh stressed that the development was significant in easing the oppressive Houthi siege on Taiz and facilitating the movement of citizens and goods to liberated regions.

The new 14 km route connects Taiz to al-Mokha through the al-Kadha area. The route was funded by the United Arab Emirates and overseen by the humanitarian cell of the national resistance, reported Yemeni media.

The terrorist Houthis have been imposing their siege on Taiz, Yemen’s most populous city, for eight years. They have been blocking the al-Houban-Aden main road that is used in trade and travel.

The Houthis have been allowing the passage of goods, oil derivatives and humanitarian needs strictly through very steep roads that are accident-prone.

The siege has forced the locals and businesses to seek treacherous and poorly-maintained roads to go about their daily lives, sometimes taking several hours to reach their destination when prior to the siege, such a journey would have taken mere minutes.

Saleh toured the area after the siege was broken, praising the efforts that led to the paving and opening of the new route.

Construction of the route had kicked off in October and is expected to be complete in the coming months.

The Houthis have rejected all United Nations efforts and proposals in the past months to lift the siege in spite receiving several gains from humanitarian agreements that have been implemented, such as reaping benefits from the return of imports to Hodeidah ports and resuming flights at Sanaa airport.

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) had inaugurated in May 2022 maintenance operations of the Haija-al-Abed route that connects Taiz to the Lahj and Aden provinces. Work is still undergoing. The 9 km route is vital to over five million Yemenis.

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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to the Middle East, stating that Moscow “has not and will not withdraw from the region.” He emphasized ongoing communication with Syria’s new leadership and expressed readiness to support the political process in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov attributed Syria’s deteriorating situation to the previous regime, blaming its unwillingness to implement reforms and share power with the opposition.

“The refusal of the former Syrian regime to make any changes or share power with the opposition was one of the primary reasons for its collapse,” he said.

Lavrov noted that over the past decade, since President Bashar al-Assad requested Russian intervention in the Syrian war and the launch of the Astana peace process, Damascus had delayed advancing the political path.

“Despite support from Arab nations, Syrian authorities showed reluctance to move forward politically and sought to maintain the status quo,” he explained.

He highlighted Russia’s repeated calls for the Syrian government to engage with the Constitutional Committee, established during the 2018 Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, and to actively work on drafting a new constitution.

Lavrov also pointed to economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions, which have stifled Syria’s economy, and US control over oil-rich eastern regions. Resources were exploited to fuel separatist ambitions in northeastern Syria, he remarked.

Moreover, the FM revealed details of Moscow’s earlier discussions with Kurdish groups, reiterating his country’s position that Kurdish rights should be guaranteed within the constitutional frameworks of Syria, Iraq, Iran and Türkiye.

He argued that the previous Syrian regime’s reluctance to engage in political dialogue resulted in stalled reforms proposed by the United Nations, Moscow and Cairo platforms, and Istanbul-based opposition groups. This inaction, he said, created a vacuum that ultimately led to the collapse.

Furthermore, he dismissed claims that his country’s withdrawal from Syria would signal its departure from the Middle East.

“Russia has not and will not leave the region,” he declared. Without directly addressing the status of Russian military bases in Syria, Lavrov emphasized: “Our embassy never left Damascus, and we maintain ongoing communication with the authorities.”

He also stressed Russia’s willingness to facilitate inclusive dialogue involving all national, political and sectarian factions, as well as relevant international stakeholders. Lavrov underscored that recent discussions with Türkiye, Gulf nations, and other parties demonstrated widespread agreement that Russia and Iran must be involved in the Syrian peace process if sustainable results are to be achieved.

For his part, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, reaffirmed Russia’s focus on developments in Syria, describing relations with Damascus as a “priority of Russian foreign policy.”

Reports on Tuesday suggested that Bogdanov might soon lead a Russian delegation to Damascus. However, a Russian diplomatic source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that no date for the visit has been confirmed. The visit, which was reportedly postponed, would mark the first by a senior Russian official to Damascus since the fall of Assad’s regime in December.

Meanwhile, media reports indicated that Moscow is facing logistical challenges in withdrawing military equipment from Syria, due to restrictions imposed by Syrian authorities on the movement of Russian ships in territorial waters.

According to the English-language edition of RT, the Russian ship Sparta 2, designated to transport military equipment and weapons, was denied entry to the Port of Tartus, where Russia maintains its only overseas naval base.