In brief
BBC reporters, after rare access to Yemen’s conflict zone, turn into front‑line soldiers to film a tense battle in Taiz as Saudi‑backed forces push Houthi fighters back from a key Red Sea chokepoint. The footage captures a lone drone hovering above the battlefield, followed within ten minutes by a barrage of artillery that critically hits the squad. The attack, witnessed by a senior international investigations correspondent, signals a pivotal moment in the civil war, intensifying the humanitarian crisis on the coast.
BBC reporters slipped past checkpoints in Taiz, turning into front‑line soldiers to film a tense conflict that saw Saudi‑backed forces wrest back a key Red Sea chokepoint from the Houthi.
In the footage, a lone drone silently circles the battlefield before the ground crews drive away, only to be struck by a sudden barrage of shelling within the next ten minutes.
The attackers, identified as pro‑government troops, are battling a swift‑moving Houthi brigade that recently swept along the coast, making this a pivotal moment in Yemen’s civil war.
Local residents left of the front‑line report that the shelling took a heavy toll on civilian infrastructure, further inflaming the region’s humanitarian crisis.
With the Houthi line now retreating, both sides brace for a decisive clash that could shift control of international shipping lanes and pressure the global community to act.