Houthis Ramp Up Military Buildup in Taiz, Recruit Child Soldiers Amid Looming Offensive

Khabar Agency

5 days ago

Local sources in Yemen's Taiz Governorate report a significant escalation in Houthi military movements across northern districts, indicating preparations for renewed hostilities. The Iran-backed group has intensified fortification efforts while persistently violating an unofficial truce, ignoring international calls for restraint.
The Houthi militia has recently constructed multiple training facilities near active combat zones in Taiz Governorate, with one significant camp positioned along Sixty Street in Taiziyah district. The installation houses dozens of new recruits, predominantly minors coerced into joining through exploitation of Yemen's worsening economic collapse and targeted social coercion tactics. Reliable sources said.
Military observers have documented extensive engineering operations along Taiz's northern axis, where Houthi forces are, excavating an interconnected network of combat tunnels, constructing reinforced trench systems and establishing concealed weapons depots.
These fortifications span strategic locations including Al-Kasara and Jabal Al-Wa'ash sectors, serving dual purposes: Creating forward staging areas for potential offensive operations and securing critical supply routes for weapons and personnel transfers.
The militia's latest infrastructure projects suggest preparations for either, defensive consolidation against anticipated government advances or effensive positioning for surprise assaults on Yemeni Army positions
Sources indicate that the Houthis are not only relying on voluntary recruitment but are also pressuring tribal leaders to send their children to training camps, exploiting widespread poverty and the collapse of public services. Such practices violate international laws prohibiting the recruitment and use of child soldiers in armed conflicts.
Additionally, the militia has been constructing strategic mountain roads to connect its strongholds in northern Taiz with areas in Sabr Al-Mawadim and Maqbanah, improving its ability to mobilize fighters and launch multi-front assaults.
These developments come as Taiz remains under a suffocating siege, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. With international support waning and little pressure on the Houthis to ease restrictions, fears of renewed large-scale fighting are growing.
Residents have expressed alarm over the Houthi buildup, warning that further escalation could plunge the region back into the brutal warfare seen in previous years. Reports suggest the militia is reinforcing its ranks with fighters from neighboring governorates, including Ibb and Dhamar.
Activists and observers are urging Yemeni authorities to take immediate action, including enhanced intelligence monitoring of Houthi movements, to prevent potential attacks on key positions in northern Taiz.
Human rights groups have called for international intervention to stop child recruitment and hold Houthi leaders accountable for war crimes, including the use of minors in combat—a clear violation of international humanitarian law.