Houthi Ground Operations: Houthi forces reportedly attempted to advance from al Akbush in Hayfan District southwestward toward Hijat al Abd, Lahij Governorate, in order to sever the primary GLOC connecting Taiz and Aden City on September 23, according to multiple Yemeni government-aligned sources.
Houthi control over the Taiz-Aden GLOC would effectively represent an encirclement of Yemeni government-aligned forces in Taiz City, as the Hijat al Abd road is the only effective main supply route (MSR) that connects Taiz City to the rest of Yemeni government-controlled territory.
The Houthis likely seek to capture the Taiz-Aden GLOC to impose multiple dilemmas on Yemeni government-aligned forces. An effective Houthi encirclement of Yemeni government-aligned forces in Taiz City by capturing the GLOC could:
1. Set conditions for Houthi forces to seize Taiz City and other parts of the governorate, which would provide the Houthis with strategic high ground over their recently captured Red Sea coastal positions.
2. Improve the Houthis’ ability to threaten the Yemeni government’s capital in Aden City.
3. Provide the Houthis with a propaganda victory, as locals in Taiz Governorate have historically opposed Houthi rule and the Houthis have attempted to capture Taiz for nearly 15 years.
4. Effectively resurrect the borders of the northern Yemen Arab Republic—with the exception of parts of Marib and Jawf governorates — which could provide the Houthis with political legitimacy for a separate northern Yemeni state.
5. Relieve Houthi forces to pursue the group’s other objectives, such as the seizure of oil resources in Marib Governorate, as well as further expansion and consolidation of Houthi positions along the Red Sea Coastal Plain.
6. Provide the Houthis with greater leverage in negotiations for a peace settlement with the Yemeni Government and Saudi Arabia.
