Following the Houthi capture of the port town of Mokha earlier in September, his family had to flee their home without time to pack. "We have no idea what will happen now," the 46-year-old told DW. His wife, Muna, is also worried, as the family couldn't bring their personal identification documents.
"The Houthis told us to leave, basically immediately. We had no time to take anything," she said. For now, the family and their two young daughters are staying with relatives in Aden, the largest city controlled by the government in southern Yemen.
"We tell our kids in the meantime that we hope to return home soon," the couple said. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Council, the leadership body of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said that recent battlefield changes would not alter the government's goal of restoring state authority nationwide. However, given the latest advances by the Iran-backed Houthis and their territorial gains in Yemen, a return of the Musleh family to their home in Mokha is unlikely for now.
Since late July, the Iran-backed Houthis have expanded their areas of control from the north and center of the country to much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, seizing territory from forces of the internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government. The conflict continues to escalate, along with an exchange of missile and drone attacks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis are currently pushing further into the country toward the strategic Kahboub Mountains.
The mountain range is significant as it overlooks areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway that had been serving as an alternative route for Saudi oil exports amid Iran's blockade of the nearby Strait of Hormuz. The mountains are also only around 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Taiz, which is under government control. Fatima, a mother in Taiz, has been telling her children that the sounds of shelling are from fireworks.
"We are scared and we are also worried as gas has already become unavailable and prices are rising. Merchants are no longer coming into Taiz," she told DW, asking not to publish her full name for fear of reprisal. Rania and her children have also decided to stay at home in Taiz for now.
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