Yemen's Houthis and government forces battle for key Red Sea route

Fighting has intensified along the border between Yemen's Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, as Ansarullah Houthi forces and the internationally recognised government battle for control of a strategic stretch of Red Sea coastline.

The Houthis have launched strikes on Taiz, while Saudi-backed government forces say they have shot down drones over Mokha, to the west. Fighting has also spread into Hodeidah. Sources tell Al Jazeera the Houthis are trying to reach and block the road linking Taiz to the port city of Mokha, the main route used to move food, fuel and commercial goods from the Red Sea coast into Yemen. Whoever controls it gains a major foothold over regional transport and supply lines.

The Houthis already hold the capital Sanaa, the northwest and most of the Red Sea coastline, but are pushing to control it entirely. The government controls much of southern and eastern Yemen.

Al Jazeera's Julide Ayger explains.

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