Houthis have encircled Taiz since early October 2026, severing the main supply route to Aden and intensifying a siege that restricts food, fuel, water, and medicine while government forces retain control of the city and Al-Qahira Castle. Recent clashes feature Houthi shelling of residential areas alongside government airstrikes and counterattacks that have neutralized Houthi positions, vehicles, and commanders on western and southern fronts, including strikes near the Sofitel Hotel and advances in districts such as al-Shaqb and al-Kahlan. A Houthi-appointed governor stated the province is largely under their control except central neighborhoods, yet reports document continued fighting, civilian displacement of nearly 260,000, and supply disruptions. These military dynamics, humanitarian pressures, and the absence of decisive territorial shifts inform trader assessments of capture timelines by late 2026 deadlines.