Why is fighting intensifying in Yemen’s Taiz governorate?

Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Iran-backed Houthis are engaged in a fierce struggle for the Taiz governorate, a key strategic area in the southwest of the country. Rashad al-Alimi, chief of the Saudi Arabia-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), announced on Sunday the start of a major offensive against the Houthis to regain lost territory. It is expected that this will result in more battles around Taiz, already the site of some of the most recent fighting. Observers and analysts say that the Houthis are trying to consolidate their gains after seizing much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month. For the government, the battle for Taiz represents a strategic and existential struggle for control of the country.