Yemen government forces claim control of Mount Qarfan in Taiz 

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces say they have taken full control of strategic Mount Qarfan in the western governorate of Taiz during a battle with Iran-aligned Houthi fighters.

Government forces, assisted by local fighters, secured Mount Qarfan on Tuesday, the Yemen Armed Forces Media Center said in a statement, as the warring sides battle for control of highlands overlooking the Red Sea coast.

The chief of staff for the Taiz military axis, Major General Abdulaziz al-Majidi, said troops engaged in “fierce battles” with Houthi rebels, killing five Houthi fighters, wounding 20 and achieving the “restoration of control” of the mountain.

The seizure of Mount Qarfan would give Yemen’s government forces commanding fire control and surveillance over the surrounding valleys between the ash-Shamaytaun and al-Waziiya districts in southern Taiz governorate.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the government forces’ claim.

The clashes come as fighting continues to rage in Yemen amid mounting regional tensions set off by the United States-Israel war on Iran.

The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast this month, including the port of Mocha, have launched an attempt to push into the Kahboub Mountains in Taiz and Lahj governorates. Control of the strategic heights, which overlook the Bab al-Mandeb strait and Mayyun Island in the Red Sea, would allow the Houthis to sever the coast from the remaining government-held south.

Analysts told Al Jazeera that the Houthis were likely seeking to gain control of the mountains to provide a defensive shield for the group’s forces on the coast.

“The mountains are the natural wall that protects the Houthis’ rear on the coast. Controlling them would cut the coast off from the government-held south and place direct pressure on Lahj and, in the longer term, Aden,” Faozi Al-Goidi, a visiting fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told Al Jazeera.

The battles for the highlands near the Red Sea coast come as fighting continues across Yemen.

Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, said on Tuesday that Houthi forces shot down a reconnaissance drone over Mocha in Taiz governorate.

He also said Saudi warplanes carried out 19 air strikes over the past day, hitting targets in Taiz, al-Jawf and Marib governorates.

The government-aligned Yemeni News Agency reported that Houthi forces also shelled residential neighbourhoods in central Taiz city, causing damage to homes.

The World Health Organization said 674 people had been killed and almost 3,000 injured in renewed fighting since August 6, including 164 deaths and 516 injuries on September 13-18 alone.

Meanwhile, civilians continue to be forced from their homes during a growing displacement crisis.

More than 158,000 people have been displaced this month, according to Yemen’s Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps.

Ibrahim Al-Huri, an assistant professor at the University of Saba Region, told Al Jazeera that civilians are paying “the highest prices” in the war.

“Three thousand people have crossed the sea to Djibouti and Somalia to seek refuge and safety, using primitive boats, putting their lives at risk,” he said.

“People have become desperate,” he added. “They have lost their homes, their farms, their sources of income, and many of them have fled to overcrowded camps where people are already in a struggle to access food, sanitation, water and medical facilities.”