Arab troops tighten noose around port
YEMENI TROOPS BATTLE AL HOUTHIS AT HODEIDA PORT AMID PUSH INTO THE CITY
ASaudi-led Arab alliance fighting Al Houthis in Yemen yesterday stepped up air strikes on the Iran-allied militants’ positions in the port city of Hodeida, where coalitionsupported government forces have advanced in a renewed offensive, military sources said.
Coalition jets unleashed a string of strikes on the northern edges of Hodeida with the aim of helping Yemeni forces to progress on a route linking Hodeida to the north-western province of Hajjah and the province of Mahwit in the north, they added, according to Al Arabiya.
Government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition’s air power, have tightened the noose on the southern, western and eastern sections of Hodeida since they started a major operation last week aimed at expelling Al Houthis from the Red Sea city and its crucial port.
Most of Yemen’s humanitarian aid and imports go through the Hodeida port.
The government and coalition accuse Al Houthis of taking advantage of their control of the Hodeida port to obtain weapons from their Iranian ■ patrons as well as confiscate aid intended for Yemenis in order to sustain their war effort.
Yesterday, government loyalists were combing Hodeida’s southern and eastern districts in preparation for a new push into the city, which has been under the extremists’ control since late 2014.
Government forces are battling Al Houthi militiamen a few kilometres of the Hodeida port, September Net, linked to the Yemeni Defence Ministry, reported.
At least 23 Al Houthi militiamen were killed in clashes with government forces inside Hodeida whereas 14 other rebels, including snipers, surrendered, according to the report.
Dozens of militant leaders and fighters left the embattled city for Hajjah and the rebel-controlled capital Sana’a, September Net said.
Al Houthis have deployed their gunmen atop and around the May 22 Hospital, a major facility in Hodeida, in an attempt to stop government forces from advancing, Yemeni media reported, citing local residents.
The escalating fight in Hodeida comes amid increasing international calls for Yemen’s warring sides to end the years-long conflict. The US has urged the combatants to observe a ceasefire by the end of this month.