Yemeni forces attack Houthis outside Hodeida

khokha — Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have bombarded rebel positions outside Hodeida after pausing their push into the strategic Red Sea port city, government sources said on Tuesday.

The rebels have held Hodeida since 2014 but in a major offensive last month government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates and other coalition troops captured the disused airport on its southern outskirts — a major stepping stone for any drive into the city.

On Saturday, the government and the UAE announced a pause in their advance. This week’s deadly bombardment targeted rebel positions in Tohayta, Beit Al Faqiya and Zabid, to the south of Hodeida, the government military sources said.

Eight civilians, including four children, were killed by rocket fire in Tohayta, witnesses said. Residents blamed the rebels.

UN envoy Martin Griffiths arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Sunday in a new bid to reach a deal to avert an all-out battle fo Hodeida that could cause major casualties in the city’s streets and damage to its docks.

Griffiths has said a proposal to grant the United Nations a major role in managing the port is under study.

The government has have demanded the rebels withdraw unconditionally from the whole city, not just the port, something the rebels have rejected. —